CityView Church
24 St Benedict Street, Newton,
Auckland
,
Core Values
A Burning Heart
We value Holy Spirit inspired passionate love for God and for people as our primary goal. We place a high value on connectedness and friendship with God which we can enjoy through Christ. In all our missional activities, our primary aim is simply to connect people to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit through Jesus' love and sacrifice, that they may live in the Father's love and goodness.
A Clear Mind
We value biblical wisdom, loving critique and discussion, in interaction with others, as necessary pathways to discovering God's wisdom for the community of His people. We are a church that promotes genuine spirituality alongside clear and articulate thinking. A clear mind implies a respect for the opinions, perspectives and experiences of others and an awareness of the inherited wisdom of orthodox Christian thinking down through the centuries. It recognizes the value of open mindedness in interaction with other contemporary Christian expressions. In our pursuit of Christ, we value a process in which openness to critique and evaluation is seen as a necessary part of growing in spiritual maturity. In all this, our final touchstone is the reliability and validity of the Bible as the inspired and authoritative Word of God.
A Place of Refuge
We purpose to make church a safe place; a place of refuge; a place to encounter God. There is nothing more refreshing and comforting than being in a place where God is. As we allow God to presence himself in this way, church will be a place where people will feel at home. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.
People as the Reason
We value people not as the means to an end but as the end itself. We purpose to love and accept people as they are and to celebrate God's unique creative work in each individual. We are a church whose future lies in the love and goodness of God. We rely on God to lead and resource by His Spirit rather than putting excessive expectations and demands on human goodness and ability. Our faith lies in the grace of God and the transforming work of the Holy Spirit to bring people to the likeness of Christ. Authentic christian living is resourced from God's life and Spirit rather than driven by human discipline or religious rules which promote outward conformity to accepted standards of Christian behaviour. Genuine transformation is the result of God's power and grace working in each person.
Honouring Relationships
We desire to be a church characterized by respectful and honouring relationships. People have a right to be known and heard because all are made in the image of God. Honouring others extends to all relationships within the church where all have a place in serving each other as serving Christ according to their gifts and roles. We recognise that all are equally loved and valued by God and that all are required by God to be servants. Servant-hood is never to be demanded nor equated with servitude. We recognise and value God-gifted leadership and desire to give proper respect to those who hold positions of leadership in the church. We acknowledge that, in their exercise of authority, leaders are to be humble, wise and show love and respect for other people and to avoid manipulative or coercive forms of control over people. We recognise that the purpose of church life is primarily relational and that the church's activities, programmes and resources exist to serve people rather than to become an object of pursuit themselves.
Holistic Living
We are a church that celebrates Christ as Lord of the whole of life. We serve and worship Him in all our activities, we expect His help and direction in all our decisions, we receive His gift of life with appreciation and therefore see every aspect of life as sacred, to be treasured and enjoyed with thankfulness. God is creator and has placed his gifts and creativity in each individual. We value this creativity and seek to recognise and make room for its many diverse and unique expressions. In seeking to be conformed to the transforming pattern and values of Jesus' life, we value language and culture which is contemporary, which engages with our generation and which reflects God's voice in every time and place to every people.
