OUR MISSION IS TO…..

INSPIRE people to surrender all their lives to Jesus and His cause.  

                 CONNECT people to God in worship and to His church in biblical fellowship. 

                           ENGAGE the darkness through prayerful and Spirit-empowered missional action. 

                 GO out as God’s “sent ones” to make disciples where we live, work and play. 

JESUS – THE ONE ETERNAL GOD

We are unashamedly “Jesus people.” We worship Jesus as the express image of the invisible God and know him as the incarnational manifestation of the one eternal God who made heaven, earth and all that is in it. 

All that we do in word or deed, we do by the authority we have been granted through Jesus Christ. We baptize in the name of Jesus. We pray in the name of Jesus. We exercise our faith in the name of Jesus. We long to worship Jesus by imitating his life and ministry. Both our theology and praxis is relentlessly Christological. He is our model, mentor, hero, mediator, savior, judge, king and ruler of all. All of our values flow from what we understand about his character, concerns, and the practices of his ministry.

(Jn 1:3, Jn 13:15, Jn 14:6, Jn 17:18, Rom 5:10, Eph 1:22-23, Phil 2:5, Col 1:15-20, Col 2:9, Col 3:17, Heb 1:3, Heb 12:2, Eph 5:1-2, Jn 13:14-15, Acts 26:16, Rom 1:4, 1 Tim 2:5, Heb 7:25, Acts 4:12, Ti 3:6, Rom 2:16, Jn 9:39, 2 Tim 4:1, Rev 1:5, Rev 19:16,  Col 1:18, Rev 17:14).

THE LOST

We value lost people because they are the focus of Jesus’s search. We believe the good news of the kingdom is the most important message in the world. For this reason we will engage the lost. We believe that the church should not expect lost people to come and find them. Jesus sent us as he was sent and therefore we are called and sent to “seek and save that which was lost” (Jn20:21). Within all other ministry and missional efforts in which we engage, this is our first and most important task. They are our first concern because redemption was Jesus’s primary mission.

(Gen 22:17-18, Matt 4:23, Matt 10:7, Matt 18:14, Matt 28:19, Mk 13:10, Lk 15:4, 6, Lk 19:10, Lk 24:46-47, Acts 1:8, Acts 10:42, Rom 10:14-15 and 15:20, Gal 2:10).

NEW TESTAMENT  SALVATION

We understand that the covenant God created in the Old Testament through Abraham was enacted through circumcision. All of the promises of God upon Abraham were made available to his descendants through this act of covenant.
We understand that the covenant that we have with God in the New Testament is through Jesus Christ. For us this covenant is enacted through the new birth spoken by Jesus to Nicodemus and declared on the Day of Pentecost by Peter. The circumcision of the flesh in the OT has given way to the circumcision of the heart in the NT. This circumcision occurs in baptism and the regeneration of the heart through the infilling of the Holy Ghost. We are buried with Christ in baptism so that through the power of the Holy Spirit (which raised Christ from the dead) we may be raised into newness of life. Today all of the promises of God are upon us through Jesus Christ as the firstborn among many brethren. Through him we are joint-heirs and the full resources of heaven are made available to us for the fulfillment of all God’s plan. 

(John 3:5, Acts 2:38, Acts 8:16, Acts 10:44-48, Acts 19:1-7, Col 2:11-12, Eph 1:8, 1Pet 3:21)

SHARING + GIVING

Because we value community and simplicity, we commit ourselves to both sharing and giving. We will share because it promotes relationship and breaks the bondage of possessiveness. We believe the western doctrine of personal possession/ownership is imperfect since God owns all things and we are merely stewards. This “ownership” view needs to be tempered with the more biblical value of generosity and sacrifice. In sharing what we have with others we confess that God is the true owner and that we are only stewards in his vineyard. We will also give, because in giving we destroy the grip of materialism over our hearts because we release the resource, wealth, or possession completely into the control of another. For that reason we will pursue relentless generosity. We encourage our people to give, even beyond the tithe, as often and as generously as they can, and to consider themselves stewards of the rest. Likewise, the collective finances of the church and ministries should set an example in this regard.

(Mal 3:10, Matt 25:40, Lk 3:11, Acts 2:43, Acts 4:32, Acts 20:35, 2 Cor 8:7, 2 Cor 9:10-13, 2 Cor 8:13, Eph 4:28, 1 Thes 2:8, 1 Tim 6:18, 1 Jn 3:17).

PRAYER + DEPENDENCE ON GOD + SPIRITUAL GIFTS

We commit ourselves to live a life of prayer and dependence on God because we believe that only God can accomplish what He calls us to do and that God should receive the glory. We do not possess what is necessary for the fulfillment of God’s kingdom plans. For this reason, we believe the church has been given the the Holy Spirit for regeneration and for missional empowerment. We believe that the Gifts of the Spirit are part of the New Testament era and will continue until the return of Jesus Christ. Until then we should be committed to night and day prayer for the world, the coming of the kingdom and a deeper revelation of God. Without prayer and dependence on God for all things we are destined to either fail or become conceited in our success. We value constant prayer because we desire to know God, to deepen our understanding and revelation of his love for us and the world. We value prayer because we believe we are all called to the ministry of intercession and we want to see his kingdom come. We believe that can only happen if we ask the Lord of the harvest to send us and other laborers in to the harvest field. 

