About our mission,
Our vision and values

When we set out to write the vision statement of the church there was one question bugging me

"Why do churches all have different visions?"

People would ask me "What's the vision of the church?" and I always felt people were unhappy with my answer. Surely our vision is the same as every church vision?

Don't we all want the same thing? We want to grow in our relationship with God, we want to grow in our relationship with each other, and we want to grow numerically and reach new people.

So why don't we all do it the same way?

When I discovered the answer to this question, I was suddenly able to answer the question about our vision! Vision statements are different because our values are different.

The most important values to this church, might not be the same things that are important to the church down the road, and that's ok! But if we were going to write our vision, we would need to work out what we valued most.

Here you will find our values, and the resulting vision statement that has evolved from them. These values have come from a variety of sources- inside and outside of the church leadership- surveys, sermons, AGM meeting minutes and one on one conversations.

I set out to capture our heart of the church and present a vision statement that we as the church would be proud to share, and that someone hearing it for the first time would be compelled to join! I believe we have done that together!

Thank you to everyone who helped form this vision, even if you didn't know you played a part! Read on and God Bless!

Pastor Shanan Barnett

Our Mission

"Connecting people with Jesus daily"

Our Values

Authenticity
Connection
Culture
Generosity
Honour
Heritage and Legacy
Fun
Presence
Worship
Prayer

The Vision
Made up of three components, UP, IN and OUT, we aim to connect and grow with God, each other and serve.

Up

It's a church that puts God first with their actions and not only their words.

It's a church that does not see God as a God of anger and punishment, but of love, grace, hope and justice.

It's a church that can be real about who they are, and where they are with God, but allows God to challenge them to be more.

It's a church that is dedicated to salvation and new life not just when we die, but in the here and now.

It's a church that believes God can be experienced and known.

It's a church that communicates with God through prayer and worship, and that communication is exciting and passion filled not mundane or routine.

It's a church that hosts the presence of God, and treasures Him above all else!

It's a church that exercises the power of God and the gifts of the spirit as described in the New Testament.

It's a church that is fully dependent on God and embraces all parts of the Holy Trinity.

Key Verses: Exodus 33:15, Psalm 127.1,

John 15.5, lastly Acts 17.28.

In

It's a church where people are real with each other. There is no hiding or pretending. It's accepting and it's challenging but always with love.

It's a church that grows and changes together. The fruit of the spirit is evident in them.

It's a church that serves one another, considering all others is important to Christ and therefore to the church.

It's a church devoted to family. There are no social class separations, but we find common ground together in Jesus.

It's a church that does life together, a body that does not gather only for religious ceremony, but for fellowship and connection. We lift each other up, we serve each other, we sacrifice for each other.

It's a church where cultural diversity is celebrated and encouraged, where cultures are enhanced by each other and influenced by the culture of heaven.

It's a church that is committed to the wider body, but devoted especially to each other.

It's a church that is rich in heritage, and passes on it's legacy.

Key Verses: 1 Corinthians 12:12, Psalm 133:1, Philippians 2:3, Revelation 7:9.

It's a church that exists for the community. The community is not the enemy, but a friend and a mission field.
It's a church that is devoted to The Great Commission.
It's a church that serves its community.
It's a church that does not insist on perfect people.
It's a church that is impacting the community; the lives of people that are not yet a part of the church, and even those that may never become part of the church.
I's a church that adds to the local community and its legacy and reputation.
It's a church the community speaks highly of because they know it cares.
It's a church that is known for giving and not taking.
It's a church that has influence in the community.
It's a church that complements and enriches our local education sectors, our care sectors and our health and wellbeing sectors.
It's a church that believes in Blenheim, and is passionate about its development and success.
It's a church with a message of hope that the community hears and embraces.
It's a church that reveals the righteousness of God through its generosity.
It's a church that gives value to individuals and the community as a whole.

It's a church that is part of Blenheims story.
It's a church that everybody knows someone who has been blessed or impacted by it.

Key Verses: Romans 10:14, 1 Corinthians 4:20, Matthew 5:13-16, Matthew 28:18-20, Isaiah 61:1.