OUR CORE VALUES
Our Core Values are guiding principles which we believe to be important for us and which influence all of our planning and decision-making in the life of the Church.
- We value THE PRESENCE OF GOD. We are eager to draw near to Him, to hear His voice and to respond readily to Him. (Psalm 2:8, Psalm 63:1-3)
- We value THE BIBLE as the inspired Word of God, trustworthy and authoritative for the whole of life, and the foundation for all our teaching, preaching, counselling and daily conduct. (2 Timothy 3:16)
- We value THE TRUTH OF GOD which sets us free. By hearing, reading and believing God’s Word we come to know God’s heart, grow in faith, and become renewed in our minds. The more we know of the TRUTH, the more we are able to think and act biblically as we respond to life’s opportunities and problems.
- We value THE GOSPEL – the Good News of full salvation in relationship with God as Father made possible through our personal repentance and faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ and surrender to Him as Saviour and Lord. This brings forgiveness, new life and the opportunity of increasing wholeness of body, mind and spirit, and the Holy Spirit’s power to live lives pleasing to God.
- We value BELIEVERS’ BAPTISM by full immersion in water, as a public declaration of our identification with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection life which we now share in Him.
- We value OPENNESS TO THE HOLY SPIRIT in our worship, witness and daily living. We believe Jesus invites every believer to come to Him seeking and expecting to be baptised in the Holy Spirit to further empower us for Christian life and service. Such openness actively allows the Holy Spirit to grow in us the fruit of a Christ-like character, and to impart His supernatural gifts as He continues His ministry through His body.
- We value BODY MINISTRY. With Christ as our Head, we are members of one Body, each having a contribution to make for the good of all as He works through us.
- We value THE KINGDOM OF GOD. Desiring to live under the rule of Jesus Christ, we aim to move in the signs of the present fulfilment of His Kingdom, seeking the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit, ministering His gifts, and seeing God heal and work wonders.
- We value BELIEVING PRAYER as the vital breath of the Church. In communion with God we catch His heart, and co-operate with His purposes.
- We value HUMAN DIGNITY. We have a high regard for each individual person as a creation in the image of God. Male and female, young and old, single and married, of whatever colour, background or station in life, whole or infirm, born or unborn, we seek to affirm and honour the dignity of human life. We seek to promote personal and relational wholeness, and wherever possible, to alleviate suffering and injustice through the love of God.
- We value COMMUNITY. We are called to be a community in which people of all ages and backgrounds are welcomed and valued. Indwelt by the same Holy Spirit, we are all members one of another. We work to maintain this unity of the Spirit by sharing our common life together, honouring, serving and caring for one another as we share in the joys and hardships of life. For this purpose, we especially value small group meetings as part of the fabric of Church life. We recognise that we are called to serve the community around us in the name of Christ, especially to care for the poor and needy.
- We value MARRIAGE as a God-given institution and as a life-long commitment of love between a man and a woman, to be celebrated, protected, nurtured and honoured.
- We value THE FAMILY as a place of love, security and nurture in which parents and children share and experience the love of God.
- We value CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE as part of today’s Church, wanting them to feel valued, secure and able to express themselves. We seek to complement the central role of parents in teaching and encouraging them as they grow in the Lord.
- We value BIBLICAL ORDER IN MARRIAGE, FAMILY AND CHURCH, godly authority being exercised with loving care, in conformity with God’s Word.
- We value EVANGELISM AS A LIFESTYLE – each one encouraged and equipped to reach others. We see the Church as a ‘lighthouse’, radiating the Good News in love, and drawing others to ‘come and see’ its reality for themselves.
- We value INTERNATIONAL MISSION – accepting that we have a part to play in sharing the responsibility of fulfilling the great commission of Jesus. By prayer, practical support and, if called, by going, we can minister the Gospel to the nations.
- We value GENEROSITY – fostering biblical attitudes to our personal possessions and finances. We seek to be generous in sacrificial giving and in service to one another, sharing what we have with one another in gladness of heart.
- We value SERVANT LEADERSHIP – by leaders of humility and integrity, called and gifted by God to care for the flock and to build up the Body of Christ.
- We value RELAXED SIMPLICITY to characterise our lifestyle. We want to be real and honest doing nothing for ‘religious effect’. We seek to express our life in Christ in simple and relevant terms which speak alike to those within the family of God and to those as yet outside it.