Clevedon Baptist Church

Transcription

1 Clevedon Baptist Church Vision, Values, Basis of Faith and Practices Clevedon Baptist Church Station Road Clevedon North Somerset BS21 6NH Registered Charity No: March 2010 Living Loving Belonging

2 Clevedon Baptist Church Vision, Values, Basis of Faith and Practices Contents Introduction Over an extended period in the leadership of CBC worked on the preparation of a fresh Vision for CBC. This was presented to Church Members and preached on by our Pastor, Phil. However, it has not been formally accepted by the Church Members and the full version of the Vision and related statements, e.g. Values, etc., have not previously been made available. The following sections are now being circulated in a final draft form for information, prayer and reflection by Church Members. This should enable the Vision, Shared Values and Practices of CBC to be considered by Church Members with the aim of securing agreement in January 2010 as a key part of the proposals outlined in the presentation: Turning Vision into Reality. Vision a picture of the future that produces passion Shared Values the principles and purposes on which we all agree Basis of Faith 1 the non-negotiable beliefs that all at CBC accepts Practices of CBC the ways of doing things that are specific to CBC The recommendations of the Strategic Review Group (SRG) were accepted by the Church Members Meeting in July. These proposals consisted of the following elements: Organisational Structure governance, management & decision-making Objectives certain changes that would lead to CBC being more effective Implementation Plan transforming actions and timetable The subsequent work of the Pastoral Leadership Team and Ministry Team Leaders has / is enabling the following elements to be addressed: Constitution minimum documentation to satisfy Charity Commissioners Objectives expanding the list of high-level aims that define CBC s direction Strategies means / methods adopted to achieve the Objectives Resources resources required to deliver the Plan & Objectives Operating Guidelines detailed guidance and policies for the life of CBC Review how we will assess progress David Tomlinson, Church Secretary Page Introduction (i) A Compelling Vision for CBC 1 Shared Values 2 Basis of Faith 3 The Practices of Clevedon Baptist Church 4 1 The Basis of Faith is also included in full in the recently approved CBC Constitution. Vision, Values, Beliefs & Practices of CBC 03 Feb 10 v2 Page (i)

3 20 th November 2009; Formally Approved by the Church Members Meeting held on 2 nd February 2010 Vision, Values, Beliefs & Practices of CBC 03 Feb 10 v2 Page (ii)

4 A Compelling Vision for CBC "If God had a community of people here on earth," Jesus would say, "each of the individuals in that community would honour God with all their hearts, souls, minds and strength. Every person in God's kingdom here on this earth would know that they matter to God. Every person in the community would have been touched... deeply... by the love of God and moved by the grace of God and melted on the inside by the tenderness of God and humbled by the holiness of God and awed by the power of God and comforted by the ongoing companionship of God. And therefore, everyone in God's community here on earth would be a willing worshipper of God. Everyone would be eager to obey Him and, Jesus would say, "The favour of God... the blessing of God... would rest on that community of people. There would be a quality of life in that community, people outside the community would envy it." "If God had a community of people on this earth, the people in that community would be radically devoted to each other! The rich would share their abundance freely with the poor. The strong would bear up the weak. The mature would help grow the immature. The experienced would enfold the inexperienced. The powerful would use their power to help the oppressed. The faithful would restore the faint of heart that would stumble and fall. The perceptive would freely share their practical wisdom. They would be inclusive and non-judgemental. They would enjoy purpose, meaning and fulfilment." Jesus would say, "If God had a community of people here on this earth, there would be so much love and so much sensitivity and understanding and serving and sharing going on in that community that people looking in would say to themselves, 'We would give anything to be part of a community like that! That's what we're longing for! "If God had a community of people on this earth, He would give every person in it a unique talent so that everyone could make a contribution. No one would feel superfluous or unimportant. Everybody would be a player and would be respected and appreciated. Everyone would look into the other person's eyes and know that they were important. "But one last thing about the kingdom of God, "Jesus adds, "If God had a community of people here on this earth, God would commission that community to do everything in its power by word, by distinctive lifestyle and through acts of unconditional love so that everyone might become part of God's community. The ultimate goal would be to enfold every single man, woman and child into God's community, so that the whole world would be under God's loving rule and reign, care and protection. And the whole world would then be under His favour and His blessing." Vision Statement for CBC: Clevedon Baptist Church Loving Living Belonging Loving Jesus and our neighbours Living with purpose Belonging to a distinctive Christian Community Vision, Values, Beliefs & Practices of CBC 03 Feb 10 v2 Page 1 of 4

