Bible based
The Bible is no ordinary book. It is the very word of God, in which he reveals who he is, what he has done, what he wants us to believe, and how he wants us to live. Therefore we keep the Bible at the center of everything we do. Our worship services, home groups, youth groups, and kids programs are all "word-saturated" ministries.
Gospel centered
To be gospel-centred means that we believe and embrace the message of Christ crucified and risen to life to save sinners. People can be free from the guilt and power of sin by trusting in Jesus Christ for salvation. This is the message which we cling to and keep at the forefront of everything we do, not least by preaching Christ crucified every week, because this message is the power of salvation to everyone who believes (Rom 1:16).
To be gospel-centered also means seeking to live out the grand themes of the gospel. We strive to reflect both the holiness and justice, and the forgiveness and love of God. We want to fight hard against sin while being gracious to sinners. We want to be holy as God is holy, and we want to forgive much as we have been forgiven much. As those who have been humbly served by Christ, we want to humble ourselves for a life of service to others.
Gathered together
Meaningful gatherings of God’s people to worship him are vital to the health of the church. Far from being a dispensable part of church life, gathering together is an expression of our new identity as part of God's family. Gathering together to worship God isn’t just something that the church does, but it is a reflection of what the church is. This is because the church is by very definition a collective institution(1 Pet 2:10). The rhythm of what we do together on Sundays is vital for forming and transforming us both as individuals, and as a people. Not only this, but the tone and culture of our gatherings shapes and equips us for life. Therefore, we want worship services that are reverent, joyful, relevant, and deep.
One Another
Jesus said that everyone will know that we are his disciples if we love one another (Jn 13:35). Therefore, we want to be a place of great love and care between us, with that love and care being expressed in myriad ways through our ministry to one another. We want to embody the virtues of humility, and reject petty self-interest. Our hope is that as the outside world sees the love and care that exists between us, they see the difference that the gospel makes in our life together. This ‘life-together’ will be lived out in many kinds of relationships: small groups, one-to-one relationships, and organic friendships and connections. To work towards this kind of community life together necessarily entails a level of commitment to the local church which we take seriously. In an age of individualism, autonomy and anti-authoritarianism, we promote counter-cultural accountability, meaningful belonging, and healthy respect and honour for church leadership (Rom 12:4-5; Heb 13:17; 1 Tim 5:17).
Outward looking
A healthy church is a church that has a keen sense of being “on mission” for Jesus, both locally and globally. At a local level, we want to be a church that has outreach wired into our DNA. Rather than just occasional programs or events, we want to see a church culture marked by a loving commitment to do good to others, and share the gospel as an ongoing way of life. This is a culture where we are confident in the life-changing power of the gospel, where we care deeply for the spiritual plight of the lost people around us, where we teach and model evangelism, and where we work together as one towards the goal of reaching others with the gospel.