Brief explanatory notes.


§ Know God as loving Father and Lord and live this relationship out in a way that will make others also want to know Him.

§ Grow together as Christians – the aim is whole person (head, heart and hand) growth in all aspects of Christian living including worship and ministry (Eph. 4:11-13). Christianity is at basis a relationship with a living Lord that is best experienced within a community setting (Matt. 28: 18-20)

§ Go together to love and share with others. Encourage and equip one another to lovingly share our faith both individually and corporately. (Acts 1:8). Love and value people as we respond to God’s love for us and share His love with all people as made in His image and of great value to God and us (Matt. 22:34-40). Bring people into a relationship with Jesus.


Goals


Goals state what we are attempting to achieve as a church. They give a picture of how we believe the church should be. This is expressed in the eight quality characteristics of an effective church. The emphasis is on the adjectives.

Empowering Leadership – Leaders concentrate on empowering other Christians for ministry and assist them to attain the spiritual potential God has for them. They equip, support, motivate and mentor individuals, enabling them to become all that God wants them to be.

Gift-oriented Ministry – People are helped to identify their gifts and then integrated into appropriate ministries. Christians serving in their area of giftedness generally function less in their own strength and more in the power of the Holy Spirit. God is determining who does what.

Passionate Spirituality – Christians are ‘on fire’. They live committed lives and practice their faith with joy and enthusiasm. Spiritual passion is incompatible with the approach of ‘doing our duty’.

Functional Structures – Developing structures that will promote an ongoing multiplication of the ministry. Leaders don’t just lead, they also develop other leaders.

Inspiring Worship Service – Worship services are an ‘inspiring experience’ for the participants. There is a sense that the Holy Spirit is present and He is having a concrete effect upon the way the service is conducted including the entire atmosphere of the gathering.

Holistic Small Groups – ‘Holistic’ small groups that go beyond just studying Bible passages to applying its message to daily life. Group members are free to bring up those issues and questions that are immediate personal concerns.

Need-oriented Evangelism – Those with the gift of evangelism are identified and then encouraged to serve in a corresponding area of ministry. Evangelistic efforts are focused on the questions and needs of non-Christians.

Loving Relationships - People experience practical Christian love. People spend informal time together and are often in each other’s homes. People freely affirm one another.
Principles

Principles are universally applicable concepts on which specific strategies are based. Strategies explain how we are to achieve the goals. Strategies operate through the six natural growth principles.

Interdependence – Any decision in one area of church life will impact other areas of church life in the long term. No ministry is an island. Connect people and also ministries. All decisions are to have long-term growth benefits for every area it impacts.

Multiplication – For sustainable healthy growth, like must produce like. Reproduce for ongoing life. Every disciple, ministry, program, activity and group is to be reproducing itself.

Energy Transformation – All energy in the church is directed towards generating healthy growth. Identify all energy. The church is to be focusing all available energy and resources effectively on generating healthy growth.

Multi-usage – Energy invested ensures ministries, programs and groups become self-sustaining. Produce resources with multiple uses. Every part of church life is to be progressively developing its own resources and becoming self-sustaining.

Symbiosis – Fostering win-win relationships for mutual benefit. Encourage diversity. Diverse ministries and individuals are to be actively working together for mutual benefit and overall healthy Church growth.

Functionality – The quality is measured by examining the fruit. Know each ministry’s purpose. Every area of church life is to be consistently contributing to the healthy growth of the church in a tangible way.


Christian Life Profile


We believe there are certain core beliefs, behaviours and attitudes that are foundational to the Christian life. The goal of every Christian is to constantly seek the Spirit’s help to grow and mature in each of these areas. As a community of Christians each of us will commit to both grow in our own Christian Life Profile and help others to do the same.


Christian Beliefs


[Knowing – Head]

God: The God of the Bible, Father, Son and Spirit, is the only true God. (2 Corinthians 12:13,14)

Salvation: A person comes into a right relationship with God and is saved by His grace through faith in Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 2:8,9)

The Bible: The Bible is the word of God and has authority to command our beliefs and actions. (2 Timothy 3:16,17)

A Personal God: God is involved in and cares about our daily lives. (Psalm 122)

Identity in Christ: A person is significant because of his or her position as a child of God. (John 1:12,13)

Church: The church, God’s people, is God’s primary way to accomplish His purposes on earth today. (Ephesians 4:15,16)

Humanity: All people are loved by God and need Jesus Christ as their Saviour. (John 3:16,17)

Compassion: God calls Christians to value all people and show love and care to those in need. (Psalm 82:3,4)

Eternity: Heaven and hell are real and Jesus will return to judge everyone and establish His eternal kingdom. (John 14:1-4)

Stewardship: Everything a person owns belongs to God and is a means of serving God. (1 Timothy 6:17-19)


Christian Attitudes


[Being – Heart; Galatians 5:22,23]

Joy: having inner contentment and purpose in spite of our circumstances. (John 15:11)

Peace: being free from anxiety because God is in control and things are right between God and me and between me and others. (Philippians 4:6,7)

Faith(fullness): being committed to discover and fulfill God’s will for our life. (Proverbs 3:3,4)

Self-Control: having the power, through God’s Spirit, to control ourselves. (1 Thessalonians 5:6)

Love: unconditionally loving others. (1 John 4:10-12)

Patience: being patient with ourselves and others. (Proverbs 14:29)

Kindness/Goodness: choosing to consistently do the right thing in all our relationships. (1 Thessalonians 5:15)

Gentleness: being thoughtful, considerate and calm in our dealings with others. (Philippians 4:5)

Humility: choosing to esteem others above ourselves. (Philippians 2:3,4)

Hope: coping with the hardships of life and death through the sure hope we have in Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 6:17-20)


Christian Behaviours


[Doing - Hand]

Worship: worshipping God for who He is and what He has done, and is doing, for and through us. (Psalm 95:1-7)

Prayer: praying to God to know Him, to praise and thank Him, to lay our requests before him, and to find direction for our daily life. (Psalm 66:16-20)

Bible Study: reading and studying the Bible to know God, to hold to His truth, and to find direction for our daily life. (Hebrews 4:12)

Single-Mindedness: focusing on God and His priorities for our life. (Matthew 6:33)

Biblical Community: sharing, learning and serving together with other Christians to fulfill God’s purposes in our life, in others’ lives, and in the world. (Acts 2:42-47)

Spiritual Gifts: using the gifts God has given us to fulfill God’s purposes. (1 Corinthians 12:1-31)

Giving our Time: giving our time to fulfill God’s purposes. (Colossians 3:17)

Giving our Possessions: giving and using our money and possessions to fulfill God’s purposes. (2 Corinthians 8:7)

Giving our Faith: giving our faith to others to fulfill God’s purposes. (Ephesians 6:19,20)

Giving our Life: giving our life to fulfill God’s purposes. (Romans 12:1,2)