Our Values Statement
This is the text of the formal, detailed Values Statement of Christian City Church, Hamilton.
If you have any questions about the content of this Values Statement we would welcome the opportunity to 'talk you through it'. Please don't hesitate to get in touch.
We believe:
we are called to be a community of Christian believers, charged with a threefold biblical responsibility to:
a.) worship God in a way which is relevant to our contemporary culture
b.) reach out to people who have yet to experience reconciliation with God through Christ, and
c.) be committed to a lifestyle of personal growth based on being in a secure relationship with our loving heavenly Father, and in a relationship of mutual trust and respect with our fellow believers.
1. Worship Values
a.) The Bible is full of exhortation that God's people praise and worship Him. We therefore place a high value on worship, both in corporate gatherings and in personal life.
b.) Biblical history and church history show that style of worship is entirely cultural. We believe that there is a need in Hamilton for a church that embraces contemporary Christian music, which is enjoyable to this generation of believers and relevant to those who have yet to come to know Christ.
c.) Further, we believe that worship is a two way street, whereby we may bless God with our singing, and may in turn be blessed with the felt sense of His presence and pleasure.
2. Outreach Values
a.) We are clearly called to reach out to the world around us, in order to bring people into a personal relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Unchurched people really matter to God, as do we who are 'churched'. We are therefore committed to the principle of outreach, both corporately and personally, always bearing in mind that such outreach must be in keeping with our desire to be contemporary and relevant to today's culture.
b.) We live in a post-Christian era where sound biblical values have been replaced by situational ethics: "if it feels good, do it!" While we understand the destructiveness of this untruth, it is nevertheless true that much of society is immersed in it. In order to be effective in reaching such people for Christ therefore, we need to:
i.) Avoid judgmental attitudes or statements. The fact is, unchristian people act like unchristian people and resent being told to change their behaviour before they can be accepted by our God. Jesus was a 'friend of the unchurched'...so should we be. The change agent is the Holy Spirit and we all know that He is very gentle with us. We choose to allow the work of the Holy Spirit and the consistent preaching of the Word of God to gradually bring change.
ii.) Think of relevant ways to reach out. (Evangelistic campaigns as such may no longer be the way.) Thus we need to constantly evaluate what other creative and culturally relevant ways there may be.
3. Growth Values
a.) We believe that we are called to be "conformed to the image of Christ", therefore we must be prepared to cooperate with the Holy Spirit when He initiates change. We recognise that such change may come by a variety of means:
i.) the preaching of the Word bringing conviction
ii.) the moving of the Holy Spirit in our personal lives
iii.) adversity in life revealing our 'blind spots'.
We believe that there is a human nature within every one of us that resists change and holds to the status quo. Nevertheless, God in His time, puts His finger on areas and attitudes within us that He wants us to deal to. Our appropriate response is to seek God, seek Godly counsel, and where relevant, embrace change. Such change can be painful, but we value it as an ever present necessity.
b.) We believe in openness and honesty. We uphold the conflict resolution dynamics taught in Matthew 18 v 15-17.
Firstly, any issue between individuals should be handled one to one;
Secondly, if no reconciliation can be found, a mediator should be asked to help in the process;
Thirdly, if these two stages are unproductive, then the pastor should become involved.
Personal growth almost always accompanies this process.