WHO WE ARE

The Vision: To reach every man, woman, and child with the gospel by sharing God’s Story through our own—living out the gospel in the city and beyond.

The Mission: Together, leading and multiplying transformational disciples into genuine life in Christ through grace and truth.

JOIN US IN THE STORY
A family of four standing indoors, smiling at the camera. The background includes a world map wall art, a shelf with decorations, and a table with a water bottle.

JOSH & APRIL JACKSON

Josh met Jesus at five years old, but it was during his service in the U.S. Navy that the "Grand Story" of God truly captured his heart, sparking a relentless pursuit of devotion and discipleship. This calling launched a ministry journey from leading with The Navigators into years of pastoral leadership. After earning his Master of Divinity, Josh returned to the fleet as a Navy Chaplain, most recently serving the 4th Battalion at the U.S. Naval Academy. Now, having completed his Doctorate in Experiential Discipleship from DTS in 2025, Josh is planting Life Story Bible Church in the greater Austin area. Josh and April, his wife of 25 years, live to inspire and equip people through their lives to walk with God for a lifetime. Alongside their children, Hayleigh and Austin, they exist to help others see their lives not as random chapters, but as vital parts of God’s grand redemptive narrative—sharing His story with the world.

OUR FRAMEWORK

SHARE GOD’S STORY

The eternal,

redeeming narrative

of Jesus Christ

- The Gospel -

SHARE OUR LIVES

Living authentically and relationally in deep Christian fellowship.

- Our Community -.

SHARE OUR STORY

The transformative

impact of Jesus

in our personal lives

- Our Testimony -

SHARE IN THE CITY’S STORY

Incarnating the Gospel in the homes and schools of Hutto/Pflugerville.

- Our Focus -

BELIEF STATEMENTS

Life Story Bible Church is a non-denominational Bible church that believes in, and is based upon, the historic Christian faith. We articulate our beliefs through three levels of conviction:

LEVEL 1 (PRIMARY) BELIEFS:

These are the foundational convictions of Life Story Bible Church. These beliefs align us with historic, confessional, evangelical, orthodox Christianity. When it comes to our primary beliefs, the elders of Life Story Bible Church have strong convictions and seek alignment from our partners.

  • We believe the Bible, as revealed in the Old and New Testaments, is the inspired, inerrant, and authoritative Word of God, sufficient for all matters of faith and life.


    Key Scriptures:2 Timothy 3:16–17; 2 Peter 1:20–21; Hebrews 4:12; Matthew 5:17–18; Psalm 119:105

  • We believe in one God who eternally exists in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—equal in divine essence, distinct in role.


    Key Scriptures: Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14

  • We believe Jesus is fully God and fully man, born of the virgin Mary, sinless in life, crucified for our sins, bodily resurrected, and ascended to the Father’s right hand.


    Key Scriptures: John 1:1–14; Colossians 1:15–20; Hebrews 1:1–4; Hebrews 4:15

  • We believe all people are created in God’s image and have inherent dignity, but are sinful by nature and choice, alienated from God, and unable to save themselves.


    Key Scriptures: Genesis 1:26–27; Romans 3:9–23; Psalm 14:2–3

  • We believe Jesus died as our substitute for sin, was buried, and rose again bodily, securing our salvation: justification, sanctification, and eternal glorification.


    Key Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 15:3–4; Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21

  • We believe salvation is a gift of God’s grace, received through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, and not based on human merit.


    Key Scriptures: Ephesians 2:8–9; Titus 3:5–7; John 3:16; Romans 10:9-10

  • We believe the Holy Spirit indwells all believers, transforming and empowering them for godly living and ministry.


    Key Scriptures: Romans 8:9–11; Galatians 5:16–25; 1 Corinthians 6:19–20

  • We believe that the Church of Jesus Christ is His body and bride. We believe it is the responsibility of the Church to bring glory to God as it participates in world evangelization to fulfill the Lord’s command to make disciples among all nations.

    Key Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 1:20-23; Ephesians 4:15; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Matthew 28:18-20

  • We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ prescribed that His Church observe two ordinances: water baptism which portrays the believer’s submission to and union with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection, and the Lord’s Supper to commemorate His death until He comes again.

