Core Values
What’s most important to us
1. We emphasise the “Body of Christ” Ministry and Mission with Jesus Christ as the Head…..
1 Corinthians 12; Romans 12:4-8; Ephesians 4:11-16
2. …..each member exercising individual spiritual gift/s for the building of the Body and the Communication of the Gospel
Matthew 22:36-40 ; Matthew 28:18-20
Core Purposes
What we want to achieve
1. every member exercising their gift/s within the church and in the mission field
2. every member encouraged and affirmed to utilise their gifts
3. every ministry / mission led by a called leader/s
4. every ministry / mission fulfilling our Core Value (or part of it)
Core Principles
how we plan to achieve our value and purposes
- Everyone is special and important to God (especially lost people) and must be important to the church
- Public gathering for worship must be Holy Spirit led, where the whole gospel is preached in accordance with our Statement of Faith and the Lord’s Supper is regularly celebrated
- The church should aim to be culturally relevant while remaining doctrinally pure
- Fellowship over meals, small groups, and accountability to one another is essential in order to build a healthy church where people can find acceptance, healing and genuine relationships
- Prayer is the foundation of all work and ministry undertaken by the church
- Everyone is encouraged to grow in their knowledge of, and relationship with, Jesus Christ through regular study of Scripture, prayer and worship
- Believer’s baptism is encouraged
- All believers are encouraged to identify and utilize their gift/s of the Holy Spirit
- In order to maintain unity, all conflict will be dealt with quickly, positively, and in a biblical manner
- In all aspects of our church, our aim is to glorify God
Statement of Faith
what we believe
- The unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in the Godhead.
- The sovereignty of God in creation, revelation, redemption and final judgement.
- The divine inspiration and infallibility of Holy Scriptures as originally given and their supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
- The universal sinfulness and guilt of human nature since the fall, rendering humankind unable to save itself by its own efforts and making it subject to God’s wrath and condemnation.
- Redemption from the guilt and penalty of sin only through the death of Jesus Christ the Son of God, who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. His death on the cross, as our representative and substitute, was once for all, a full, perfect and sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.
- The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead following His crucifixion and burial and His ascension to heaven, and the resurrection of believers in Him to eternal life.
- The work of the Holy Spirit in conviction of sin and righteousness in individuals and bringing them to repentance towards God and faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
- The indwelling and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in every believer.
- One holy universal Church which is the Body of Christ and the priesthood of all true believers.
- The expectation of the personal return in glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge both the dead and the living.
Membership
be part of our familyWe welcome all who choose to be regular attendees into our church family, and encourage you to have your contact details added to the Church Directory and to have your photo displayed on our family board.A more formal church membership is available for those willing to commit themselves in accordance with our Trust Deed as specified in clause 4 - “A member shall be a regular attendee at Worship who is in agreement with the Objects, Statement of Faith, and Core Values of the fellowship.”This formal membership is only an issue when voting on church related business matters.
Eldership
our leadership style
Leadership of Papatoetoe Community Church is based on the New Testament church model of Eldership.
The Elders are available to you for any needs you may have, but also encourage church members to utilise their gifts/abilities in serving the Core Purposes of the church.
The Elders oversee the various leadership teams of the church Ministries and Missions, and provide spiritual leadership and oversight for the whole church.
