what to expect
At The Pursuit, we try to keep things simple…it’s relaxed but focused. Our service incorporates a time of heart-felt reverent worship and joyous praise songs. We’re intentional about having a worship service and not a worship experience; worship experiences seem to focus so much on what the person wants to experience rather than sincere worship to God.
We hear a sermon that is biblical, engaging, challenging and applicable. An altar call time is provided for people to pray alone, with someone else or with one of the pastors. Immediately following the service, our pastors and other church leaders are available for prayer needs or questions.
Please browse our Service Times and Directions and learn more about What We Believe, our Servant Leadership ,Vision Statement and learn more about us!
what we believe
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God…” 2 Timothy 3:16
The Bible teaches that “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16). We understand this to mean that the whole Bible is inspired, in that holy men of God “were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21) to write the very words of Scripture.
We believe that this divine inspiration extends equally and fully to all parts of Scripture as it appeared in the original manuscripts.
We believe that the whole Bible in those original manuscripts is, therefore, without error.
We also believe that all Scripture was designed for our practical instruction. (Luke 24:27, 44; John 5:39; Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:11; 2 Timothy 3:16)
The Bible teaches that there is one true and living God, the Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, and Ruler of all things. He is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, and is revealed to us as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
God, as Father, reigns over all of His universe with providential care. He is all-powerful, all-loving, all-knowing, and all-wise. He is fatherly in attitude toward all men but is Father, indeed, to those who have become children of God through Jesus Christ, who will deliver them into the Father’s hands. (Genesis 1:1; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Jeremiah 10:10; Matthew 6:9; Acts 1:7; Romans 8:14-15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 1 Corinthians 15: 24; Ephesians 4:6)
The Bible declares that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man without ceasing to be God, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man. He accomplished this redemption by voluntarily giving Himself as a sinless, substitutionary sacrifice on the cross, thereby satisfying God’s righteous judgment against sin. After substantiating the accomplishment of that redemption and justification by His bodily resurrection from the grave, He ascended to the right hand of His Father, where He intercedes on behalf of those who trust Him. (Luke 1:34-35; John 1:1, 2, 14, 18; Romans 3:24-26; Romans 8:3)
Scripture teaches that the Holy Spirit is the Divine Person who convicts the world of sin (righteousness and judgment); that He alone brings new life to those who are spiritually dead; that He baptizes (or places) all believers into the one true Church, which is the Body of Christ; that He indwells them permanently, seals them unto the day of final redemption, bestows spiritual gifts upon them, and fills (controls) those who are yielding to Him. Every believer is called to live in the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit so that he will not fulfill the lust of the flesh but will bear fruit to the glory of God. (John 3:3-8; 14:16-17; 16:7-11; 1 Corinthians 12:7-11, 13; Ephesians 4:30; 5:18)
vision statement
“He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.” Proverbs 21:21
At The Pursuit, we put the focus back where it belongs…on God!
To be frank, if your pursuit of anything or anyone is greater than your pursuit of God, you’re wasting precious time and energy. We’re all created in God’s image and to worship Him, so let’s put things in its proper priority and let God orchestrate the rest of our lives.
Is there anyone who knows what’s best for our lives better than Him?
At The Pursuit, we believe that Christians should be passionate in their pursuit of God. And when we do this, it should show through a lifestyle of worship, fellowship, discipleship and service.
Our History
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
Matthew 6:33
We believe the existence of The Pursuit is birthed from the very heart of God…it’s amazing to see the hand of God move as He expands His Kingdom here on earth!
The Pursuit’s history actually goes back to late 2006.
It was during that time that, after much prayer, Rick and Tess Wood decided to leave the earthly paradise of Honolulu, Hawaii and relocate to northeast Dallas. Pastor Rick had been the founder and Pastor of a local church in Honolulu for the past twelve years and things were going well.
But there were some things that needed to be considered…first, all of their children were teenagers and preparing for college and secondly, there was a sense of God doing something more and different through them.
If they were ever going to move from Honolulu, now was the time. Along with sensing that, there were many other details that served as confirmations to the Wood family…too many to explain!
The bottom line was, they knew that God would eventually do something in this foreign land called Texas! And in August 2007, the Wood family arrived in northeast Dallas.
We are excited and look forward to what God will do through the ministry of The Pursuit. Our desire is that whatever happens, God would be pleased and His name glorified.
“He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.“ Proverbs 21:21
Testimonies
“Jesus…said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on you.” Mark 5:19
“I feel like God speaks to me through the message…
“It seems like every time I am in church or at a bible study, it seems like God is talking to me every time through the speaker. The message is so clear and understanding that it reaches out and slaps me in the face. The Pursuit Christian Fellowship has helped me to be able to deal with my sins verses holding on to them and dwelling on them. It is making me realize that I can’t do this on my own and I do need God’s help and His Church. The more I go and the more I educate myself with the bible, the more I see how important it is to have a church family and to pray every day and to be at every service. I have been involved in a church my entire life, but the closeness, love, support and strong Christian backgrounds is absolutely amazing. If you want help or need help The Pursuit is the way to go.”
