Gospel-Centered

‘The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!’ Mark 1.15 

The gospel is good news about how God is renewing all things, including the renewal of individual lives. It’s the central feature, power source and motivator for the mission of the church. As a church we exist to bear witness to the gospel, apply it to our hearts, and live it out daily. 

Disciple Making

‘Go and make disciples of all nations… teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.’ Matthew 28.19-20 

Because Jesus himself made disciples and directly commissioned all believers to go and make disciples, the goal is for every believer to become a disciple-making disciple. We desire churches that actively make disciple-making disciples who know, love and obey Jesus. Programmes and tools might help, but discipleship happens via intentional relationships.

Mission Focussed

‘Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.’ Matthew 4.23 

Convinced that God intends churches to be outward-looking mission agencies, we seek to embody the holistic gospel in word and deed, through evangelism and social action. We desire to win the lost to Christ, make disciples, pray for the sick, bring social renewal, and help plant churches. 

Elder Led

‘The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor.’ 1 Timothy 5.17 

Our church is led by a team of called and capable elders. The team that leads the church is also led by a leader. Together we seek to lovingly guard, guide and govern the church.

God’s Sovereignty

‘In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.’ Proverbs 16.9 

Although our choices and actions really matter, understanding that our Sovereign Father is actively ruling and reigning now, lays the axe to a man-centred gospel. Resting in God’s sovereignty produces believers and churches that are humble yet confident, worshipful yet hard-working, purposeful but not driven, peaceful but not apathetic and who sleep well at night! 

God’s Grace

‘It is by grace you have been saved.’ Ephesians 2.8 

Salvation is a free, unmerited gift that is initiated and brought to completion by God. This frees us to rest in joy, and to serve God out of gratitude and not out of fear! This influences our identity, why we obey God, how we treat one another and even how we lead. 

God’s Word

‘For the word of God is alive and active.’ Hebrews 4.12 

We believe that the Scriptures of the Old Testament and New Testament, in their original writing, are fully inspired by God and we accept them as the supreme and final authority for faith and life.

The Holy Spirit

‘Be filled with the Spirit’ Ephesians 5.18 

The empowering presence of God is a wonderful gift. The third person of the Trinity empowers the church to know the love, guidance and power of God. Therefore, we seek to be a church that is led by the Holy Spirit. We also want to be a church that provides regular opportunities to be filled with the Spirit and a place where everyone is bearing the fruit of the Spirit and growing in their spiritual gifts. 

Community

‘You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house’ 1 Peter 2.5 

The language of the Bible is that the people of God are a family, a temple, a body with many parts, a house with many bricks, a royal priesthood and a church. All of these metaphors are corporate rather than individual. Christianity was never meant to be lived out alone. Therefore, we put a high premium on Sunday meetings, Life Groups, friendships and hospitality. Each of us is deliberate in knowing and being known and we pursue friendships that are characterised by genuine affection, warmth, love, honesty, trust and fun.

Diversity 

‘You are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it’ 1 Corinthians 12.27 

We are deeply committed to building a diverse and inclusive church. We want to express this diversity in our worship, preaching, leadership and in every other area of our togetherness. We also want our diversity to be deep. It should be physical, cultural, and epistemological. It’s about prioritising proximity with each other so that we can get to know each other. It’s about celebrating, rather than denigrating other cultures and genders. And it’s also about understanding the way that different people think about things that often divide us. South Africa is longing for an example of robust unity in diversity. Christ died to purchase it. So, we humbly pursue it. 

The Next Generation

‘My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message’ John 17.20 

The race that we are running is not an individual time trial; rather it is a relay race where success includes getting the next generation to the finish line. Whilst of course honouring the primary role of the nuclear family, we also feel a corporate responsibility for discipleship of the next generation. To this end we try to have top-notch kids and youth departments. We also want to be especially alert and helpful to single parent families, and generally place a high value on marriage and parenting.

The Materially Poor

‘Remember the poor’ Galatians 2.10 

God has dealt with our spiritual poverty with grace, ‘For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich’ (2 Cor 8.9). Therefore, we extend the same grace. We not only give money to the needy, but we have hands-on projects and initiatives that are good news to the poor. 

Love Justice

‘And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God’ Micah 6:8 

While there is so much good in the world, it is nonetheless fallen. And the sinful world produces injustice in various forms. Therefore, Christ followers are called to reflect God’s character and to stand together for what is right. Biblical justice should be prioritised in every part of our lives. 

The City of Johannesburg

‘Seek the peace and prosperity of the city’ Jeremiah 29.4 

We should love the great city of Johannesburg and seek to take responsibility for its welfare. We believe that God has brought us to Johannesburg to contribute to every strata of society and work. We thank God for the pace, passion, wealth and entrepreneurial spirit of our city, and for its influence across the nation. We are working to harness these characteristics for the advance of God’s kingdom.