(2 Chr 7:14, Ezra 8:23, Ps 17:6, Ps 91:1-2, Is 26:9, Jer 29:12, Matt 6:9-13, Matt 6:33, Matt 9:38, Mk 1:35, Lk 11: 9-13, Lk 18:1,7, Jn 14:12-14, Acts 1:8, Acts 2:42, Acts 6:4, 1Cor 12, 2Cor 3:5-6,  Eph 6:18, Phil 4:6, Col 4:2, I Thes 5:17, 1 Tim 2:1-2, Heb 5:7, Jam 5:13-16, 1 Pet 4:7, Jude 20).

EACH OTHER + BIBLICAL FELLOWSHIP

We commit ourselves to each other. We believe that God calls us into his mission together, never alone. We value mission and ministry done in community. We believe that God did not intend for us to be alone, live in isolation, or fear each other. We believe that koinonia/biblical fellowship is the sharing of each part for the good of the whole. We believe that biblical leadership does not create factions or spiritual competition but rather fulfilling spiritual community. We believe in provoking one another to good works and edifying each other in love. Whenever possible we will lead through teams and the sharing of life at every level with trusted friends who are an extension of the grace and presence of God in our lives. 

(Ecc 4:9-10, Matt 18:20, Jn 15:13, Acts 2:44, Rom 12:4-8 and 10, Rom 13:8, Rom 15:7, 1 Cor 10:24, Gal 6:2, Eph 4:11-13, Eph 5:21, Phil 2:3-4, Heb 3:15 and 10:24-25, Heb 6:10-11, 1 Pet 3:8, 1 Jn 3:16, 7-12, Rev 4:4,10).

KINGDOM MISSION

We will do mission because we are sent people. We believe that the church is not the church until it is engaged in the mission for which God has called it into His marvelous light. We crave healing, discipleship and intimacy with God. But we believe that all of these things come in large part through obedience to the mission. We believe that healing comes through offering healing to others, that discipleship does not primarily take place in a lecture but through doing. We believe that intimacy with God comes from being in his presence and through submission to His will, by doing what He is doing. Since we believe that the life of Jesus and the early church demonstrate that God himself is with the lost and the poor of the earth, proclaiming the good news of His kingdom, we also believe that when we co-labor with Him as workers in that harvest field, we not only bring the kingdom into that place, but that we also experience the deepest and truest intimacy with God. Because of these convictions we believe that all believers are called as missionaries into the places they live, work, play and worship. 

(Ps 51:10-13, Is 58:6-8, Matt 9:35-38, Matt 25:40, Matt 28:18-20, Mk 1:14-15, 38, Lk 4:18-21, Jn 4:34, 35, Jn 6:27, Jn 9:4, Jn 12:26, Jn 15:9-10, Jn 17:18, Acts 1:8, Rom 15:20, 1 Cor 15:58, 2 Cor 5:18-19, Eph 2:10, Phil 2:3, Col 3:17, 23, 1 Jn 3:18, 1 Pet 2:9).

MISSIONAL CONTEXTUALIZATION

We will not trust in franchising or empire building by replicating a single institutional model. Rather we will value the empowerment of every missional community to contextualize the proclamation and demonstration of the gospel to the people they hope to reach. Our paradigm is that there is no one paradigm for missional expression and how the church may look in that context. We believe in contextualized structures with revolutionary content meeting the needs of every place we are called to reach. Learning from the ministry of Jesus we will not try to bring surface transformation (to culture or structures) but rather contextualize our structures to what people can and will understand, so that the revolutionary message of the kingdom and the liberating work of the Holy Spirit will be received.

(Jn 1:14, Acts 16:3, Acts 17:22-23, Rom 12:2, 1 Cor 3:5-9, 1 Cor 9:19-23, 1 Cor 10:32-33, Phil 2: 5-8).

HUMILITY 

We commit to pursue humility as one of the chief virtues. As followers of Jesus Christ we recognize humility and we pursue it until he recognizes it in us. We expect it in leadership, in community and relationships, in our theology, in the contextualization of our mission, in our prayer, and even in our appraisal of ourselves and others. We are convinced that humility is necessary for following Jesus as an individual and as an organization. In individuals we hope for humility in all our relationships and leadership roles. As an organization we hope to be a flexible learning organization, looking always to refine our commitments and expand our understanding and revelation of God and His call upon us. We believe in the living prophetic word of God, that it can be heard and obeyed, yet we also believe that we are flawed listeners and should always listen and follow with humility.

