Missional Discipleship

God calls a people to himself so that they might represent
him in the world. We are ambassadors and heirs of His Kingdom. This means that
we need to be always be engaged with the Great Commission: to go and make disciples
of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, teaching them everything that Jesus has commanded us. So how do we
do that? Well, it is about making disciples, i.e. sharing with others how they
can follow Jesus. It means teaching what he teaches; mentoring, coaching and
apprenticing a person to the Christian life. The core value of this community
will always be in helping people follow Jesus, to be his disciples.

The scope of this mission is both personal and global.
On the personal level, this means we are to reach out to everyone who is in
our sphere of influence: family members, friends, colleagues and even strangers.
The church is for everyone and everyone is welcome! Beyond the personal,
the mission calls us to meet the needs we see in the wider community of the
Greater Vancouver Area and even the world. This does not replace the imperative
to make disciples but is driven by it. Jesus is not to be relegated to the
background when we meet social needs both near or far, but he should constantly
be on our lips and in all our actions so that it is absolutely obvious who it
is we are following. The praise for our good deeds should reflect onto our
Heavenly Father who has placed the motivating love into our hearts.
We as Christians are not better than anyone else because of our service to others;
we’re just humbly doing what come naturally as we become more like Jesus.

• Discipleship is the heart and soul of this church.
• We belief authentic truth comes only with the teaching of the Bible.
• Every ministry program must have a clear missional discipleship value.
• We seek to be involved in missional ministries both locally and globally.

Authenticity

What keeps us from being real is fear. We are afraid that
people will reject us or despise us when they find out who we really are.
We don’t want to show the weaknesses and wounds we carry. The gospel tells us
that we are loved no matter what and sometimes that’s the hardest thing for us
to believe. Jesus forgives our sins and cleanses us of them when we ask.
He heals us of our wounds. His love and presence enables us to be courageous
enough to trust and relate both to him and others; to be vulnerable and real.
It also allows us to accept the truth about ourselves. We can come to know Jesus
by finding him in the Bible and by asking for understanding from the Holy Spirit.
Authenticity allows us to have a vibrant and growing relationship with God and with people.

Imagine going every week into someone’s living room, maybe inviting others into your own; a group of friends and maybe a few new acquaintances. Kids are welcome. This becomes a sacred and intimate space for you where you are encouraged to grow in your understanding of who God is by calling to him in prayer, expressing your inner feelings in worship, and engaging in conversation about him with teachers of God’s word. It’s a place where you can meet God among his people. The Church isn’t an organization or a building, but a people called by God to himself. A community.

• Small groups will focus on discipling but also be a means to foster community.
• Authentic relationships flow from creating a safe place where a person is accepted and can be transparent,
  whether in larger gatherings or in small ones.
• The basic love and value of each person is a fundamental belief of our community.
• We strive to speak truth to one another with gentleness and humility.

Culture of Empowerment & Accountability

Church planting is one of the most effective methods of evangelism and discipleship today and we are committed to training leaders for this purpose. It also keeps a community from stagnating since it has a highly developed sense of mission and purpose. Church planting also provides constant opportunities for reform and improvement in the areas of methodology and style while holding on to the core vision. A network of churches can also be formed and share resources in an optimal and efficient manner so that the focus can remain on discipling ministries. Pastoral and leadership teams will be nurtured and assembled for church planting. Particular investment will be made in identifying, recruiting, apprenticing and commissioning those who are called into pastoral ministry.

• Apprenticing & empowering pastors and leaders is a core commitment.
• Our leaders are mutually accountable and will seek to be in fellowship with other local church communities who share the same theological and missional vision.
• We will seek an external review of our leadership & church every five years.
• We plan to grow through planting churches.

Embracing Ethnic & Cultural Diversity

Although we celebrate and acknowledge our ethnic and cultural origins, we recognize the breadth of diversity within the Kingdom of God. Being in Vancouver at this point in history enables us to reach across a broad spectrum of people through our spheres of influence. We are committed within an English-speaking context to embrace people of diverse ethnicities, cultures and backgrounds in order to bring them into a life of discipleship in following Jesus. We seek to act strategically in a manner that will bring this about.

• We are willing to seek to build a multi-ethnic pastoral team and leadership.
• We wish to pursue diversity wisely and carefully so that the quality of
  the leadership will not suffer.
• We are committed to building partnerships and relationships that reflect diversity.