    Key Scriptures: Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:41-42; Matthew 26:26-28; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

  • We believe that God created two biological sexes: male and female. We believe that Biblical marriage is a covenant between one man and one woman, and it is the only God-ordained context for sexual intimacy.

    Key Scriptures: Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4–9; Romans 1:26–27; 1 Corinthians 6:9–11

  • We believe that Satan, a fallen angel, is the god of this age, the adversary of Christ and His Church, and that his destiny is eternal punishment.

    Key Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 4:3-4; Ephesians 6:10-12; Revelation 12:9; Revelation 20:1-3; Revelations 20:7-10

  • We believe in the visible, bodily return of Jesus Christ, the final judgment, the eternal joy of believers in God’s presence, and eternal punishment in hell for those without Christ.

    Key Scriptures: 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; 2 Thessalonians 1:7–10; Revelation 20:11–15

LEVEL 2 (SECONDARY) BELIEFS:

As stated above, the elders of Life Story Bible Church have strong convictions about our primary beliefs and seek agreement from our partners. When it comes to secondary beliefs, the elders have clarity and seek unity from our partners. You do not have to agree with our positions on secondary issues to be a Christian or even to be a partner. However, we want you to have clarity on where we stand on these issues so that the church family can be unified. We expect those who serve on our staff and elder board to agree with our secondary beliefs.

  • Life Story Bible Church is led by a team of elders. We believe Scripture teaches that the office of pastor and elder, along with the responsibility of authoritative preaching on behalf of the elders, is reserved for qualified men. At the same time, we affirm the equal worth and dignity of both men and women as image-bearers of God. We joyfully recognize that women are gifted by the Spirit and called to lead, teach, and disciple in ways that flourish under the shepherding care and authority of the male eldership.

    Key Scriptures: Genesis 1:27; Acts 14:23; 1 Timothy 2:12; 1 Timothy 3:1–7; Titus 1:5–9; Titus 2:3–5; 1 Peter 5:1–4

  • We believe all the spiritual gifts mentioned in the New Testament continue today and should be pursued and practiced under the authority and sufficiency of Scripture. The gifts are given by the Holy Spirit for the building up of the body.

    Key Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 12–14; Romans 12:3–8; Ephesians 4:11–16

  • We believe in a future, personal, and physical return of Jesus Christ and the bodily resurrection of the dead. As a church, we hold a premillennial position, believing that Christ will return before the future millennial reign described in Revelation 20. While we affirm this as the best biblical interpretation, we acknowledge diversity among believers concerning details of the second coming.


    Key Scriptures: Revelation 20:1–6; Matthew 24:29–31; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18

LEVEL 3 (TERTIARY) BELIEFS:

When it comes to tertiary beliefs, we are very open-handed as a congregation. We may have personal positions and opinions, but we do not expect all our partners to align behind one position or conviction. Instead, we ask our partners to have compassion and understanding toward other people’s personal views. What kinds of issues fall into the level 3 category for us? 

  • Life Story Bible Church is contemporary in our worship style and open to using modern technology to enhance our experience of God’s truth in worship. The form (of our worship style) will continue to change as we adapt to new tools and means for encountering God. While the forms will change, the functions will remain the same in obedience to Scripture (the public reading and preaching of God’s Word, singing, sacraments, confession, etc.)

  • Life Story Bible Church does not take official positions on political candidates because we have such a wide variety of political opinions within our church. While political issues will be addressed as needed from Scripture, the pulpit of Life Story will not be used for political purposes. The partners of Life Story are asked to represent Christ well in their public tone and debate of political issues and to be careful to not alienate people who are investigating the gospel.

  • • Views on the age of the earth and creation timelines

    • Bible translation preferences

    • Philosophy of education (public, private, homeschool, etc.)

    • Alcohol use in moderation

    • Observance of holidays or the church calendar

    Guiding Scriptures: Romans 14:1–23; 1 Corinthians 8:1–13; Philippians 2:1–4

READ OUR PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES