Our Vision, Purpose and Values

Our Vision

As a church we exist to glorify Jesus together,
by living and sharing New Life in Him.

Our Purpose

We seek to be a people so deeply satisfied by our new life in Jesus that we live lives marked by passionate worship, genuine love, daily growth and joyful service as we reach out to all for the glory of God.

Five Key Purposes

1. MAGNIFICATION: passionate worship

Our calling in life is to live for God’s glory – to magnify Him in all of life.  We are called to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to Him. All of life is an act of worship of our gracious heavenly Father. This is what we were made for. Romans 12:1, 1 Corinthians 10:31.

2.MEMBERSHIP: genuine love

God calls us to love one another deeply from the heart. Church is a community where we encourage one another toward love and good works. It is a family of people who do life together in His service. 1 Peter 1:22, 2:17. Romans 12:5.

3.MATURITY: daily growth

When God calls us to become disciples of Jesus he wants our whole lives to be transformed to the likeness of Christ. This comes as we immerse ourselves together in the scriptures, persevere in suffering and depend on God in prayer – all in the context of loving relationships. Romans 5:1-4, Colossians 1:6-10, 3:16.

4.MINISTRY: joyful service

God equips us with spiritual gifts so that we can serve in many different ways for the common good. As people mature in the faith we will encourage & train people for service and assess their spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality and experience to work out the right fit for them to serve in ministry.  1 Corinthians 12:7-11, 14:12. Romans 12:6-8. Ephesians 4:11-16.

5.MISSION: reaching out

As we grow to understand God and his purposes we experience Him sending us on mission. Just as the father sent the son, so the Son sends us into the world to make disciples of all nations.

We will seek to Connect with our neighbours, show Care for them, Communicate the gospel of Jesus to them, and invite them to Commit their lives to the grace of God. Matthew 28:19, John 3:16, 20:21.

Key Focus Areas

GENERATIONS: passing the baton

Our location in a growth corridor means we are surrounded by many families with young children so working with young people is a priority for us as we pass the gospel on to the next generation. Ephesians 6:4, 2 Timothy 2:2.

MINISTRY SUPPORT: enabling ministry

All of our ministries require the back room support to enable them to operate effectively. The Property and Finance Committee (BOM) oversees this important area of service to free up others to get on with their tasks. Luke 16:11, 1 Timothy 3:8, 2 Corinthians 8:20-21, Romans 12:17.

Our Values

Love

Jesus said it’s the greatest commandment so it’s at the top of our list. Love God. Love his people. Love our neighbours. Matthew 22:35-39.

The Gospel is Central

We are accepted by God not because of what we have done but because of what He has done for us in Christ. The gospel sets us free from guilt and pride and releases in us the joy of forgiveness. All we do is shaped by our personal awareness of the grace of God in our salvation. Titus 3:3-8, Ephesians 2:8-10.

Bible

When we gather, we meet around God’s Word. We believe the Bible is Jesus-focussed and gospel-centered. The Bible is central to all we do. Jesus is the head of His church, so we let Him speak and lead. 2 Timothy 3:14-17, Hebrews 4:12-13, 2 Peter 2:20-21, Colossians 3:16.

Prayer

God is powerful and can do anything. And He graciously invites us to depend on Him and to trust Him to provide for our needs. We acknowledge that we are powerless to change anyone’s heart – only God can do that. 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18, Philippians 4:6.

Godliness

We want to live radically transformed lives, and become more and more like Jesus as God’s Spirit changes us from the inside out. The old self must go, and the new self must come. Ephesians 4:22-32, Galatians 5:15-26.

Children & Youth

Jesus said let the children come to me. We are surrounded by families with young children who are growing to become the next generation of society and the church. We seek to disciple them to know and love the Lord. Mark 10:14, Ephesians 6:4, Proverbs 1:8, 6:20.

Community life

Community life goes beyond being ‘nice’ to each other. The Bible says we’re brothers and sisters, so we’re committed to hanging out together, encouraging each other in the faith, and looking after each other as a spiritual family. Growth Groups are our backbone. Our unity is not based on our race, age, gender, income, or any other common interest – but only on Jesus who levels the playing field.  John 13:34-35. Romans 12:10, 13:8.

Mission

Jesus said to go and make disciples of all nations. We believe every Christian is to live a life of mission. There are about 24 million Australians – most don’t know Jesus, and 60% of them don’t have a friend who is a Christian. This means we need to expand our circle of friends and to have gospel intentionality in all our relationships. As a church we will equip our members to promote the gospel amongst our friends, co-workers, families and neighbours. Matthew 28:19, John 20-21, 1 Corinthians 9:19,22; 10:31-11:1.

Ministry

Ministry is not just something for the ‘paid professionals’. It’s for every believer. We want to see everyone who calls Valley their home church serving the other members of the body as God has equipped them. Everyone has a vital part to play. We build our ministries around people, not programs. We also want to serve our local community in practical ways. Ephesians 4:11-16.

Culture

Although we’re theologically conservative, we are aware of our cultural context. The language we use and the style of church services we run don’t require you to own a theological dictionary, a dated wardrobe or a time machine. Our gatherings are accessible to everyday people, because we’re everyday people too. We love technology and we will embrace systems that help us to care for our people and reach out to the community. 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. Acts 10:15, 34-35. Acts 11:9, 15-18. 1 Timothy 4:4.