5 Shared Values Roots We are a community who have their roots in the radical Baptist expression of Christian faith. This means we see ourselves as part of a long line of people who have sought to return to the roots of the Christian faith and let our life together be governed by that understanding. We are united by what is central to the Christian faith and strengthened by our diversity. Celebration God calls us to celebrate together who he is, what he has done for us, and what he is doing for us. We call this WORSHIP. This is more than simply singing songs together. It is about living our daily lives in gratitude, grace and hope, and celebrating all of our life as sacred to God. Partnership We believe God calls Christians into a local community so that we can live out his life transforming message. When this happens, it s called the church. God s purpose throughout history has been to form his own family. FELLOWSHIP happens when we chose to love and belong to his family. Growth We know that God loves us as we are, but that he loves us too much to leave us that way. Everyone who follows Jesus desires to become like him. We call this process DISCIPLESHIP. Being a grown-up (mature) is not about how much you know but about how well you love (1 Cor. 13:1-2). Spiritual maturity is about healthy relationships with others and with God (Matt 22:37-39). We commit to growth because we believe the best way to change the world, is to be a sign of positive change ourselves. Service We are saved to serve, and God has shaped and gifted us to enable us to do this. We serve God by serving one another; this is called MINISTRY. It is our responsibility to discover our God-given shape and use it to care about those things God cares about. We are called to live for something bigger than ourselves in this community. Discovery We believe everybody is made in the image of God. Jesus came to re-connect people who had lost their relationship with God. Jesus calls everyone who follows him to care as much about this as he does (Luke 15). We call this EVANGELISM. It is not about preaching at people, but about being a witness, and sharing what we have discovered about God. We do not believe people find that relationship by being good; only by being forgiven through Jesus. While we can do things, and say things to help people discover this relationship, being the person God would have us be in our daily lives is more important. Mission Led by the Spirit of God, we are passionate about relieving suffering and fighting injustice, joining the God of the oppressed in living out the transforming message of the resurrected Jesus. Jesus calls his church to be a compelling force for good in the world, and we believe that the church is at its best when it serves, sacrifices, and loves, caring about the things God cares about. We are called to constantly explore and question how we can live out and communicate God s offer of life in all its fullness. Vision, Values, Beliefs & Practices of CBC 03 Feb 10 v2 Page 2 of 4

6 Basis of Faith DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLE of the Baptist Union of Great Britain The Basis of the Baptist Union is: 1 That our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh, is the sole and absolute authority in all matters pertaining to faith and practice, as revealed in the Holy Scriptures, and that each Church has liberty, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to interpret and administer His laws. 2 That Christian Baptism is the immersion in water into the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, of those who have professed repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ who 'died for our sins according to the Scriptures; was buried, and rose again the third day'. 3 That it is the duty of every disciple to bear personal witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to take part in the evangelisation of the world. BASIS OF FAITH of the Evangelical Alliance We believe in... 1 The one true God who lives eternally in three persons - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. 2 The love, grace and sovereignty of God in creating, sustaining, ruling, redeeming and judging the world. 3 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. 4 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. 5 The incarnation of God s eternal Son, the Lord Jesus Christ born of the virgin Mary; truly divine and truly human, yet without sin. 6 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. 7 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. 8 The justification of sinners solely by the grace of God through faith in Christ. 9 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. 10 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. 11 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. Vision, Values, Beliefs & Practices of CBC 03 Feb 10 v2 Page 3 of 4

7 The Practices of Clevedon Baptist Church A Believers Church We understand the church as a community of believers gathered in the name of Jesus Christ for worship, witness and service. We have no set liturgy. Our community is free to determine its own pattern, though prayer and praise, listening and reflecting on scripture, and sharing Holy Communion will always be central. Baptism for Believers From the example of the New Testament, we claim that baptism is for those who believe and able to declare that Jesus is Lord. As a symbol of Jesus' claim on our lives, baptism by immersion is practised, representing a desire to die to self and to live for Christ. The Ministry of all Believers We believe that everyone who attends CBC is an indispensable part of our community. Our practice is that all members may use their SHAPE 2 in ministries appropriate to their gifting for the good of the church and the wider community. Church Members and Church Meetings When a person is baptised at CBC, they normally become a church member. Church members are called to covenant together to prayerfully discern God's will for their shared life. Final decision-making does not rest with the minister, trustee or any other local, national or international body, but with the members meeting together under God's guidance. Church meetings will appoint ministers and other leaders, and agree important policy and strategy matters. Small groups It is within small groups that friendships flourish and people grow. Our aim for everyone is that they belong to one of our many small groups. They provide the opportunity to learn to follow Jesus, to serve our community and to offer each other practical support. The nurture of children and care for their parents also takes place in small group settings on Sundays and during the week. We use task groups to get things done encouraging teamwork and accountability. Interdependence We believe that churches should not live in isolation from one another but rather be interdependent. Through our membership of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and the West of England Baptist Association combined with our support for BMS World Mission, Home Mission and the Baptist Colleges we are linked with other Baptist Churches regionally, nationally and internationally for support and fellowship. Seeking fellowship and close collaboration with other churches in Clevedon through CTiC 3 is essential to fulfilling the command for unity amongst believers. We also seek opportunities to work with other individuals and organisations that share our commitment to equality, justice and peace on the basis that this does not compromise our distinctively Christian world view. Religious Freedom Religious freedom for all has always been a keystone of Baptist understanding. Acceptance of differences of outlook 4, biblical interpretation and diversity of practice is encouraged within our church, as well as in our wider world. 2 Spiritual gifts; Heart or passion; Abilities; Personality; Experiences. 3 Churches Together in Clevedon 4 Consistent with our Basis of Faith and Shared Values. Vision, Values, Beliefs & Practices of CBC 03 Feb 10 v2 Page 4 of 4

8 Notes, Reflections and Prayer Points

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