Ax Church is all about average people making Jesus famous. We believe that Jesus (His example, wisdom, and love) is the truth that everyone is searching for deep down inside. Ax Church was planted by locals of the Illinois Valley in 2010 with a hope to grow a community of people fascinated by Jesus and uninterested in religion. We take our name partly as a joke based off the “Acts” church in the New Testament, and partly as a serious application of Luke 3:9 which says, “The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” Every person who meets Jesus is meant to put their faith in action (produce fruit) and we want to live out that kind of faith in a way that blesses our community. Ax Church would love to serve you and your family if you are interested in exploring your faith or putting the faith you have into action.
These seven Core Values guide everything we do.
We don’t think you need a degree in theology to spread the good news of Jesus. The best ministry is accomplished by doing what you can, with what you have, where you are. Every Jesus follower is called to reflect God’s goodness in their life because faith without action is dead.
Other churches are our allies, not our enemies. We work with other churches to accomplish greater things than we could ever do alone. It’s all about God’s Kingdom, and we will gladly recommend other churches to people if Ax is not their style. We are one part of a move of God in the Illinois Valley.
We invest our time and energy into people instead of elaborate ministry programs. Every person is valuable, whether young, old, rich, or poor, and we want to know their story. Our goal is that everyone finds best friends at Ax and relationships that last a lifetime.
Religion is primarily about rules and outward practices that fool people into thinking they are getting closer to God. We reject religion and focus on a real relationship with God. We believe controversy follows Jesus. So, as we follow Jesus, controversy will follow us.
We believe that honesty is the best course of action in all circumstances. We want everyone in Ax to feel comfortable sharing their flaws and failures instead of putting on a mask to cover them up. We celebrate confession because it is the path to forgiveness and healing.
We live in a perpetual state of victory despite our circumstances. Jesus keeps showing up and doing miracles, so we keep cheering. We take time to celebrate good news in Ax and in the lives of our friends. We walk with an atmosphere of expectancy of what God will do next.
The end goal isn’t simply to have a relationship with Jesus. It’s to help others start a relationship with Jesus, too. We welcome people to come as they are, but we don’t stop there. We go to the places they are at and carry the gospel along with us. We find those who are lost and introduce them to the same Jesus that found us.
At Ax Church, we have beliefs which we refer to as “closed-handed” and “open-handed” beliefs. Closed-handed beliefs are ones that we will not budge on. There is no room for negotiation on these topics. Open-handed beliefs are ones that we understand Christians have differing opinions on and accept discussion on those topics. The following list contains our closed-handed beliefs that are nonnegotiable.
The Old and New Testaments are inspired by God; the only written revelation from God to man. The Bible is infallible and the authoritative rule of faith and conduct for mankind (II Timothy 3:15-17, I Thessalonians 2:13 & II Peter 1:21).
God is called by many different names because of the different dimensions of His personality, but God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4). God is super-dimensional and eternally self-existent (John 8:54-59). God is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. He is the creator of the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1&2). While God is one, He has revealed Himself in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).
Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity, the eternal Son of God. The Scripture declares his virgin birth (Matthew 1:18-23); His sinless life (Hebrews 7:26 & I Peter 2:22 & I John 3:4,5); His miracles (Acts 2:22 & 10:37-38); His substitutionary death on the cross (II Corinthians 5:21 & I Peter 2:24 & I Corinthians 15:4); His bodily resurrection from the dead (Matthew 28:1-6 & I Corinthians 15:4); His exaltation to the right hand of God (Acts 1:9,11 & Philippians 2:9-11).
Man was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). However, by a voluntary act of the will, Adam and Eve disobeyed God (Genesis 3:6). That first sin had several repercussions. Man was excommunicated from the garden of Eden (Genesis 3:23), a curse was pronounced (Genesis 3:14-19), the process of physical death began (Genesis 2:17), and man died spiritually (Romans 5:12-19). Sin separated humankind from God (Ephesians 2:11-18), leaving man in a fallen or sinful condition (Romans 3:23).
The only means of salvation is Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12 & John 14:6). He died on the cross to pay the penalty of our sins (I Peter 2:24). He offers each of us a pardon for our sins (Hebrews 9:26) and wants us to become children of God (John 1:12). When we put our faith in Christ, it triggers a spiritual chain reaction. We become the Temple of the Holy Spirit (I Cor. 6:19). Our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Rev. 3:5). We become citizens of heaven (Phil. 3:20-21). We are given eternal life (John 3:16). We are adopted and become children of God (Gal. 4:4-7). Our sins are forgiven and forgotten (Heb. 8:12). We are credited with the righteousness of Christ (Rom. 4:4-5). We are born-again (John 3:3), God takes ownership of us (I Cor. 6:20), and we receive an eternal inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14 & I Peter 1:3-5). The evidence of salvation is two-fold. The internal evidence is the direct witness of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:16). The external evidence is the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22, 23). We become a new creation (II Cor. 5:17) and are transformed into the image of Christ (II Cor. 3:18).
The Scripture teaches that all who repent and believe in Christ are to be baptized by immersion (Matthew 28:19). Baptism is a public profession of faith in Christ. It is symbolic of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. It is a declaration to the world that we have died to sin and have been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4).
The Lord’s table consists of two elements: the bread and the cup. Those elements are symbolic of the body and blood of Christ. Communion is a memorial of Christ’s sufferings on the cross and a celebration of our salvation. It is an opportunity for a believer to examine himself and experience forgiveness.
The Church is the body of Christ (I Corinthians 12:12-27) and has a three-fold purpose: To evangelize the world (Acts 1:8 & Mark 16:15-16), to worship God (I Cor. 12:13), and to equip for ministry (Ephesians 4:11-16 & I Cor. 12:28, 14:12).
The nine fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) are the by-product of a Spirit-filled life and evidence of spiritual maturity. The nine gifts of the Spirit are different manifestations of the Spirit to build up the body (I Cor. 12:1-11). We are instructed to diligently seek the gifts (I Cor. 12:31, 14:1), but they must be exercised in an orderly way (I Cor. 14:26-33) in the context of love (I Cor. 13:1-13).
There will be a final judgment in which the dead will be resurrected and judged according to their works (Matt. 25:31-46 & Romans 2:1-9). Everyone whose name is not found written in the Book of Life, along with the devil and his angels, will be consigned to everlasting punishment in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:11-15). Those whose names are written in the Book of Life will be resurrected and stand at the judgment seat of Christ to be rewarded for their good deeds (I Cor. 4:5).
“In the essentials, we need unity; in the non-essentials, we need freedom; but in all things, we need love.” — Rupertus Meldenius
©2026 Ax Church | 944 First St, LaSalle, IL | (815) 200.4814 | info@axchurch.com