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We're focused and purposeful at New Hope because we don't want to lose sight of where we believe God is taking us. So we've written down our core values in an effort to keep us moving forward. These are the things we're most passionate about. It's these things that drive us to pursue God and community each Sunday and in our every-day lives. We desire to honor Jesus Christ, we are committed to the authority of the Scriptures, and we are dependent upon the enabling power of the Holy Spirit.
1) Every person is valuable to God & His Church! - Responsible evangelism will always be our cause and ongoing discipleship will always be the core of our ministry. People will be accepted here no matter who they are. We believe that simple kindness opens the door to the heart. We believe in earning the right to be heard. People must be treated gently and respectfully. We believe that lost people matter to God, and therefore they matter to the church. (Matthew 18:14; Luke 5:30-32; Luke 15; 2 Peter 3:9)
2) The Bible is our Standard! - We believe that the scriptures are the beginning and final authority for everything that we do in life. In them, God reveals to us Himself, His purposes, principles, and plans. All that we do should start with God's heart and we should pattern our lives and ministry out of that (2 Timothy 3:16-17) 3) Doing church as a team is God's design for effective ministry! Each believer will find his greatest joy and fulfillment when serving in his spiritual gifts and passion. We're not going to build this church on the backs of giants, but through a community of believers serving together. Our goal is to help people identify and develop their gifts, abilities and passions, then provide opportunities where, together, we can use them to worship and serve God. It is the privilege of every member to serve Jesus Christ and other people. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; Psalm 133:1; Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Peter 2:4-9; Romans 12; John 13; Philippians 2; 1 Corinthians 12-14; Nehemiah 3) 4) Every member is a minister who has been given gifts to be discovered, developed, and deployed! - Every believer is created for ministry, gifted for ministry, authorized for ministry, and needed for ministry. We will offer opportunities for all people to serve or participate in ministry at their level of commitment. It's our goal to invest in people, helping them identify and grow into the people God created them to be. (Mark 10:45; Eph. 2:10; Rom. 12; 1 Cor. 12:14-20) 5) A presentation of Jesus Christ in creative ways will impact & transform lives. We will be culturally relevant while remaining doctrinally pure! - Relating to our culture through the arts (music, drama, multi-media, etc.) while remaining true to the Scriptures is a balance we will always keep. This allows us to present the Gospel in such a way that reaches the heart. We believe that within the confines of what is biblical, we are free to be creative in our methodology. The Bible has wisdom for every problem and issue we face in life today. We will strive to offer a church service where everything from the music to the message will be understandable, meaningful and relevant to your life. (1 Cor. 9:19-23; Acts 17:22-34) 6) Every believer should commit to a lifestyle of consistent spiritual growth with honest accountability! - Discipleship, accountability, and open honesty is critical to maturing in our faith. Christ-followers should pursue Biblical holiness and continually take steps toward intimacy with Christ. The most important thing a believer can do is to develop a daily, authentic relationship with God in which they experience the love of God, that will be reflected in their communion with Him and the character of their own lives. (Mark 12:29-31; Acts 2:44-47; 1 Peter 2:2; 1Timothy 4:7, 8; Proverbs 27:17; Romans 8:29; Hebrews 12:1; 1 Corinthians 3:1-3) 7) We are servant-leaders! - A Godly leader leads by modeling and example. A Godly leader is a learner and a listener. A Godly leader will be authentic, loving, protecting and nurturing. A Godly leader sacrifices personal needs for the needs of those in his care. A Godly leader provides trust, accountability and security for those that follow. A Godly leader prepares God's people to do the work of ministry, giving away ministry freely. Above all, the leader God wants is one who above all else personally leads people to Jesus and leads seekers to become fully committed followers of Christ.
