Do core values or guiding principles really matter? They do if we are serious about them because when we carefully craft them, know them, live them and align our ministry decisions to reflect them they form the culture or the DNA of our church or ministry.

I recently came across the core values of a new church plant in Athens, Georgia: Living Hope Church Athens. Reading them I immediately knew what kind of church they aspire to be. It is a DNA that would please Paul who wrote to the Ephesians about what it meant to be a healthy church.


Of course such values mean nothing if not lived out in the day to day life of a church. Knowing the church planter on this one I believe they will be. Does your ministry have a defined set of values that define your culture, that everyone knows, that all are committed to and that guide your decisions?



Our core values


Gospel-centered

We will seek to bring everything back to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Good News of salvation in Him.

Theological Worship

Our worship will seek to combine biblical truth with the freedom of the Spirit.

Prayer Saturated

As a declaration of dependence on God, we will seek to make prayer the foundation of all we do.

Authentic Relationships

People are encouraged to be transparent about their struggles and victories.

Expository Preaching

Preaching through books of the Bible will be our normal way of teaching.

Discipleship

We will help people progressively grow in their maturity such that they can assist others in doing the same.

Word and Spirit

We want God’s Spirit to be free to move, while filtering everything through the Word of God (i.e. Bible).

Elder Governance

The plurality of godly elders will be the authoritative leaders of the church.

Welcoming

We will be proactive about welcoming people of all ethnicities, social status, church backgrounds, etc.

Church Planting

We will seek to plant many churches out of this church.



Our vision is to be a Word-rooted, Spirit-empowered, and culturally-engaged church that seeks to bring:

·         salvation to the lost,

·         healing to the hurting, and the

·         training of leaders

to help reach the world for Jesus Christ.



  • Jan 28, 2013
  • Category: News
  • Comments: 0
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