Being Church

WHAT KIND OF CHURCH ARE WE?
Within the Team there is a rich diversity of tradition and style, which is most evident at one of the Sunday services, more details of which can be found under each church. Holding that diversity is a common vision that places core values at the heart of everything we do as Christian communities. These values are expressed not just in our Sunday worship, but are becoming more and more a part of our everyday lives as we learn how to be 24/7 disciples of the risen Christ.

A key part of this process is the midweek small group meeting, which we call HomeBase.
These groups are in a process of evolving from traditional Bible Study groups into live mini-communities of fellow travellers on the same discipleship journey, sharing insights and set-backs, ministering to each other, holding each other accountable in love for personal growth commitments. Significantly, HomeBases take on the primary calling to grow the Kingdom of God through sharing life with friends, neighbours, work colleagues and other people in the community.

WHAT IS A VALUE?
A value is a belief held so deeply that it alters behaviour. It is said: "we value what we do and we do what we value".

Beliefs are not usually enough when life-changing decisions are at hand. Many people believe in God, but it takes more than a belief to be a Christian. If you want to follow Jesus, then he calls us to own his example for ourselves, to 'take up our cross and follow' (Mark 8.34). This is a hard calling, and we believe it was always intended to be worked out in a community setting.

WHAT ARE THESE SIX VALUES?
o Jesus at the centre of everything
o Every member in ministry
o Every member growing
o Community built on sacrificial love
o Evangelism & Multiplication
o Servant-hearted leadership

As we learn to own these values, they help shape more and more who we are and what we do. In all our expressions of church, from the leadership of the Team right through to congregations and HomeBases, we are trying to work out our calling as Christian community through these six core values.

These sum up for us what it means to be church; so for us, a HomeBase that owns these is church. It becomes the principal place where we belong, and where we do most of the business of being church.

THE SIX CORE VALUES OF CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY

o Jesus at the centre of everything

Through a growing appreciation of what Jesus did for each person, we try, in everything we do, to meet with him in doing it. If what we're doing isn't helping to grow a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, then we're probably not doing what he wants us to do.

o Every member in ministry

We are like a body, which is made up of many parts. They are all different, but when they are all functioning, the body works like it was designed to (1 Corinthians 12). Jesus made his church to be complete only when the whole body is working right, and fulfilling its purpose to demonstrate Christ-like values for life in the wider world. So we try to help everyone to see how they can use their God-given gifts to help others and bring glory to God in all life situations.

o Every member growing

Jesus told his disciples to go and make more disciples (Matthew 28:19). We picture ourselves on a journey into a deeper relationship with Jesus that must involve growth: in love, in faith and in nature. The community can only grow as its members do.

o Community built on sacrificial love

The more we appreciate what Jesus did to give each of us the opportunity to reconnect with God, and the more we learn to make Jesus central to our lives, then the more we become a community. The hallmark of such a community has always been putting other people's interests ahead of our own. Community is easy to talk about, and without God's help very hard to express.

o Evangelism & Multiplication

As we grow in relationship with Jesus we begin to see other people through his eyes as we realise how passionately he loves us all. In that same love we want to share with others the blessings we've received and open our community to anyone who wants to explore this journey. In HomeBase, this is a growth value from Day 1 - to reach out to friends, neighbours and colleagues and, by inviting them to social events such as Men's Breakfast held or attended by the group, hoping to multiply into another group in order to provide for others the same quality of small group community that we are enjoying.

o Servant-hearted leadership

In servant-hearted communities, many people will be called into a leadership role. We've set out our stall to portray leadership as Jesus did - as a great act of service to others (Matthew 20:25-28). Within HomeBase, for instance, the group leader is a facilitator for growth rather than a Biblical scholar or authority. The leader will be actively seeking to draw out the gifts of the group members and encourage growth through the developing ministry of each member.