VALUES
Jesus is Lord: We believe every person on Earth is under the authority of King Jesus (Matthew 28:18). While Jesus is gracious and patient with the nations as they continue in their rebellion we are given the mandate to make disciples of all people because Jesus alone is worthy of the obedience of the nations (Romans 1:5, Genesis 49:10). We do this by patiently instructing both believers and not-yet believers in the way of Jesus through the Gospels and the centrality of Jesus in the Story of the Scriptures (2 Corinthians 4:5).
The Gospel is Central: We do not make disciples of ourselves, rather we are being trained to follow Jesus. This requires a clear, systematic process of being shaped by the Gospel. The Gospel is the message of God’s Kingdom revealed in Jesus as King through the books written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. All the teachings, stories and the work of Christ in his death, burial and resurrection hold the power to transform our lives and the entire world.
Relationships First: We lift up love as the most excellent way (1 Corinthians 13). Each community will only be as strong as the love expressed through each relationship within that Body. “Those who love their dream of a Christian community more than they love the Christian community itself become destroyers of that Christian community” (Bonhoeffer).
One Body: In the New Testament we see three clear expressions of the one Church. 1) The universal Church that consists of all believers everywhere, (Ephesians 4:4) 2) The local bodies that meet in homes (Romans 16:5) and 3) All the believers in a particular city (Revelation 2:1). We believe the best way to demonstrate the unity of the universal church is to first acknowledge that only one city church exists in each city and that all believers who live in each city are already members of that one church. We are commanded to make every effort to keep the unity of the one church (Ephesians 4:3) and we strive to do that by promoting unity between believers in each city and we encourage opportunities to work together across lines that traditionally divide the Church in the city.
Kingdom Outposts: We believe each household represents a unique expression of the Kingdom and ought to be developed into a disciple-making hub that serves the city. We recognize each father as the head of their household and each wife as an equally valuable partner. We believe each child of the household is an essential part of that family’s team and that the family will best fulfill their Kingdom mandate by cultivating a seven day rhythm of work and rest. Families ought to seek to integrate unmarried disciples into their household in a way that benefits the family, the single and the Kingdom.
All the Scriptures: We believe all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for training (2 Timothy 2:16) and through the gifts of the Body is capable of fully equipping each disciple and the Body as a whole to complete maturity (Ephesians 4:13-16). We hold that the whole Bible, both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament Scriptures are one unified story that centers on Jesus (Luke 24:27).
Low Control, High Accountability: We believe a great deal of autonomy should be given to the local expressions of churches in the home. There is beauty in the way unique family cultures can highlight the diversity of the Body of Christ through the communities they lead. At the same time churches and church leaders are held to a high standard of conduct according to the Scripture and given specific missional objectives to accomplish. So we work to create a culture where little is prescribed while assigning each community leader a coach. We also require that every household leader hosting a community name at least three elders that they are in submission to as a group in case any issues arise.
