Because we are committed to being faithful to the gospel of our Lord Jesus, we want everyone to know and understand our spiritual DNA as a community of believers, and for that to be evident in all that we do together. To that end, the following points outline the church culture that we pursue together.
What We Value – Our Church Culture
#1 – A love for the Word of God, as the ultimate authority over the life and doctrine of the believer, and the church community. We want God to continue reshaping us by the power of His Word. e.g. 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 4:12.
#2 – A family of God, where people grow and care for each other in genuine relationships built on trust. We are willing to receive rebuke and correction according to the Word of God, in a spirit of gentleness, so that the glory of God might shine in us, His church. e.g. 2 Corinthians 13:11-12; Galatians 6:1-2.
#3 – A clearly visible culture of Grace, Mercy, Forgiveness and Restoration for sinners. We seek toactively model the heart of God in these things (not just on paper, or by lip-service). e.g. 2 Corinthians 2:5-11; Colossians 3:12-15.
#4 – A whole-hearted pursuit of the gospel, for its power in both saving and then transforming God’s people from death to life. We rejoice that this gospel sets us free, so that we can now choose to love and serve one another. e.g. John 8:31-36; 1 Peter 4:8-11.
#5 – A heart for the lost, such that we are ever seeking to empathise with and speak into the lives of those who don’t yet know Jesus or his gracious gospel. We are thankful for the way God works through us to seek and save the lost. e.g. Matthew 5:13-16; Colossians 1:28.
#6 – A servant-heart, such that everyone in the congregation is looking to the interests of others above their own, in a church community where people can connect, engage and serve one another as Jesus taught us. e.g. John 13:12-15; Philippians 2:3-11.
#7 – A wide field of view, wherein we are committed to discipleship and training as an ongoing investment in Jesus’ ongoing mission. We always want to see the kingdom beyond our own congregation. e.g. Acts 1:8; Ephesians 4:10-16.
Doing the “One Another” Calls of Scripture
Essentially, as a church we want to be pursuing the the Bible’s countless instructions in regard to “one another” – that we must love, serve, honour, greet, meet with, encourage, build up, teach, correct, exhort, stir up, rejoice with, be at peace with, do good to, show hospitality to, be humble before, confess to and pray for “one another” (e.g. Romans 15:5-7; 2 Corinthians 13:11-12; Galatians 5:13; Ephesians 5:19-21; 1 Thessalonians 5:11-15; Hebrews 3:13, 10:24-25; James 5:16; 1 Peter 4:8-10, 5:5; 1 John 1:7, 3:11).
We can’t do those things on our own, but only as a church. And at New City, we felt like we should set out those seven culture points to help keep us on track with these beautiful calls upon us as a church.