Vision
Our vision is to see the whole church following the way of Jesus, making disciples, bringing life and transformation to every area of Southampton and beyond.
Mission
Our mission is to change lives and transform communities.
Call to action
Love God
Love one another
Go, make disciples
values
PRESENCE
We prioritise God’s presence.
On our own, and whenever we gather, we ask the Spirit to lead us, and look to scripture to guide us. We are created for union with Jesus, who is always present with us. Yet it is only as we become aware of His presence in our lives, and at the heart of our community, that we can become who God has created us to be – individually and as a community. We are led by the spirit and rooted in the truth of the Bible.
‘4 The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” Exodus 33:15
GROWTH
We equip and empower one-another to grow.
Together, we want to become mature followers of Christ – rooted in faith, humble in character, and growing in the gifts we have been given. As we grow in Christ we become increasingly fruitful. Therefore, we invest in our spiritual growth and that of others – equipping one another to grow in faith, character and gifting.
‘11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.’ Ephesians 4:11-13
COMMUNITY
We create environments where healthy relationships flourish.
We were created to live in community – with God and with each other. We are called to be devoted to one another in love, to honour one another above ourselves, to rejoice with those who rejoice, to mourn with those who mourn, and to joyfully serve the Lord together. We thrive in healthy community. In all we do, we strive to create hospitable environments where everyone can find a place to belong, and healthy community can flourish.
‘9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honouring each other. 11 Never be lazy but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.’ Romans 12: 9-13
OWNERSHIP
We serve, take initiative and give of our best
We all have a part to play and a contribution to make. We are God’s church and together He has given us a vision to fulfil. We choose to give of our best to serve God, and to serve one another. We don’t wait to be asked, but instead ask “What part can I play to help this community thrive and fulfil the vision God has given us?”
‘For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your[a] faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.’ Romans 12:4-8
CONFIDENCE
We are confident in the power of the Gospel to transform lives.
The Good News of Jesus is central to all we do. It is the power of God to bring salvation, redemption and restoration to everyone who puts their faith in Jesus. Because of the Gospel we have discovered the joy of knowing Christ – and we cannot keep it to ourselves. As individuals we share the Good News wherever the opportunity arises. In all we do together we look to create opportunities for others to discover the joy of knowing Christ, and His power to transform their lives.
‘16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.’ Romans 1:16
OUTWARD LOOKING
We reach out to others, serving with love and hospitality
Both within and beyond the church we extend a culture of hospitality and love. We are responsive to the needs of those around us in our church family, our neighbourhoods, workplaces, local communities, and overseas - believing that to love as Jesus loved requires us to demonstrate the Gospel practically as well as with words. We welcome in those who are new or on the edge, demonstrating Jesus’ love to those who already know him and to those who are yet to meet him.
‘16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.’
Matthew 5:16
‘18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,[b] baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20’
Matthew 28:18-19
What We Believe
As a church we are theologically orthodox subscribing to both the Nicene Creed and the Evangelical Alliance’s statement of faith.
The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
begotten from the Father before all ages,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made;
of the same essence as the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and was made human.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried.
The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again with glory
to judge the living and the dead.
His kingdom will never end.
And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life.
He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
and to life in the world to come. Amen.
Evangelical Alliance Statement of Faith
We believe in:
The one true God who lives eternally in three persons - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
The love, grace and sovereignty of God in creating, sustaining, ruling, redeeming and judging the world.
The divine inspiration and supreme authority of the Old and New Testament Scriptures, which are the written Word of God-fully trustworthy for faith and conduct.
The dignity of all people, made male and female in God's image to love, be holy and care for creation, yet corrupted by sin, which incurs divine wrath and judgement.
The incarnation of God's eternal Son, the Lord Jesus Christ - born of the virgin Mary; truly divine and truly human, yet without sin.
The atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross: dying in our place, paying the price of sin and defeating evil, so reconciling us with God.
The bodily resurrection of Christ, the first fruits of our resurrection; his ascension to the Father, and his reign and mediation as the only Saviour of the world.
The justification of sinners solely by the grace of God through faith in Christ.
The ministry of God the Holy Spirit, who leads us to repentance, unites us with Christ through new birth, empowers our discipleship and enables our witness.
The Church, the body of Christ both local and universal, the priesthood of all believers - given life by the Spirit and endowed with the Spirit's gifts to worship God and proclaim the gospel, promoting justice and love.
The personal and visible return of Jesus Christ to fulfil the purposes of God, who will raise all people to judgement, bring eternal life to the redeemed and eternal condemnation to the lost, and establish a new heaven and new earth.
We are also part of the Pioneer network and, in line with Pioneer’s values, are committed to developing a church that is:
· Missional
· Relational
· Charismatic
· Kingdom orientated
We also endorse the distinctives of Pioneer:
· Championing the role of women in leadership
· Continuing to innovate and develop new forms of mission
· Being catalysts for unity across the Body of Christ
We value:
· The sanctity of human life from the womb to the grave.
· The sacredness of marriage as a life-long covenantal relationship between a man and woman that enables the flourishing of human society.
· The dignity and intrinsic worth of every human being regardless of ethnicity, gender, class, ability, religion.