Core values are the basic underlying beliefs upon which a local church builds its corporate life together.
They are the key to who we are and how we function.
More than opinions and ideas, more than options and suggestions – these are convictions that members of the local church hold firm to and would defend regardless of the cost.
We strive to: uphold integrity and influence - Matthew 5:13-14, always have a heart for the lost -Matthew 28:18-20, maintain biblical authority - Isaiah 55:11, love people - 1 Thessalonians 3:12. have intimacy with God - James 4:8, and to keep an attitude of servanthood - Mark9:41. We also strive to: evangelize - 2 Timothy 2:2, worship in spirit and in truth - John 4:24, and recognize Apostles and Prophets - Ephesians 2:20. These are our Core Values.
1) Integrity and Influence
The church and her members must have integrity in their daily lives. This means that what they believe must effect how they live and work. To have integrity. our walk and our talk must line up so that we are not hypocrites believing one thing and yet living another. What we believe on the inside must effect how we live on the outside.
When the church and its members live with integrity then they can have influence upon those around them … they can become a change agent for their community, work place or neighborhood. Their integrity earns them the right to be heard and to impact those around them.
In other words, with integrity we can become “salt and light” in the world in which we live. Being Salt and Light means that we love, accept, and forgive those we are building relationships with and never act as judge and jury in any situation.
The slogan for this core value: “Salt and Light – Not Judge and Jury”
Biblical reference:
"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden…” Matthew 5:13-14
2) A Heart for the Lost
God has rescued us from hell and saved us by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). However, He has also saved us to help Him with some good work that needs to be done through the church upon the earth (Ephesians 2:10).
This work is to actively seek and win the lost in the world – those who do not have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ - who are not born again.
We, as a church and as individual Christians, are called to win the lost at all costs. This is part of fulfilling The Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20.
So, we encourage our members to be building relationships with non-Christians so that they can win their trust and begin to earn the right to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them. We encourage our members to be “Contagious Christians”.
The slogan for this core value: “Each One, Reach One”
Biblical reference:
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20
3) Biblical Authority
In this day and age many believe that there are no absolutes and that everyone can be their own authority. We, as members of The Sanctuary Church, believe that the only authority we have for what we believe, our words, and our actions is God’s Word, the Holy Bible.
We believe that this Word is the source of all wisdom and sets forth principles by which we are to live a life pleasing and acceptable to the living God. The Word is powerful and can transform a believer by changing the way they think and thus changing the way they act (Romans 12:1-2)
The Bible is our ultimate and only authority in matters of life and faith.
The slogan for this core value: "The Word works when you work it"
Biblical reference:
"So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:11
4) Love for people
People are important to God. He died for all humankind so that they could have an intimate relationship with Him. People matter so much to God that He sent His only Son Jesus Christ to love, accept, and forgive them and to purchase a way for them to come back into fellowship with the Father.
God’s love for people must be seen in all that the church does. Every activity and program must be designed in such a way as to show His love, His acceptance, and His forgiveness for people.
To do this those who belong to the local church must be constantly growing in their love for the Lord and, as an overflow of His love, growing in our love for each other. Then we can reach out with His love to change the world one person at a time.
The slogan for this core value: “Let your love grow and overflow”
Biblical reference:
"And may the Lord make your love to grow and overflow to each other and to everyone else, just as our love does toward you." 1 Thessalonians 3:12 (The Living Bible)
5) Intimacy with God
We believe that God created us for fellowship and close communion with Him. Because of Jesus’ death on the cross and His shedding of blood He has purchased us back to Himself. As we accept this and ask Jesus to be our personal Lord and Saviour we are both born again and given the gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23).
John the Apostle tells us that the biblical definition of eternal life is an intimate relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ whom He sent (John 17:3).
This is the gift He has given us and our walk as Christians involves unwrapping that gift and living out our relationship with God the Father to its fullest. God wants to have an intimate, daily and dynamic relationship with all of His children.
The slogan for this core value: “Snuggle up to God and He will snuggle up to you.”
Biblical reference:
"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded." James 4:8
6) Servant hood
Jesus never meant for the church to have only one or two “paid professionals” ministering to the saints and sinners. He designed the church so that each and every member who is born again and baptized in the Holy Spirit has one or more gifts with which to minister to others.
Jesus’ plan, right from the beginning, was that there would not be a division between clergy (experts) and laity (amateur) but that each and every member would discover their ministry gifts and thus their place in the Body of Christ and be released to minister so that the church could be built up, encouraged, and come to a maturity (Ephesians 4:11-16) and therefore impact the world for Him.
Therefore we encourage every believer to become involved in the ongoing ministries of the local church so they can fulfill God’s wonderful plan for their life.
Slogan for this core value: “If you can serve, you can minister”
Biblical reference:
"For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of your name as followers of Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward." Mark 9:41
7) Spiritual reproduction
God wants every believer to win the lost and then teach these new believers the things He taught His disciples. He expects every believer to be a “fisher of men” and to disciple those they win to the Lord.
Christians should be reproducing and so winning more people to the Lord. It should be natural for healthy, alive and dynamic believers to be sharing their faith on a daily basis and winning the lost into the Kingdom of God … thus reproducing and helping the Kingdom to grow and expand. Healthy Christians reproduce and so the church should have a constant intake of new Christians who are being discipled.
Slogan for this core value: “Healthy sheep begat healthy sheep, Baa!”
Biblical reference:
"The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." 2 Timothy 2:2
8) Worship in Spirit and Truth
God's heart is that all believers would worship Him from their spirit (heart) with the help and empowerment of the Holy Spirit. It is so meaningful and so powerful when believers come together to focus their whole being on the Lord Jesus Christ and then join together in worship to Him.
We are to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, all of our mind, all of our soul, and all of our strength (Mark 12:30) and one of the best ways to experience this is in corporate worship within the church. There His presence can be felt and experienced and the Lord is released to minister, refresh, heal and restore.
The slogan for this core value: “Expressing our love for God to God”
Biblical reference:
"God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." John 4:24
9) Apostles and Prophets
Jesus Christ gave five ministry or ascension gifts to the local church – apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher (Ephesians 4:11).
We believe that the ministry and office of both the apostle and the prophet are being added back to the local church today and that, for a local church to be healthy and whole, the ministry of both the apostle and the prophet must be received and released.
The ministry of the apostle and prophet is one that releases the life of Christ into the local body. As well, they teach foundational truths to the local church, act in governmental oversight, prophetically release callings and ministries, and work with the local elders and other five-fold ministers to restore health to the local church
The slogan for this core value: “Building God’s way for godly results”
Biblical reference:
"(The church) having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone" Ephesians 2:20 |
