Core Values
Vision and Values
1. The Gospel – the driver of everything we believe and do in ministry
Personal transformation – The Gospel is not merely information to be accepted, but it is a bold announcement: that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ possess divine power to heal and transform human life.
Cultural transformation – The Gospel not only changes people, but confronts the value system of this world, so that entire cultures begin to value what God values.
Social transformation – The Gospel destroys all categories that divide the human race (race, economics, politics, etc.) and creates a people of equal dignity and value in Jesus Christ.
2. The City – the divinely appointed ministry target for our church’s ministry
The place we serve – In love, Jesus came to serve, not to be served. We exist to love and serve Jacksonville and seek its blessing.
The change we seek– The church exists for the city, not the city for the church. The purpose of our service and love is to bring the Gospel to the people of the city, to life on its streets, and to the values it embodies.
The global city we target – Our gaze is also fixed on a broader “city”, a global one, whom we would reach through strategic partnerships with other church planting movements.
3. The Church – the gathering of people changed by the Gospel
An authentic community – The Gospel enables people to be honest about their shortcomings and weaknesses because their trust lies not in their own traditions or moral performance but in Jesus Christ’s perfect obedience on their behalf. This authenticity is experienced through relationships.
On a mission – The church is the one institution which exists ultimately for the sake of its non-members. Every ministry of the church exists so that members can shed Gospel light in purposeful relationships with nonbelievers.
Through multiplication – The most effective way to reach a city with the Gospel is to plant highly relational churches in its various communities.
