Values
A New Humanity Under Christ
Colossians 1:15-20, 2 Corinthians 5:17
The primary focus of Grace is to honor Christ. But sometimes people
can feel confused about what that means. As we honor the dignity
of each individual, honoring Christ happens through normal life
and through people’s passions and giftings. We see worship
as something big; like how our hearts respond to beauty in art,
how we approach our jobs, how we parent, and how we express love
to one another. We want to learn how to bring Christ into every
area of life. We want to present Christ mainly through modeling
Christ’s character of love, kindness, and service. We believe
that Christ’s desire is to redeem individuals and restore
creation, and we want our sermons to reflect that. To present sermons
in the language and context of everyday issues and events is important
to us.
Community
Ephesians 4:15-16, 1 John 4:20-21
The primary way that we are changed is through authentic, loving
relationships. Shared lives and service for one another is the way
toward spiritual growth and training. In order for that to happen
we have to learn to trust each other, talk to each other, and care
about each other. When we do it creates an atmosphere that will
bring healing, empowerment, and equipping in every area of life.
At the foundation of that atmosphere is the truth of the Gospel,
which allows us to more easily understand who God is and how He
works in our lives. We value relationships and community and want
to model that community through teaching and empowering people to
live as Jesus lived.
Service
Matthew 20:25-28
A lot of the attempts by Christians to present the faith in NYC
have been perceived as threatening and have been resisted individually
and corporately. One reason why is because Christianity is seen
as political maneuvering or manipulative. We would like to say something
different. We would like to engage the city through service. According
to Scripture, compassion and service are a part of the nature of
God. We want to follow Jesus and bring His shalom (peace and prosperity)
to the community as an act of worship. We can do this by coordinating
with mercy ministries, government offices, and educational institutions
throughout the city to determine how we can help, and then we want
to organize teams of people to practically meet those needs. We
want to inspire and model a lifestyle of serving the needs of individuals
and our city.
Humility
John 2:23-25, Philippians 2:3
We want to strive to embody a spirit of humility in what we teach
and do. God’s activity and culture are dynamic, so we need
to always remain open to reprioritization, redirection, and other
needed changes. We want to lead with the attitude of servants in
our families, businesses, and communities. We can do this by presenting
truth to the city in a spirit of love and kindness, and listening
intently to the opinions and perspectives of others. We acknowledge
the failings of the Church, our common hypocrisy, our biases, and
our incomplete understanding of God, His purposes, and His ways.
We must cautiously and humbly present our ideas and perspectives
to the city, while avoiding presumptuously judging local communities,
organizations, or individuals. We can avoid judgmental attitudes
and still embrace and apply the truths of God’s words in Scripture.
We think that maintaining this tension will help us avoid becoming
legalistic or humanistic while still faithfully upholding and proclaiming
God’s truth.
Empowerment
Ephesians 4:11-13
Christians should see themselves as ministers of the Gospel. We
think that the church should operate as a green house by creating
structures and strategies that impart the seed of the Gospel into
the lives of people and then facilitating the growth of that seed.
The ultimate goal will be to completely equip and empower people
to initiate their own ministry centers that equip and empower others.
These ministry centers are not separate from the Church, but are
equipped, supported, and overseen by the Church. People should desire
to coordinate with the entire congregation and with the entire Christian
community. We feel that the balance of ministry centers with the
Christian community will maximize the potential for each individual
in terms of training and opportunity, and it would allow for large-scale
coordination of the body of Christ.
Integrity
1 Tim 3:2, Psalm 51:6
We want to model and inspire people to live with complete integrity.
This includes embodying the character and teachings of Christ in
every area of our lives - particularly honesty, faithfulness, kindness,
discipline, and self-control. Church policies ensure financial transparency,
and these policies provide sufficient checks and balances to prevent
undue temptation for sin. In addition, we want to deal honestly
with non-Christians in honoring confidentiality and in presenting
true and sincere offers of friendship without hidden agendas.
Life Affirmation (Incarnation)
Romans 1:20, Acts 2:5-12
Everyone possesses talents, giftings, and passions that reflect
their being created in the image of God. Therefore, we want to model
discipleship that identifies those God-given characteristics and
assists people in restoring them to God’s original intent.
We see different elements and institutions in culture as part of
God’s creation, which are fundamentally good, but now fallen.
This perspective allows us to embrace the good in these institutions
while being aware of the aspects of culture that have become a cheap
substitute for God, or idolatrous. People need to participate in
the world we live under the direction and power of the Holy Spirit.
We believe that Scripture shows us how to avoid the corrupting powers
of idolatry and demonstrate God’s original intention through
our work and influence.
Unity
John 17:23, Ephesians 4:3
We believe that it’s important to promote unity throughout
the congregation and throughout the entire believing Christian community.
We will as much as possible make decisions in a spirit of agreement
and peace. We will also attempt to reconcile differences and model
forgiveness. Likewise, Christians should avoid factions, dissentions,
quarreling, and gossip, and avoid divisions based on secondary theological
beliefs. In addition, we know that we’re only part of the
entire Christian community and God’s purposes in the city.
Therefore, we need to maintain close relationships with other churches
and attempt to serve their needs. We also will attempt to coordinate
our activities with the overall attempts of other churches to advance
God’s Kingdom.
Prayer
John 15:4, James 5:16
Our life, health, and success depend completely on God’s grace
and power. The church as a whole and individuals must consistent
petition God for His direction and ability. Our primary purpose
in life is to love God and experience his love and direction. In
addition, we must constantly petition God to reveal his supernatural
power in our lives and in the heart of the city.
