Our Aim
To glorify God by building a Christian community of mature followers of Jesus, committed to God and to one another; and to enable them to communicate and demonstrate Jesus Christ to others in a personal and relevant way.
Our Values
Authentic Worship
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A God-centred church - We seek to deepen our walk with God
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Participation, Creativity, Holy Spirit Freedom - We encourage wide participation in our worship including the exercise of spiritual gifts and personal testimony.
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Prayer - We rely upon God and prayer must be at the heart of all we seek to be and do as a church.
Becoming Disciples
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Spiritual growth - We seek to encourage each other to be mature, committed followers (disciples) of Jesus, following his example of love, service and holiness in our live.
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Whole-life discipleship - Our Christian faith impacts our work, leisure, and family.
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Bible-based - We base our life and teaching on the Bible as the written word of God.
Creating Community
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Love - We believe God has called us to be a strong, loving community, which values all people; old or young, of whatever race or background, single or part of a family.
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Openness, accountability, and authentic friendships - In our relationships we will teach, model, and encourage these aspects.
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Wider Church - We recognise that we are part of the wider Church, and as such work and fellowship with other parts of God's Church
Doing Mission and Evangelism
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Mission - We are committed to Jesus' great commission of Mt. 28:20 `to make disciples of all nations'. We aim to share the gospel in a relevant way with others through word and deed.
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A servant heart for our community - We are committed to sharing the love of Jesus with the people of Strood and the surrounding area, our families, friends, neighbours, work and school colleagues.
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World Mission - We actively support the mission of the Church in the wider World.
Every-Member Ministry
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Equipping for service – We believe every believer is a called to serve God. We support believers to serve God in a way that is appropriate to their spiritual gifts and practical abilities. This can be in church and community life. A major way of equipping is through relevant, biblical teaching and training.
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Caring for people - we value people over structures.
Our Dream
We dream of a church:
- Where people are becoming mature disciples (followers) of Jesus.
- Where believers are growing as disciples through powerful preaching and Bible teaching, but also through mutual example, encouragement, and exhortation (challenge).
- In which believers meet together in small groups for discipleship, Bible study, prayer, fellowship, encouragement and witness.
- Committed to the truth of the Bible and seeking to live by its teaching
- Which reaches out to the community of Strood with the life-changing message of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and regularly sees many people come to faith. This outreach is through the vital personal witness of church members and a variety of relevant servant ministries. Believers are confident to share their faith with family, friends, neighbours and colleagues in an intentional way.
- Where people in need can find salvation, healing, forgiveness, love and practical help.
- Which equips believers to live as Christians in their daily lives (work, home, school etc.)
- Filled with the Holy Spirit. People discover their spiritual gifts and are empowered and equipped to use them to build the Kingdom of God.
- Which is committed to loving each other in a caring, vibrant community.
- People share hospitality and share their lives. The church community is an authentic reflection of the wider Strood Community in age profile and social background.
- In which there is a sense of the awe and wonder of God when believers gather together. Prayer, praise, and preaching are passionate, and involve and engage all present. Preaching is biblical, life–related and accessible. Believers share testimony (stories) of what God has been doing in their lives. Spiritual gifts are encouraged, and personal prayer is offered to those who need it. Music is contemporary and technology is used effectively to aid worship and communication.
- Which is committed to, and under girded by, prayer. Many believers are in prayer partnerships.
- Which has a world mission perspective. Church members support world mission financially and practically. Mission teams from the church regularly visit our overseas mission partners.
- Which is open to the Holy Spirit’s leading to plant new churches and new expressions of church.
- Which is a vibrant part of the wider body of Christ in Strood and Medway