(Ps 25:9, Ps 51:17, Ps 147:6, Ps 149:4, Prov 11:2, Prov 18:12, Prov 22:4, Ecc 5:2, Is 29:19, Is 57:15, Is 66:2, Mic 6:8, Matt 5:3, Matt 11:29, Matt 18:3-4, Matt 20:26, Matt 23:12, Lk 1:52, Lk 6:20, Lk 10:21, Lk 14:10, Lk 17:10, Lk 18:13-14, Lk 22:26-27, Jn 13:14, Rom 10, Rom 11:20, Rom 12:3, Rom 16, 1 Cor 1:28, 1 Cor 3:18, 1 Cor 10:12, 1 Cor 13:4, 2 Cor 11:30, 2 Cor 12:6, 2 Cor 10, Gal 5:26, Gal 6:14, Eph 4:2, Phil 2:3-11, Col 3:12, Jam 1:9, Jam 3:1, Jam 4:6, 1 Pet 3:8, 1 Pet 5:5-6).

HOLINESS

We express our calling to ‘be holy even as our Father in heaven is holy’ by living lives that are sanctified. As such we desire to live as God’s separated people to demonstrate the holiness of God. We believe that the fallen world in which we live has a broken view of beauty and human sexuality. We believe that gender distinction is God’s original plan and thus our life of holiness must reflect His plan. The choice of modesty is our response to live as salt and light and as an expression of “the better” way of God. We express these things in our choices of modest clothing and lack of adornment on our bodies.  We affirm that every believer and every community of believers has a responsibility to renounce the sins of its own people. As North Americans we renounce the bondage and idolatry of materialism by embracing a simple lifestyle. We commit to live a life of holiness that is free from clutter and the allure of materialism.  We do not believe that money or things are in themselves evil or to be avoided, but that the love of money and things is one of the greatest perils facing western Christianity in our time.

(Isa 35:8, Mt 5:28, Rom 1:4, Rom 6:19-22, Hebrews 12:14, 1Thes 3:14, 1Thes 4:3-7, Psa 1:1-3, Eph 2:10, Eph 4:24, 1Cor 6:19-20, 1Cor 12:23, 2Cor 7:1, 1Tim 2:8-10, 1Pet 1:15-16, Deut 22:5, 1Pet 3:3-5, 2Pet 3:11).

EMPOWERMENT

We affirm the priesthood of all believers. We affirm that each person who has given their life in surrender to Jesus and his cause has a unique calling from Jesus to fulfill in mission and in the church. We believe that this is only possible by the Spirit of God living in and working through each and every believer. It is the Spirit of God that empowers. Therefore we work towards empowering each and every believer to hear and fulfill the calling of Jesus on their life. This value of empowerment is expressed in all spiritual gifts and callings for all of God’s people for the sake of Jesus’ mission and for the equipping of all believers towards their maturity.

(Matt 4:18-20, Matt 10:1-15, Mk 6:7-13, Lk 4:18-19, Lk 6:12-16, Lk 11:13, Jn 14:26-27, Jn 15:1-4, Jn 15:26-27, Jn 20:22, Acts 2:1-4, Acts 4:29-31, Acts 6:3, Rom 8:9-11, Rom 8:15-17, Rom 12:3-8, 1 Cor 2:4-5, 1 Cor 2:9-16, 1 Cor 12, 1 Cor 14:1, 1 Cor 16:19, Gal 5:22-26, Eph 4:11-13, Eph 4:10, 1 Tim 1:18-19, 2 Tim 1:7, 2 Tim 4:19, Jam 4:10, 1 Pet 2:9-10, Jude 20-21, Rev 1:5-6).

THE BIBLE

We trust the authority, reliability and truth of all Scripture. In humility, we acknowledge we do not fully understand God and the world he made. For that reason we rely on the bible to be the rule of our faith, teaching us what we do not know, challenging and leading us away from our misconceptions, self deceptions, and convenient ideas about life and God. We don’t choose the parts of the bible we prefer or want to believe, obey or understand; instead we submit to all of Scripture believing it reveals the truth that is beyond us. We believe that Jesus is the word of God and for that reason we don’t just obey Scripture, we love it. Because, like a mirror it shows us who we really are, and like a window it opens our lives to the beauty, wonder, and love of the God we long to know.

(Deut 4:10, 2 Sam 7:28, 22:31, Neh 8, Ps 18:30, Proverb 30:5, Is 40:8, Jer 15:16, Matt 4:4, Matt 22:29, Lk 8:21, Lk 11:28, Lk 24:32, Jn 1:1-17, Jn 5:24, Jn 5:39, Jn 8:51, Acts 8:35, Acts 18:11, Rom 3:2, 1 Tim 4:13, 2 Tim 3:16, Col 1:25, Col 3:16, 1 Thes 2:13, Heb 4:12-13, 1 Pet 4:11, 2 Pet 3:16, 1 Jn 2:5, Rev 3:8, Rev 19:9).