Making the Gospel known, one church at a time

We want to glorify God by making disciples of all nations, worshipping God as a church, and loving our community through Christ.

The eleven disciples traveled to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped, but some doubted. Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

MATTHEW 28:16-20 CSB

At some point all believers in Christ must grapple with the verse above and how it should affect their lives. It’s powerful. It’s a command given by God in the flesh that echoes out to future generations. It’s a capstone to His earthly ministry.

Today this verse often conjures up the idea of individual evangelism. This is wonderful, but there is so much more. We not only are to proclaim the Gospel, but raise up disciples and baptize them. This isn’t a mission just for individuals, but for communities: for churches.

Praise be to God that He preserved the tireless work of Paul in such detail for us see. Well, not just Paul. He had many fellow workers, such Barnabas, Timothy, Titus, Silas, Luke and many others. His was a team effort and we seek to do the same. Paul, and the many believers that travelled with him, transformed the world by planting churches. That’s right, planting churches. They not only proclaimed the Gospel, but they taught the Gospel to others, and ensured they had faith communities where they could grow and teach others.

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As a new church plant, we carry on that tradition and desire to be a church that sends: a church that propagates new churches. What we want is to see new people being saved and healed, living radically changed lives, and growing to new heights in their faith. We believe that planting churches is the best way to do this.

Not only that but we believe more churches, not bigger churches, is the best way forward. Every church is unique, even if they don’t intend to be. The mix of people, the strengths and interests of leadership, available resources, neighbourhood, or location. All factor in to make some churches excel at some things or focus on others. We all know that church that has great preaching, the other with awesome worship, and the other with a program for every demographic. The more churches there are, and the more different churches there are the better we as a worldwide body of believers can proclaim and live out the Gospel into the world.

A church of all the nations

He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son He loves. In the New Testament the Kingdom of God is depicted as something that is both future and present. Jesus’ miracles were experiences of the Kingdom of God. Living by the Holy Spirit is an experience of the Kingdom of God. As a church we are supposed to express the Kingdom of God in everything we do.

The Kingdom of God implies a domain in which God’s will is ultimately obeyed. While all Christians and churches struggle with this, it is our unending endeavour to be as faithful to God as possible. And so, we look to glorify and honour God in our church as best as we can. One aspect of God’s Kingdom that resonates with us is that His people will be made up from all the nations. Yes, Jesus death on the cross for sin meant that all peoples could enter into fellowship and covenant with God. He made one people out of many. The local church needs to reflect this reality.

We hold that humanity is corrupt and vile, in need to God’s salvation and new life. Diversity and differences often lead to judgement and oppression, but it is in Jesus Christ where humanity can realize true unity and love. We seek to be a church where we can embrace our differences and use them to enrich our focus and appreciation of what unites us – our faith in Jesus Christ. Indeed, our identity in Christ is paramount to everything else. As a church, may we be an example of all the nations of the world declaring Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.