Values

JOINING GOD’S MISSION

We accept that God's mission in the world is wider than evangelism but we believe that we fail to take people seriously if we do not seek to offer them appropriate opportunities to meet and follow Jesus.  We accept that most people meet God on the road to Emmaus rather than the road to Damascus—that they come to faith over an extended period of time, without very much drama.  Our missional values are designed to challenge the tendency to sit back and wait for 'something amazing' to happen that will do the job for us.

• Start small—but start somewhere.
• Say “Wow!”—but don’t exaggerate.
• Do what’s doable—but don’t get lazy.
• Count what counts—but count something.
• Be yourself—but don’t indulge yourself.
• Exploit the ordinary—but be ready for the extraordinary

COMMUNITY ON A JOURNEY

We value community which is directed to others: “me for the community and the community for the world”, not “the community for me”. As a result we work for community which is:

• caring and nurturing
• challenging and honest
• inclusive and broad
• outward and diverse

WHOLE LIFE SPIRITUALITY

We value an experiential spirituality, reflected in whole life discipleship that includes encounter in gathered worship and gives equal or greater priority to knowing God’s presence in everyday life .  This leads us to focus on:

• Attending to the presence of God in leisure, work and worship
• Exploring varied spiritual pathways
• Developing gifts, including charismatic gifts, for the sake of others, especially lost people
• Engaging with spiritual practices such as Bible reading, prayer, meditation and fasting
• Committing to justice, mercy and care for creation