Values and Practices
Values
intimacy with God
implies the development of an authentic and profound relationship, leading to knowing God; by knowing God, we get an accurate perspective on the Universe, on the world, on the human being and on eternity; one’s relationship with God cannot exist without repentance and faith and it cannot grow without a sincere and consistent practice of the spiritual disciplines; consequently, in our congregation, we are focused on setting up relevant contexts through which people can have the opportunity to meet God, be born again and have their life changed forever; in our church, we also develop specific contexts for the believers to practice spiritual disciplines, so that they would get to know God in a more profound and practical way.
authority of the Scriptures
is based on the fact that God has revealed Himself and His salvation plan through the collection of documents composing the Holy Scriptures – the Bible; God’s revelation in the Bible, in its original form, is perfect, without fault and true; therefore, everything necessary for knowing God, salvation, life living and eternity can be found in the Bible; consequently, in our congregation, the philosophy of ministry, the teaching, our decisions, discipline and way of organizing things is filtered through the principles of the Scriptures; while we encourage understanding God within the context of Creation and intimacy with God, the Bible - God’s word, however, is the ultimate filter we use to understand and fulfil His will.
moral integrity
represents a consistent decision to live according to God’s good, pleasant and perfect will; as long as the intimacy with God and the authority of the Scriptures are real in our lives, they should be reflected in the fact that we live according to God’s character and His revealed will on a daily basis; therefore, within our congregation, we promote and insist that every member should live their life in integrity, based on the morals reflected by God’s character and by His Word; for this purpose, we have created contexts for people to be taught about ethics and morality, in which they can hold each other accountable and are helped to discipline themselves.
unity in diversity
is based on the perspective that God has created each of us in an unique way and, at the same time, He has harmoniously put us in one congregation; this balance allows everyone to use their own natural and supernatural talents with the purpose of bringing harmony, synergy and efficiency in fulfilling the purpose that has brought us together; therefore, we encourage each member of the congregation to develop and to be part of the Christian ministry according to their natural talents and spiritual gifts but we also promote an environment of order, effectiveness and alignment to the philosophy of our church ministry.
cultural relevance
stands for the fact that the church is called to be salt and light in this world; consequently, the church needs to be connected to the needs, problems and accomplishments of the world it exists in; this way, the church has to be in the world but not like the world; it has to remain biblical and contemporary at the same time; for this reason, in our congregation, believers are encouraged to relate to the accomplishments and problems of the society they live in, to develop relationships and influence people so that they become salt and light wherever they are needed; the activities and projects of the church are carried out with the purpose of taking biblical values into a world separated from God.
Practices
purpose driven approach
means that the entire orientation of the activity in our church is determined by its purpose; according to this, the planning and decision making process as well as the selection of opportunities are made according to the ministry philosophy in our church; this requires ongoing evaluation and adjustment in order to reach the purpose God has called us to; this practice makes us good stewards, people who do not waste God’s resources but manage them wisely.
team work and leadership
stands for extending the leadership and ministry beyond one individual’s capacity; this means that people work together to establish the direction, make decisions and undertake various roles within teams both for the church and for specific departments or ministries of the congregation; by creating this kind of ministry culture, we extend leadership on each level within the congregation, beyond the limitations of one person; it also provides a framework for new leaders to emerge and grow, allowing them to use their multiple talents, gifts and callings; furthermore, it reduces human errors and the tendency to overdo things; this practice follows God’s model as trinity and the leadership example given by the Early Church.
relationship-based evangelism
means that our church members are involved in spreading the Gospel by developing high quality, biblical relationships with non-believers; we encourage our church members to embody the Gospel wherever they live, work or study so that they have the opportunity to present Jesus Christ to people and help them decide to follow God; this requires an audacious way of living, inductive communication and the courage to challenge their friends for a decision; this sets up a context for each member of the church to become a skillful sower or an effective fisher of people.
discipleship as a lifestyle
means that believers grow in the way they live their faith and invest in others in a natural way, until this becomes part of their lifestyle; by this practice, we encourage people to become part of a growing process, within a discipleship structure based on small groups or home-churches; this also includes the development of a culture in which people are encouraged to be part of a discipleship group or a home church on one hand, and to initiate and lead such groups according to their spiritual maturity, on the other hand; this practice most helps church members grow, multiply and eventually extend leadership, which will ultimately lead to planting new churches.
inductive approach on Scriptures
implies the development of a Scripture study style which starts from information to conclusions and not the other way round; it requires a careful and thorough observation of the biblical text followed by an accurate interpretation and correspondence with the initial meaning of the text leading eventually to an individual and congregation application of the principles and truths discovered; by using this inductive approach, the text of the Scripture no longer becomes an excuse for supporting our own preconceptions and prejudices; furthermore, this practice requires an inductive approach on the Scriptures both in our individual study and in the teaching of the congregation.