Biblically based

Background on our statement

Over some time we have sought to be a church which knows what its unique contribution is, and how we can best foster the gifts and heart God has given us.  In 2009, we conducted a ‘distinctives survey’ where we asked every member of the church how they would describe our church to someone who didn’t know it.  Across both services and all ages, we received a consistent response.  Discounting experiential descriptions such as ‘friendly’, we looked to more common objective terms.  Three things stood out above all others:

        Biblically based

        Youth and Children

        Missional

This led to us developing the statement: “We are a biblically-based church with an emphasis on youth and mission.”

The following explains how this is lived out in our church.

“Biblically-based”

Our church loves the way God speaks through the scriptures – into every facet of human life and experience.  We seek to be guided by the Bible, not just in theory, but in practice – in our ethics, our relationships, and the way we work and play.

Preaching and teaching are given a high priority in the way we worship and meet together.  The preachers seek to sit under the authority of Scripture rather than use it to support an idea – and they seek to bring consistency by ensuring that the historical and current context of their application has integrity.  

We place a high priority on small groups – which spend time in better understanding God’s voice through the Bible.  Small group studies are often integrated with the preaching series, which allows members to further explore the themes and learning begun in the sermons – and, together, integrate this into everyday life.

We encourage members to read the Bible, make Bibles available in worship services, and hold ‘how to read the Bible’ workshops open to all. 

"With an emphasis on Youth"

"... and Mission"