Theological and Philosophical Statements
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| Theological and Philosophical Statements
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Our Values
Association of Vineyard Churches
| A. | We value the pursuit of God. We are hungry to know God’s presence, hear His voice and follow hard after Him. | Psalm 63:1-3 O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. |
| B. | We value Christlikeness. We desire that through the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ love, mercy, grace, truth, purity, power and integrity would shine through all that we are and do. | Ephesians 5:2 ... and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. |
| C. | We value being Spirit-led. We honour Jesus as our Head and the Holy Spirit as our Counselor. We seek to be responsive to the Holy Spirit in Life and Ministry. |
Galatians 5:5 But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. Romans 8:14 ... because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. |
| D. | We value prayer. We believe that prayer is essential, because it is our primary means of communion with God, and because it is God’s primary means of accomplishing His purposes in the world. |
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. |
| E. | We value discipleship. We aim to grow as disciples of Christ ourselves and then to make disciples of others. | Matthew 28:18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” |
| F. | We value the Kingdom of God. We aim to move in the signs of the present fulfillment of the kingdom, invoking the Spirit’s powerful presence, ministering though the Spirit’s gifts, and seeing God heal and work wonders. | Mark 1:14-15 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” |
| G. | We value the mercy of God. We believe that mercy is fundamental to all that God does in salvation. We, therefore, aim to extend mercy to one another and to all to whom we minister. | Colossians 3:12-13Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. |
| H. | We value integrity. It is important for us to speak the truth, deal honestly, and live uprightly. | Ephesians 4:15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. |
| I. | We value servant leadership. We believe that Christ has put significant leadership authority in the hands of the pastor and associates. We aim to exercise that authority with humility, selflessness, grace, care for the sheep, and a sincere desire to build up the body of Christ. |
Mark 10:37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” Mark 10:44-45 ... “ and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” |
| J. | We value the individual, single or married, and we want to enable and support mature relationships and family growth. | Romans 12:9-10 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. |
| K. | We value unity. We are convinced that all who belong to Christ are one in His Body, the Church. We aim to maintain unity by honouring all who call on Jesus’ name and by seeking reconciliation with all parts of the Church. | John 17:21-23 ... “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” |
| L. | We value collegiate relationships. We are honoured by every person whom God adds to the Vineyard. We aim to work together to build the Church through maintaining mutual respect, open communication, determined co-operation, and believing and speaking the best about each other. | 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. |
| M. | We value reality. We aim to walk in the Spirit and see real supernatural works of God. We aim also to function on the natural plane based on God’s leading in conjunction with excellent, relational thinking. | James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. |
| N. | We value simplicity. We wish to do nothing for “religious effect” but rather to operate in natural low-key, non-hype patterns. We desire to do the ministry of Christ with joy. | Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! |
| O. | We value being culture current. We aim to develop an atmosphere of ease, and to speak, act, and dress in ways in which our culture can respond positively. For example, we reflect this value through worship music that is of a popular style. | 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. |
Our Mission
Our Purposes
Our Statement of Faith
Our Statement of Faith (page 2)
Our Statement of Faith (page 3)
Our Statement of Faith (page 4)
Our Values
Our Priorities
The Practices We Aim To Instill
Our Leadership Personnel Requirements
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