Spiritual Health
Spiritual health is more important than financial or numerical growth. God is honored when the church expands its reach, but our impact is driven by our health more than our size or resources. We want our churches to be communities where people experience the fullness of life that God has planned for them (John 10:10).
Healthy Leadership
Jesus was a servant-leader (Mark 9:35), so we seek leaders who follow his example. At the same time, we value bold and courageous leadership by those who are led by the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:3) and guided by Scripture (Psalm 119:105). Leaders who are secure in their identity in Christ and are able to minister generously to others, rising above pettiness and politics (2 Timothy 2:24-26). Healthy leaders never stop growing, and their fruitfulness is rooted in their own relationship with Jesus (John 15:5).
Power of God’s Word
God’s word has the power to make spiritually dead people come alive (1 Peter 1:23) and transform them into fully mature followers of Jesus (Romans 12:2, Hebrews 4:12). The Bible is our most important source of truth about God and reality and serves as the foundation of our ministry.
Personal Ministry
Every Christian has been gifted (naturally and supernaturally) by God and called to serve the church in some form of personal ministry (Ephesians 2:10, 1 Corinthians 12:7). The main responsibility of the leaders of the church is to equip the members for ministry (Ephesians 4:11-13). The active personal ministry of its members is a mark of a church’s maturity in Christ (Ephesians 4:14-16).
Spiritual Reproduction
Healthy Christians reproduce healthy Christians. Similarly, healthy churches reproduce healthy churches. We are committed to working hard at helping people come to know Jesus and grow in a relationship with him. However, we fully acknowledge that spiritual reproduction is ultimately the result of God’s work, not our own (1 Corinthians 3:7).
Generosity
God pours blessings into our lives so that we can respond by becoming a blessing to others (Genesis 12:2-3, Matthew 10:8). We want to sacrificially steward every resource God has entrusted to us: our time, talents, and treasures (John 7:38, 10:10).
Transparency and Accountability
We should be accountable to one another and live in the light of truth (Ephesians 4:25). This applies to churches as well as individuals. While recognizing the importance of confidentiality and privacy, our overall desire is to promote openness and honesty in all matters related to life in the church. Because the human heart is fundamentally flawed (Jeremiah 17:9), we continue to build structures and processes that provide safety and accountability for all our members, but especially those entrusted with authority.