Our Values: Explained

Grace-Based Biblical Truth

We are a people anchored in the historic Christian faith, acknowledging that we are saved and sustained not by our own merit, but by God’s initiative and revelation.

Doctrines of Grace (Reformed Soteriology)

Because salvation is by God’s grace alone, ordained in eternity past, we have nothing to boast in and no one to look down on. Since God grants repentance and faith to those He has chosen in unparalleled love, we do not manufacture conversions or manipulate for decisions, but preach Christ and pray, trusting God to soften even the hardest of hearts according to His will. We labour in hope for those who seem furthest from Him, knowing that saving grace does not depend on us.

Theological Clarity

Because the Bible is the only inspired, infallible, and sufficient Word of God, we build our life together on it rather than on preference or novelty. We preach expositionally, letting the text set the agenda, and we keep the gospel central in our teaching. We strive for precision in our doctrine, standing with foundational orthodox Christianity as expressed in the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds, and we take care over what we teach because it is through His Word that God makes Himself, His nature, and His will known to us.

Gospel Fluency

Because the good news of Jesus Christ, His sinless life, substitutionary atoning death, and literal physical resurrection, is the lens through which we view all of life, we return to it constantly rather than treating it as ground we have already covered. We proclaim that there is no salvation apart from faith in Christ alone, and we work at speaking the gospel to one another, applying His finished work to our daily lives, struggles, and sin.

God’s Sovereignty/Providence

Because God sustains and governs all things, seen and unseen, according to His sovereign will for His own glory and our joy, we plan and act with confidence rather than anxiety, and we hold our plans humbly. When we meet hardship, we do not despair or assume God has lost control, but trust that He is providentially ordaining His purposes for His people even where we cannot yet see them.

Walking in the Spirit

We rely on the active presence of the Holy Spirit to empower our worship, character, and service, knowing that apart from Him we can do nothing.

Fruit of the Spirit

Because the indwelling Holy Spirit enables Christians to live godly lives, we look for the evidence of regeneration in changed character, not merely in profession. We give the Spirit room to shape our emotions, desires, and actions toward God’s holiness, and we are patient with slow growth in one another, knowing this fruit is His work and not our own achievement.

Spiritual/Grace Gifts

Because the Holy Spirit distributes gifts to God’s people according to His will and pleasure, we encourage every member to earnestly desire and use them, whether explicitly mentioned in Scripture or otherwise enabled by God. We make room for the gifts in the life of the church, always exercising them within biblical parameters and for the building up of the body rather than the elevation of the individual.

Prayer

Because we believe God hears and acts, we devote ourselves to prayer; together in our gatherings, in our homes, and in private. We pray before we plan, and we keep praying when we cannot see the way forward, taking the posture of a dependent people seeking God’s will and His miraculous intervention. Our Elders model this as those called to devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word.

Dependency on God

Because regeneration by the Holy Spirit is essential for salvation and we cannot please God in our own strength, we refuse to run church life on human capability alone. We ask the Spirit to convict us of sin, illuminate the Scriptures, and glorify Jesus Christ in our midst, and we acknowledge our need of Him rather than presenting ourselves as those who have it all together.

Serving in the Power of the Spirit

Because our works are fruitful only as God enables them, we serve as those depending on His strength rather than merely out of duty or capacity. In every kind of service, we seek to minister with the strength that God provides, and we resist the temptation to measure our ministry by human effort or outward success.

Transformational Discipleship

We are committed to a culture of deep growth, where the reality of the gospel leads to genuine change in our hearts and community.

Ongoing Repentance and Faith

Because the Christian life is marked by a continuous turning away from sin and toward Jesus, we treat repentance as normal rather than exceptional. We confess sin honestly to God and to one another, and we look for evidence of regeneration in ongoing repentance and obedience, constantly re-orienting our lives around the supremacy of Christ.

Heart Transformation

Because sin has stained our reasoning, desires, and emotions, we do not settle for behavioural modification or outward conformity. We press for the deeper questions of what we love and why, trusting the Holy Spirit to renew our minds and affections so that we delight in God above all else.

Growth in Knowledge, Character and Practice

Because we exist to build up the body of Christ for the work of ministry, we invest in growth on every front rather than in knowledge alone. Through the preaching of the Word, the shepherding of Elders, and the mutual love of our members, we work at understanding Scripture more truly, developing godly character, and putting our faith into practice in tangible ways.

Church Membership

Because Christians are instructed to gather regularly in local churches under the care of appointed Elders, we ask people to commit to this church rather than merely attend it. Membership is a commitment, expressed in the Members’ Pledge, to be accountable to one another and to the Elders, who are called to graze, gather, guide, and guard the flock, as we pursue unity, doctrine, and holiness together.

Relational Ministry

Because discipleship happens in the context of community, we build our life together around relationships rather than programmes. As a family of believers, we take responsibility for one another, using our gifts and resources to contribute to the life of the church, and practising admonition, encouragement, and reconciliation in love.

Missional Love

We are moved by the love of God to go into our world, proclaiming the gospel and displaying the Kingdom of God to our neighbours and the nations.

Humble Servanthood

Because Jesus humbled Himself to the point of death, we measure greatness by service rather than status. Our Elders and Deacons model this by serving the church’s needs, and all members are privileged to contribute their time and material resources to bless others, seeking the good of the body over their own prestige.

Evangelism

Because God’s people are sent to proclaim the gospel to all people, we speak of Christ with urgency and joy rather than leaving it to the gifted few. We are committed to making disciples in New Plymouth, throughout New Zealand, and overseas, witnessing to the saving power of Jesus Christ so that those who hear may believe and be saved, and we long to see those who have not yet heard come to know Him.

Hospitality

Because God has welcomed us in Christ, we open our homes and our lives to one another and to those outside the church. We offer practical care and support to those in spiritual and physical need, so that our community is a place where people are received as Christ has received us.

Church Planting

Because the local church is God’s primary witness in the world, we are committed to the multiplication not just of disciples but of local churches. Where a church does not yet exist, one must be planted; and we give people, prayer, and resources to that end, seeing ourselves as part of a larger movement to advance the gospel by planting healthy churches locally and globally.