1. GOSPEL PRIORITY

We are committed to the Gospel taking priority in everything that we do. This means being intentional with the Gospel in our ordinary life, shepherding each other with the Gospel, and sharing the Gospel with unbelievers. We challenge each other to be sacrificial, servant-hearted, risk-taking and flexible because the Gospel has priority over our comfort, preferences, security, and traditions. We will not let Christian activity be just one part of our lives. 

 

2. RELATIONSHIP

We are committed to sharing our lives as an extended family and communicating the Gospel through relationship. Within the community we strive to have authentic relationships with each other that boldly declare the power of the Gospel in overcoming differences, resolving conflict, etc.  We also expect one another to make decisions with regard to the implications for the community and to make significant decisions in consultation with the church. We intentionally initiate relationships with others (specifically unbelievers) for the purpose of communicating the Gospel through our words and the way we live our lives. We will not let conflict continue unresolved, nor view church simply as a meeting you attend.

 

3. COMMUNITY

We are committed to communicating the Gospel in the context of community.  This means we recognize that we are not alone in ministry but need to be in community with each other and to connect our relationships with unbelievers to our existing relationships with believers and other members of our community.  As we build relationships with people and share the Gospel message, we want to introduce them to Christian community.  We want people to experience “church” as a network of relationships rather than a meeting or a place. Living out the gospel in our lives as a community of believers will naturally result in building relationships, sharing the gospel and introducing people to our community. We will not reduce community only to a weekly meeting. 

 

4. HOSPITALITY

We are committed to welcoming broken people and making church accessible to unbelievers.  Hospitality is not so much about being a good host as it is about welcoming and caring for the needs of others, both insiders and outsiders.  There is no clearer picture of hospitality than that found in the Gospel.  In the Gospel God welcomes those who were not His people as, “My people,” enemies as sons, and outsiders as insiders.  This means we welcome believers and unbelievers into our homes, our lives, and our communities to show them the same grace that we have received.  We will not let our hospitality be dependent on adherence to any cultural norms not demanded by the Gospel.

 

5. BLESSING THE CITY

We are committed to blessing our neighborhoods and our city. We celebrate the diversity of cultures in our local contexts while recognizing the need for Gospel renewal. We encourage one another to glorify God and serve others through the workplace, business, community projects, government and artistic endeavor. We will not make a division between spiritual and non-spiritual activities.

 

6. GROWING CHURCHES BY STARTING CHURCHES

We are committed to starting new communities connected together in gatherings. While that connection can take various forms, it always includes shared leadership. We want to work together as a network with generous flexibility and collaborate in a wider church planting movement to litter our city and the surrounding areas with communities of light.  We want our community of light and gatherings to be inviting and culturally relevant. These are the places where people can experience community with believers, discover who God really is, be inspired to pursue an intimate relationship with Him, and share their faith with others. We will not develop into single, large congregations, nor into disconnected, isolated congregations.

 

7. PRAYER AS A MISSIONARY ACTIVITY

Recognizing that God is the primary agent and orchestrator of mission, we view prayer as a missionary activity. We want prayer to be both a regular community discipline, and an impromptu response to needs and opportunities. We will not assume we are in control of mission, nor rob God of his glory by boasting of our achievements.

 

8. SERVANT LEADERSHIP

We are committed to servant leadership.  Leadership is not about control, but serving the church in setting a missional vision by modeling and teaching the Gospel so creating a culture in which everyone flourishes in ministry.  Jesus both lead and taught his disciples to lead in this way.  We are also committed to training up (apprenticing) others to take our place in ministry. We will not make distinctions between full-time and non full-time ministers.

 

9. SHAPED BY THE BIBLE

We want our lives and our life together to be formed and shaped by the Bible’s story of redemption. We believe the Bible to be the reliable, authoritative and sufficient word of God, and are therefore committed to good Bible learning. We will not act on the basis of tradition, habit or pragmatism without reflection on the Bible. We will not see Bible teaching as an end in itself, but as that which must shape our thinking and action.

 

10. GOD’S GLORY

Above all we are committed to bringing glory to God in all that we do.  It could be quite possible for us to “do” part or all of the above for our own glory rather than for God’s glory.  We believe that “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”  This means living with reckless abandon for and in passionate relationship with Jesus, worshiping Him in all that we are and do, giving generously from all that He has blessed us with (time, money, our very lives), and living radical lives on mission together for His glory.

Again, we will not rob God of his glory by boasting in our achievements or seek to gain merit based on our good works.

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