8) Excellence honors God and inspires people. God is worthy of our very best! - A growing spirit of excellence should permeate every activity. Not perfection, but excellence with consistent evaluation and a willingness to improve for the sake of the Kingdom of God. We will always seek to do everything to the very best of our ability, steadfastly paying attention to detail while keeping sight of the big picture of our mission and purpose. (Col. 3:17, 23-24; Mal. 1:6-14; Prov. 27:17; Ps. 78:72; Eccl. 10:10) 9) Authentic, loving relationships should permeate every aspect of church life! - We value healthy relationships by protecting the unity of the Spirit in our church. Refusing to give audience to a spirit of complaining, we will instead be courageous in solving every problem in a way that honors God and builds biblical character. Our goal is that people will know we are Jesus' disciples by our love for each other. (1 Pet. 3:8, 9; 1 Cor. 13:8; Rom. 16:17; Eph. 4:3; Neh. 3) 10) A life will reach a life and the most effective evangelism happens through relationships! - We are passionate about reaching people with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ, one heart at a time. Each believer develops genuine relationships with friends and family and extends an invitation to them. Evangelism gets to be a normal, natural lifestyle of winning others to Christ, one by one. We understand the importance of reaching as many un-churched people as possible, utilizing every possible means, so that the maximum number of people in our generation might enjoy the abundant life of Christ. We also recognize that this happens most frequently through a process, as opposed to an event. (Prov. 11:30; Jn. 1:43-45;4:28-30) 11) Identifying and training emerging leaders who are fully committed to Christ will reach generations with the Gospel! - God is raising up men and women who will take the baton of godly character, authentic faith, and servant-hearted leadership into the next generation. We will passionately be a leader of future leaders in order to multiply the effectiveness of our ministry into future generations. (Acts 6:2-5; Eph. 4; 1 Tim. 3:1; 2Tim. 2:2; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Pet. 5) 12) The church is meant to function in supernatural power, through the work of the Holy Spirit! - The Holy Spirit fulfills His purpose on earth through passionate believers who faithfully exercise obedience, faith, and prayer. (Acts 1:4,8; 2:1-4; Heb. 11.6; Habakkuk 2:4; Luke 11:1-4) We will strive to be people of prayer, both individually and as a church, knowing that God hears us and promises to answer. Every ministry and activity will be characterized by a dependence on God. (John 15:7; Acts 1:14)
13) Anointed relevant Bible teaching is the catalyst for life-change in the life of believers and seekers! - It's our goal to help people make informed decisions rather than impulsive ones—especially when it comes to choosing to follow Jesus. We believe the best way to provide this information is by exposing people to a careful and accurate picture of Jesus and apply His teachings to their world. Information + Application = Transformation. (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 4:2; James 1:23-25; Heb. 4:12; Acts 2:42; 20:32) 14) Every Christian's highest call is to worship the living God! Inspiring worship is an essential part of the Christian experience and a powerful dynamic in drawing a seeker into a relationship with God. Therefore, we design our services to draw all people, whether believers or seekers, into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. Because God deserves our best, we strive for the highest quality in every aspect of our worship. Our services are blended in nature, combining the stability and richness of the past with the excitement and freshness of the future. (Psalm 29; 95)
15) We are called to plant Great Commission churches! - It’s our vision to start new churches in other cities, states and nations. This will happen indirectly through home missions giving and it will happen directly through the planting of daughter churches.
16) A Great Commitment to the Great Commission and Great Commandment will build a Great Church. 100% commitment to Christ and His purposes is the normal lifestyle of a true follower of Christ! - The five purposes of Worship, Evangelism, Fellowship, Discipleship, and Ministry are found in the Bible in two passages commonly known as the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-38) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). All our ministries will be balanced and driven by these purposes of the Church. (Philippians 2:1-11; 1 Kings 11:4; 2 Cor. 8:7) 17) According to the Great Commission, we should take Christ’s love into ALL the world! - We are inclusive, not exclusive. In the words of Augustine: “In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity.” We're excited about people from every walk of life, every culture, every color, every size & every shape. God loves variety & so do we! We make the promise that regardless of who you are, how you look, or what you've done, you'll be embraced with love & compassion at New Hope. We want to be a vehicle for God's love & a place where all people can experience His compassionate love.
18) Life-change happens best through relationships! - Our mission is to connect people to deeper relationships...specifically a personal relationship with Christ, authentic relationships with one another, and a missionary relationship with the world. Everything we do is for the purpose of deepening one of those three relationships. (Acts 2:44-47; I Thess. 4:9-10) 19) We must be willing to step out in visionary faith & take Godly risks in order to accomplish our mission & purpose! (Heb. 11:6)
Our Philosophy of Ministry
1. The starting point of our ministry is God, not human activity.
1 Corinthians 3:6
2. The guide for our ministry is the Bible - not human wisdom.
Isaiah 55:8-11
3. The focus of our ministry is people not programs.
1 Thessalonians 2:8; John 3:16
4. The goal of our ministry is that everyone be a growing Christian - not just a believer.
Colossians 1:28-29
5. The environment for our ministry is team work - not people working individually.
Romans 12:4-8
6. The process of our ministry is spiritual reproduction - not only spiritual addition.
2 Timothy 2:2
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