core values

FOUNDATION

JESUS

The Way of Jesus is our way. Before and in all things we value Jesus as the image of the invisible God. 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.

(Matt 28:19, 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 APOSTLES’ CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. 

On the third day he rose again; 

he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come again to judge the living and the dead. 

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. 

Amen.

WORSHIP

THE BIBLE

We trust the authority, reliability and truth of canonical 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 Biblical Scripture, believing it reveals the truth that is beyond us, namely Jesus. We believe that Jesus is the Word and embodied expression of God; for that reason, we don’t just obey Scripture, we love it. 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 Thess 2:13, Heb 4:12-13, 1 Pet 4:11, 2 Pet 3:16, 1 Jn 2:5, Rev 3:8, Rev 19:9).

HUMILITY

We commit to pursue humility as one of the chief virtues. 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 and willing to grow, 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 can be heard and obeyed, yet we also believe that we are flawed listeners who 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).

MISSIONAL PRAYER AND DEPENDENCE ON GOD

We commit ourselves to a life of prayer because we believe that only God can accomplish what He calls us to do and that God should receive the glory. For this reason, we believe the church 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 into 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, Acts 2:42, Acts 6:4, 2 Cor 3:5-6, Eph 6:18, Phil 4:6, Col 4:2, I Thess 5:17, 1 Tim 2:1-2, Heb 5:7, Jam 5:13-16, 1 Pet 4:7, Jude 20).

ZEAL WITH CONTEMPLATION

We will value the paradox of exuberance and zeal in worship, community life, and evangelism while at the same time wholeheartedly pursuing the rhythm and profound importance of silence and solitude for personal contemplation and rest. We affirm seasons of zeal and charismatic expression of the greatness and majesty of God, along with seasons of silence and stillness before God. We value each and both together. We hope for a fusion of the two in a life of zeal, lived ablaze and unashamed for God, and contemplation, lived in deep awareness and quiet appreciation for God.

(Zeal: Ps 47:5, Ps 98:4, Is 42:13, Matt 11:28-28, Matt 17:5, Mk 6:31, Jn 10:27, Rom 12:11, Ti 2:14)

(Contemplation: Ps 46:10, Ps 48:9, Ps 95:6, 2 Cor 3:18, Col 3:2, 1 Pet 1:13).

PASSION

With Jesus as our model, we want our lives to be characterized by passion. In the most surface sense, it means that we should be moved by our relationship with God, and maintain a high level of dedication in all we do for Him. In a deeper sense, it means that we value suffering and sacrifice. We see Jesus’ willingness to suffer for the lost and the hopeless as a model for all who would come after him, and that we likewise are to take up our cross and to walk the way of suffering. We do not seek pain or persecution, but we do not shrink back from it either. We are convinced that the clearest expression of the Gospel is love, and that love is forever defined by Jesus in his death for us. We value the kind of radical faith that expects every believer to be ready and willing to suffer and sacrifice for Jesus, his name and his kingdom. We realize that this value is not mainstream, and that it contradicts the cultural currents of prosperity- the idea that in all things God wants to give us personal success, exalting our individual kingdoms. We denounce this idea and affirm that the Kingdom of God will not be built through selfish ambition, but through passionate, sacrificial love.

(Ps 63:1, Matt 10:22, Matt 16:24-25, Matt 26:38-39, Rom 5:3 and 8:18, Lk 9:61-62, Lk 14:27, Rom 12:1-2, 2 Cor 1:5, Eph 5:1-2, Phil 2:3, Phil 3:10, Col 1:24, Col 3:17, 23, 2 Tim 2:3, 2 Tim 3:12-15, 1 Pet 3:17, 1 Jn 3:16).

EACH OTHER

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, and that isolation, fear of each other, and spiritual competition are cancers in the church. We believe that moral and theological failures, controlling leadership, and many of our emotional struggles stem from a lack of community. We value free, committed and loving friendship. 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).



CULTURE AND ETHNICITY 

Similarly, we affirm that every culture and ethnicity, while imperfect, reflects the mosaic of God’s own image and together we better glorify and serve the God of a diverse creation. We value every people, language, and culture in our valley and in the world. We believe that the church of Jesus Christ was meant to demonstrate the power of the gospel through reconciliation, unity, and the beauty of a multi-ethnic community. For that reason we do not just admire multi-ethnic communities, but purpose to become one. We do not believe in being color blind. Rather, we hope to accept and include the beauty and wisdom of every culture in our city and in our communities.

(Gen 1:27, Ps 67:2-3, Is 56:7, Dan 7:13-14, Jl 2:28, Hag 2:7, Mal 1:11, Jn 17:20-22, Acts 10:34-35, Acts 17:26-27, Rom 14:11, Rom 15:5,6, 1 Cor 12:12-14, Eph 2:14-22, Phil 2:10-11, Rev 5:9-10, Rev 7:9, Rev 14:6).

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 the church and its mission. 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 draws us into communion with the Godhead, quickens us with spiritual life as the fruit of his indwelling presence, and leads us to walk in the will of the Father, accomplishing the works prepared for us before God made the world. Therefore we work towards empowering each other 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 people regardless of race, gender or age 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).