“We see Christ’s love demonstrated on a regular basis…”
“After worshiping in a ministry that has a congregation that is several thousand members strong, it is refreshing to be involved with a ministry that knows one another personally. I served in the big ministry’s media department for over 15 years and the pastor did not even know my name. I love the Pursuit because it is like a family…a family that actively shows how they truly care about one another. We see Christ’s love demonstrated on a regular basis. I don’t believe you see love in action in most churches. Even though our congregation doesn’t have thousands of members we definitely have a big heart.”
“I’ve learned that showing up on Sunday is not enough…”
“Have you been going to church on Sunday just so you can check the box and be done with it? I asked Jesus to come into my life and change it many, many years ago. Years later not much had changed in my life. I asked myself, why am I not experiencing any of these great changes that the pastor is always talking about? I am going to church every week, I pray at night, I’m nice to other people…what am I doing wrong? Through the Pursuit Christian Fellowship I’ve learned that just showing up on Sunday is not good enough for our God. We need to be engaged with Him for anything real to happen. Like any other relationship it takes work, self-sacrifice, and a willingness to let God guide you. Pastor Rick has pushed me farther along in my relationship with God than I ever thought possible. He has taught me the fundamentals that every Christian needs through straight forward bible based sermons like you have never heard before. I cannot begin to explain the unbelievable changes I have experienced in my marriage, in my relationship with God, in my thoughts, and in my day to day life in such a short time. Even though I am a decades old Christian, I am in just the beginning stages of a real relationship with God and my pursuit to glorify him in every way possible. I’d encourage you to join us and let God open your eyes, as he has with mine, and be ready for real changes to take affect in your life too.”
“The Pursuit has helped me keep a right relationship with God…”
“This is the best time in my life. Knowing the Lord gives me the most wonderful feeling of peace to which nothing can compare. The feeling is unique. Only when you are ready to accept Him as Lord and Savior in your life can you accept He is in charge of your life. With the Lord, you will have an understanding of what it takes to solve our problems. We may have the answer, but we choose to ignore the Lord.
In the past, I always believed I was a loser, complaining about my problems, my marriage, etc. My true problem was because I was not walking with God. I have always been a nice person, but always have felt a certain degree of emptiness. I made the decision to stop complaining about my life, instead searching for the Word of God. As a result, my life is changing for the better in a way which also benefits my family. There is nothing better than to let God be in control. I am far from perfect, but have taken the first step to meet my Savior. He takes first priority in guiding my life now; He is in control rather than me. I need to stop worrying about the things I can’t change.
I am so happy to have found The Pursuit Christian Fellowship as they help me to keep a right relationship with God. They are my spiritual family, and there when I need them. I am going to The Pursuit also because I don’t have a tag of belonging to any denomination. Rather, I only belong to God. It is the most beautiful feeling to want to go to church every Sunday because I want to honor the Lord not just because I am looking for a group of friends to make me feel accepted. There is nothing wrong for me to have friends at church, but the main reason I go is to honor my Lord. Nothing can take His place. I am proud to be a Christian. I love all of my brothers and sisters. I have learned forgiveness is the most difficult thing to learn at the beginning, but when God reached my heart it is the most wonderful feeling you can imagine as I have learned to have compassion for others.”
Frequently Asked Questions
“…praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:47
Looking at the book of Acts, we see the church as God intended it to be.
The model we find in the book of Acts is a church filled with the Holy Spirit, led by the Holy Spirit, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. It was a church where the Holy Spirit was the one directing its operation and ministry.
We believe that God’s model for church government is that the Pastor is ruled by the Lord and aided by the Elders to discover the mind and will of Jesus Christ for His church.
The Pursuit is a non-denominational, independent ministry. We are an evangelical church, meaning that we believe in the sole authority and inerrancy of the Bible, in salvation only through regeneration, and in a spiritually transformed personal life.
We also believe in telling others about the Good News of Jesus.
At The Pursuit, we try to keep things simple…it’s relaxed but focused.
Our service incorporates a time of heart-felt reverent worship and joyous praise songs. We’re intentional about having a worship service and not a worship experience; worship experiences seem to focus so much on what the person wants to experience rather than sincere worship to God.
We have a time to meet and greet one another. We offer the people an opportunity to give (very low-key), and we go over with everyone the upcoming events and the many opportunities for fellowship and ministry.
We hear a sermon that is biblical, engaging, challenging, and applicable.
An altar call time is provided for people to pray alone, with someone else or with one of the Elders.
Immediately following the service, our leaders are available for prayer needs or questions.
Some parents may want their children to participate in the main service and not be a part of the Children’s Ministry…that’s okay.
We have Sermon Activity worksheets located in the rear of the sanctuary that allows your child to engage in the service by annotating key biblical references during the sermon.
We only ask that children conduct themselves in a manner that is not distracting to the service.
Pursuit Students is our Student Ministry led by our Student Pastor Mark Hernandez.
Pursuit Students meets Saturday mornings at 10:30AM. See the ‘Ministries’ tab for more information.
Yes, we celebrate the Lord’s Supper often. Some churches celebrate it weekly, monthly or quarterly. At The Pursuit, we try not to over regulate the Lord’s Supper schedule to avoid it becoming mundane or routine and allow it to carry the reverence it deserves.