What is Christianty?
Watch this two minute animation – a simple introduction to the Christian faith.
Mission, Vision and Values
Based on the Great Commission (Matt 28: 18-20) and the Greatest Commandments (Matt 22:37-39)
Our Mission
For the glory of God, we seek to: To know Jesus and to make Him known
This means for every member of our church we seek for them to grow as disciples of Jesus, to know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Through the regular study of God’s Word and through prayer, empowered by the Holy Spirit, they will grow in their love, knowledge and obedience of Jesus. As their love for Jesus grows, so will their love grow for one another and those outside the church. As such, we seek to equip each member and partner with them in making Jesus known to all around us.
Our Vision
We aim to achieve our mission with the following vision to:
Reach Out:
to all in our communities, with the saving news of the gospel.
Disciple:
to build up God’s people for their works of service.
Send Out:
sending out God’s people, wherever they are, to serve a needy world in love.
In a bit more detail, that looks like this:
To reach out… we believe the good news of God’s love, shown in the death of His Son, Jesus Christ, is good news for everyone, whatever their age, stage, situation or background. Therefore, we want to reach out to all those around us, in a variety of ways, to enable them to hear and to know God’s love in Jesus.
To disciple… we encourage one another to understand and live by the Bible so that we can be ‘built up’ as followers of Jesus Christ. In the power of the Holy Spirit, we commit ourselves to study and teach the Bible so that God’s people are built up for their works of service. We are a church that wants to grow… not just in numbers but in love and knowledge and likeness of Jesus Christ. A key part of discipleship is service, encouraging God’s people to serve others in love as we ‘reach out’ and ‘send out’ – there are overlaps across all three areas.
To send out… We aim to send out and support Christians both in the local area where they live, and in the wider world so that others may hear and know God’s love in Jesus. We are a church with God’s heart for our neighbours, both locally and amongst the nations.
Our Values
All that we do is underpinned by three ministry values:
- the means of gospel ministry is the prayerful teaching of the Bible – it is as the Bible is taught in the power of the Spirit that God’s voice is heard.
- the heart of gospel ministry is the proclamation of Christ crucified – because the message of the cross is God’s way of saving people from his coming wrath.
- the focus for gospel ministry is the local church – believing that it is primarily through the local church that unbelievers are brought to faith in Christ and believers are built up in him. In this Benefice, we are one church family that meets in 3 locations.
What we believe
As a group of 3 Anglican Evangelical Churches we believe in knowing Jesus, as our Lord and Saviour, and in making him known, sharing the good news of the gospel with all those who do not yet know the great news about Jesus Christ.
In a bit more detail, we believe that:
God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit
We believe in knowing Jesus, as our Lord and Saviour, and in making him known, sharing the good news of the gospel with all those who do not yet know the great news about Jesus Christ.
God has spoken through the Bible
The Bible, as originally given, is the inspired, inerrant and infallible word of God. Christians must therefore submit to its supreme authority and sufficiency, both individually and corporately, in every matter of belief and conduct.
People are valued and, as sinners are in need of rescue
The inherent value of all human beings, made by God in his own likeness: every person matters and is of value. Each person, however, is sinful, and falls short of God’s standards, and has done since the Fall. This has rendered them subject to God’s wrath and condemnation, and has resulted in their alienation from God, and facing his just punishment.
Jesus is God, who came to earth to live, die and rise again to rescue us from sin
The Lord Jesus Christ, God’s incarnate Son, is fully God; he was born of a virgin; his humanity is real and sinless; he died on the cross, was raised bodily from death and is now reigning over heaven and earth.
Salvation from sin is only through Jesus
Salvation from the guilt, penalty and all other consequences of sin is solely through the work of Jesus Christ — his perfect obedience, penal substitutionary death, bodily resurrection and exaltation as Lord. He alone is truly God and truly man, the only mediator between God and man. There is salvation through no other person, creed, process or power. Those who believe in Christ are pardoned of all their sins and accepted in God’s sight only because of the righteousness of Christ credited to them. The entirety of a sinner’s justification, from beginning to end, is only by his grace alone, through faith alone.
God has chosen his people
Before the foundation of the world, God in his mercy chose a people for himself out of the human race. He did not choose them on the basis of their foreseen faith or works, but solely on the basis of his perfect desire to glorify himself in his Son by their redemption.
The Holy Spirit lives in each believer
The necessity and sufficiency of the work of the Holy Spirit for the individual’s new birth and growth to maturity, and for the Church’s constant renewal in truth, wisdom, faith, holiness, love, power and mission.
We are a part of the one, true, universal church
As a Benefice, we are one church, that meets in 3 locations. But, we are not alone! We are a part of the one, holy, universal church, to which all true believers belong. The Church’s calling is to worship and serve God in the world, to proclaim and defend his truth, and to exhibit his character by living holy lives.
Jesus will return
The personal and visible return in glory of the Lord Jesus Christ to raise the dead and bring salvation and judgment to final completion. God will fully establish his kingdom when he creates a new heaven and a new earth from which evil and evildoers, suffering and death will be excluded, and in which he will be glorified for ever.
As a group of Church of England Churches, in the Diocese of Derby…
We are evangelical churches who hold to the historic creeds, the Reformed doctrine of the 39 Articles and the Anglican understanding that ordained leaders of local congregations are to be pastor teachers of the Bible. We recognise, as saved sinners, the need for continual spiritual reformation under the Word of God, and commit ourselves to that.
The official doctrinal position of the Church of England is set out in Canon A5: “The doctrine of the Church of England is grounded in the Holy Scriptures, and in such teachings of the ancient Fathers and Councils of the Church that are agreeable to the said Scriptures. In particular such doctrine is to be found in the 39 Articles of Religion, the Book of Common Prayer and the Ordinal.”
We seek to uphold this foundation of the faith, and to lovingly promote it and defend it.
To find out more about this and ask your questions, why not come along to Christianity Explored?