SHARING & GIVING

Because we value community and simplicity, we commit ourselves to both sharing and giving. We will share because it promotes authentic relationship and breaks the bondage of selfish possessiveness. We believe the Western doctrine of personal property is imperfect and 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 of his creation and resources he apportions us for his purposes. We will also give, because in giving we destroy the grip of materialism over our hearts as we release our resources, wealth, or possessions completely into the control of another. For that reason, we will pursue relentless generosity and the holding of all things in common. We encourage our people to give as often and as generously as they can, and to consider themselves stewards of everything else in their care. 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).

SIMPLICITY

We commit to live a life free from clutter and the allure of materialism. 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 slavery and idolatry of materialism through embracing a simple lifestyle. 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 Western believers face in our time. We willingly use material things and wealth for the service of the Kingdom, but not for personal fulfillment or inappropriate luxury. In doing so, we pursue wholeness and completeness socially, while pursuing a single-minded devotion to God.

(Ecc 5:10, Matt 6:19, 24, 26, Matt 10:10, Mk 4:19, Mk 12:43, Lk 9:3, Lk 12:15, 33, 1 Tim 6:7, Heb 13:5).

MISSION

KINGDOM MISSION

We will live out Christ’s mission because we are sent people, just as he was sent. We believe that the church is not the church until it is engaged in the mission for which God has called it to. We crave healing, discipleship and intimacy with God. However, we believe that all of these things come in large part through obedience to the mission. We believe that our own healing comes through offering healing to others and that discipleship does not primarily take place in a lecture but rather through action. 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 demonstrated 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 Jesus as workers in his harvest field, we not only bring the kingdom into that place, but we also experience the deepest and truest intimacy with God. 

(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).

THE LOST

We value lost people because they are spiritually poor. We believe the Good News of the Kingdom of God is the most important commodity with which the church and the people of God have been entrusted. For this reason we will engage the lost. We believe that the church should not expect lost people to come and find them, but that we are called and sent to “seek and save that which was lost”. Again, we will emphasize the life and ministry of Jesus by prioritizing those who have not yet heard and believed the good news. This is our first and most important task: our ministry to the poor and the lost.

(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).

BIBLICAL JUSTICE

We will live for the biblical concept of justice. We will take a prophetic stand against all kinds of evil, not only spiritual, but also societal. All sin and injustice is the enemy of the church and the Kingdom of God. The search for the Kingdom of God is also a search for justice, as they are the same longing. In the Kingdom, we find ultimate justice, and biblical justice is more than just punishment for wrongdoing and oppression. It is also the restoration of wholeness, equality, and peace between people and with God. Our value of justice is a call to seek the welfare of every person that we can influence in our city and the world. It is to hope and work for the Kingdom of God, as it breaks into the places we are. For that reason, our value of justice will mean action in the places where we have power, as well as the pursuit of justice in the proclamation of the Kingdom wherever we have a voice.

(Ps 9:8, Ps 96:10, Prov 31:9, Is 1:15-17, Is 56:1, Jer 29:7, Ez 34:16, Hos 12:6, Am 5:15 and 24, Mic 6:8, Matt 5:6, 6:10, Matt 6:33, Matt 12:18, Matt 18:5, Matt 25:40, Lk 11:42, Lk 18:7-8, Lk 19:8-10, Jn 2:14-17, Acts 6:1-6, Eph 6:12, Jam 1:27, 1 Jn 3:17,18).

UNREACHED, UNENGAGED, AND FRONTIER PEOPLES

While we understand that our most transforming ministry will take place among our own demographics and geographically located in our own city, we commit ourselves to the mission of God to reach the whole world. We believe that Jesus came as the savior, not of one people group but of all peoples. We value the peoples of the world because we believe that God is global, the Maker of all humanity who desires to redeem every unique people group. We assume responsibility for the whole world, not because we believe we can reach it alone, but because we accept the mandate of the Great Commission, the heart of God to love and sacrifice for the discipleship of each people group. We accept our place in partnership with the global church, stepping into our apostolic mandate to send and be sent into every part of the world. We also recognize that not everyone has equal access to the Gospel, so there is a level of urgency to bring the Gospel to those peoples who have never heard it before. Therefore, we will prioritize reaching these frontier people groups by advocating, interceding for, and sending missionaries and even entire micro-churches so that they might have a lasting, indigenous church planting movement. 

(Ps 22:27, Ps 24:1, Is 41:9, Matt 24:14, Mk 16:15, Jn 1:29, Jn 3:16-17, Jn 4:42, Jn 6:33, Jn 6:51 Jn 8:12, Jn 12:46-47, Jn 17:21, Rom 5:18, 2 Cor 5:19, 1 Jn 2:2, 1 Jn 4:14, Rev 14:6).

CONTEXTUALIZATION

We will not trust in franchising or empire-building through propagation. Rather, we will value the empowerment of every micro-church community to contextualize the proclamation and demonstration of the Gospel to the people they hope to reach. Our culture is one of deculturalization and “becoming all things to all people.” We believe in contextualized structures with revolutionary content. 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 of Jesus and the liberating work of the Holy Spirit will be received and implemented.

(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, [the passages of the ministry of Jesus and his parables are all examples of contextualization]).

APPENDIX

We also affirm the Luasanne Covenant and the Send Institute's North American Church Planting Manifesto.