Mission Statement

We are a family of missionary servants who exist to introduce our neighborhoods and cities to Jesus our King.

Core Values

The core values of RENEW CHURCH are embodied in four words: Grace, Renewal, Hope & Love.

 

GRACE.

On Sundays, we are the church gathered for two purposes: word and worship.

Word » Because the Bible is the true story of God’s redemptive work culminating in the person and work of Jesus Christ, we are devoted to bending our ears, hearts and lives to the teaching of Scripture.1 More than Bible teaching we want Scripturelearning and action — hearing God’s voice and responding to His grace. This means that a central part of our Sunday gatherings are committed to passionate, intelligent, gospel-centered teaching for seekers, skeptics and believers.

Worship » Worship is about bringing glory to God and encountering the greatness of God. The longing of the human heart is to come in contact with a Creator God who is transcendent yet very present in the midst of human brokenness. Because of this we cultivate an atmosphere in our gatherings of both joyful expression and reverent awe.

This will be done through a combination of Spirit-filled worship, songs and hymns, and even some liturgical elements—including a celebration of weekly communion. Part of our worship is hearing stories of where God is at work, rejoicing, and praying all the more for one another.

Our primary goal in both word and worship is to celebrate, communicate, and help people encounter the grace of Jesus.

 

RENEWAL.

During the week, we are still the church, though our daily lives are ‘scattered’ as we live outward in the city with a commitment to justice and creativity.

We seek daily renewal by following Jesus in constant rhythms of life, as we:

  • Live in God’s Story
  • Listen (to God, one another, to others who don’t yet know Jesus)
  • Celebrate
  • Bless
  • Eat
  • Serve
  • Re-create
  • Work

We are constantly when our efforts flow from the identity we have in Jesus, when His life comes through ours.

 

HOPE.

God’s plan for His people is for us to be Hope-bearers, bringing His life, message, and peace to a broken world.

We see the need for hope all around. False hopes are peddled on every corner, everyone seeking genuine fulfillment in illegitimate ways. Yet we know that true Hope does not disappoint, for God’s Spirit has poured out His love in our hearts.2 The grace and renewal we find in Jesus becomes the hope of the world when they see us serve one another and invite them into our lives. As a people we prayerful ask God daily what He is doing in the world, and how He desires us to join Him in this great work.

The hope we find in Jesus leads us to give up our personal comforts so others can find comfort — a meal when they’re hungry, a listening ear when they’re lonely and confused, welcoming arms when they’re forsaken and forgotten. We’re not in this for ourselves, so we will seek creative ways to courageous, generously and wisely give away our time, talents, and treasure so others find the Hope of the good news of Jesus. We trust our efforts will lead people to find the only true and lasting Hope: Jesus, the Son of God, who personally came to make all things new.

LOVE.

The real life of our church is more than just Sunday—it’s day to day, home to home, shaped around celebration and conversation.

Celebration » In ancient Near East cultures, to share a meal with someone was a sign of deep identification and relationship. “The Son of Man came eating and drinking,” and was thus labeled “a friend of … sinners”3. He shared his table with “both bad and good”4, known sinners, tax collectors, and people of ill repute.

Knowing that real life happens at the table, we will build community around the practice of shared meals. We will practice hospitality and “sanctified feasting” not just with one another but with any that welcome our friendship—spiritual seekers and spiritual misfits, the downtrodden and those considered hopelessly lost. Each day offers something to celebrate, so we break bread and share stories with glad and thankful hearts.

Conversation » The pattern of celebration, however, is not complete without conversation—at times both glad and gut wrenching. Real life and real relationships include sharing, laughing, and crying together, and it also includes hard conversations. Jesus’ pattern was to openly welcome all — listening fully — but at some point in relationship He confronted people, calling them to leave their old patterns of sin and ways of building life and identity apart from God—to abandon it all and follow Him.

As we interact with each other, there will be times where we have to confess or lovingly confront one another with truth, about sin, lack of belief, or inability to deeply apply the gospel. Being a committed part of the Renew Church family means being open in relationship about your own issues and open to being lovingly confronted about them.

In shared meals and hard conversations our goal is to learn to authentically love one another. With our words we build each other up with the truth of the Gospel, and with our works we show how God’s love has changed our hearts.

Love never gives up; it suffers long and suffers well.5 We have not given up on one another, and we will not give up on this lost world. We will sacrifice, give, and serve the least and the forgotten ones, intentionally multiplying our efforts together to work towards alleviating poverty and disease globally. We love because God first loved us and gave Himself for us, becoming poor in this world so we can become rich toward God.6 In Jesus we see God is love, and we long for our loves to show this kind of love, this one true God.


 

  1. Colossians 3:16
  2. Romans 5:5
  3. Matthew 11:19
  4. Matthew 22:10
  5. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
  6. 1 John 4:19; 2 Corinthians 8:9

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