VALUES AND VISIONSt Peter's Baptist Church 2005
The heart of the church is…
The Great CommandLove the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength and love you neighbour as yourself
The Great CommissionGo 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.
Our values are…
- The priority of love
- The authority of the Bible
- The centrality of worship
- The power of prayer
- The urgency of evangelism
- The ministry of every member
- The importance of small groups
- The effectiveness of teamwork
- The impact of creativity
- The necessity of risk-taking
Our priorities are…
- Telling people about Jesus
- Reaching out to children and young people
- Serving the community
- Making mature disciples
THE DREAMof what the church will become in the next three years
A Dream for MissionWe are thoroughly involved in showing and sharing the good news in our neighbourhood and in our network of friends and colleagues. As individuals we readily talk with others about our faith and our experience of God. As a church we run a wide range of events for all ages (see below) and through these we grow a large ‘fringe’ of contacts whom we can invite to services and special evangelistic opportunities. We have a clear programme of evangelistic events scheduled for the year and we are praying for specific people to come along to these and to move step by step towards personal faith in Jesus.
A Dream for Serving the CommunityWe run a wide range of events which benefit the local community, including sports events, quiz nights, big screen TV events, clubs for art and music, barn dances, concerts, a café, etc. We are effectively helping people in need and in crisis through the ministry of individuals and through projects we run as a church. We are also working with the community and mobilising people to serve with other agencies.
A Dream for WorshipWhen we meet for worship there is an expectancy and an openness to the Spirit. Excellent music, sensitive leadership and thoughtful prayers combine with relevant and challenging Bible teaching to create a place where people are refreshed, inspired, challenged and equipped for daily living. We regularly baptise new Christians and hear testimonies of how God has been working in people’s lives.
A Dream for ChildrenWe run a programme for children which they enjoy so much they want to bring their friends along. A committed and enthusiastic adult team create a loving and secure environment where the children become close friends with each other and with their leaders. They hear the good news about Jesus being presented in creative, relevant and challenging ways and they come to know and love Jesus themselves. Children come from many social backgrounds and are visited at home by their group leaders.
A Dream for Young PeopleWe run a range of activities for young people. A large number of teenagers have become involved through personal invitations from their peers. They are attracted to the groups because they have an exciting and relevant programme which is based in good facilities, and because the leaders regularly keep in touch with them. We see a flow of young people making commitments to Christ and being baptised. The young people are being equipped and released for ministry among their peers and in the church as a whole.
A Dream for World MissionWe actively support world mission. We regularly send out teams and individuals on overseas mission projects and we keep ourselves informed about the needs and opportunities in the world church so that we can pray intelligently and give wisely.
A Dream for FellowshipWe are a fellowship where everyone is important. We have structures in place for welcoming, befriending, supporting and pastoring everyone who is involved with the church. A growing network of housegroups plays a vital role in helping people build deeper relationships as they study the Bible, worship, pray and have fun together. The housegroups are discovering ways they can work together in our mission to people who are not yet Christians.
A Dream for DiscipleshipWe all make it a priority to be growing in our own relationship with Jesus. We are growing deeper in understanding through our own reading of the Bible and we are discovering what it means to be open to the prompting of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives. We are continually applying the teaching of Jesus to our daily lives, even when it is inconvenient or costly. We are effectively training and equipping one another for Christian service through an ongoing series of courses on subjects such as: spiritual growth, discipleship, leadership, prayer, marriage, parenting, working with children and young people, counselling, preaching, money management, doctrine and biblical studies, ethics and topical issues.
A Dream for PrayerPersistent and expectant prayer is a characteristic of our church life. As well as praying together in Sunday worship and in housegroups we have special prayer gatherings to focus on issues within the church and beyond it. A spiritually-sensitive and well-trained team offer prayer ministry during Sunday services. We regularly have times when people can specifically seek prayer for healing.
|
Our vision 
