Core Values
Worship
Worship expresses our reverence and submission to God. Worship is the center of our values and shapes us through the sanctification of the Holy Ghost for us to become the people who are called by God out of the world and set apart for His purpose.
We worship the one, true and living God. He is the Almighty God, sovereign Ruler of the universe, the Lord of heaven and earth, the one, indivisible God. God manifested in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ whom the Scripture calls the son of God having been conceived through the operation of the Holy Ghost and born of a woman.
We give God our true worship that expresses the beauty of holiness through an honest and spontaneous love for Him not only in our assembly but in our lifestyle of holiness for the sake of who He is.
The other values we cherish, namely, Pastoral Care and Discipleship, Fellowship, New Converts Care, Evangelism, Christian Education, and Serving all work together to lift our act of worship.
Pastoral Care and Discipleship
We value pastoral care and discipleship. Discipleship is best done through the agencies that God has given to His church.
Mat 28:18-20 KJV And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (19) Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (20) Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Pastoral care encompasses preaching and teaching and overseeing the flock in all areas of pastoral ministry. This involves the administration of the church, training and developing leaders, and providing guidance to all members so that the members may grow strong in the faith.
As shepherd of God’s flock, he can best care for the sheep by feeding them well. He must protect them from harmful ways by warning them against false teachings and sin. Always reminding them of the way of holiness. He must show love in both word and deed, offering a voice of hope to those he leads.
Fellowship
We are called to make disciples. The best area where discipleship may occur is through small groups. Through the initiative of the Pastor, the church membership is divided administratively into small groups each with a common spiritual need, common life status, and age. Each group has a leader trained specifically to lead that type of group.
These are departments designed to enhance fellowship among members with common interests, concerns, and growth needs. Members of the departments care for each other and are divided into small group ministries to accomplish this purpose.
Members care (community) ministry, for believers and non-believers, to build in-depth relationships with others.
Seeker ministry – reaching out to non-believers bringing to them the gospel and the plan of salvation through Home Bible studies.
Inactive brethren revival ministry – reaching out to the church’s inactive brethren and providing connections for them to come back into the fold.
Serving ministry participation through the giftings (or talents) received from the Holy Ghost.
Word Life Application.
New Converts Care
We care for the new converts because God especially cares for them. Caring for new converts is the process of helping a new believer grow in the faith. They need special spiritual nourishment so that they may be able to withstand and overcome the challenges brought about by the new faith.
The church has organized a department dedicated to this purpose. The department provides the environment for spiritual growth. It guides them toward maturity through new class learning, the study of basic doctrines, and staying by their side during the church assimilation process.
Here, early in their relationship with God, they learn how to worship, follow His guidance, and serve Him with a delightful heart. They will learn to share the Gospel with others and personally witness God working with them and enhance their spiritual growth.
The Apostle Paul mentions the necessity of nursing new believers toward maturity:
“But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her children” (1 Thessalonians 2:7).
Evangelism
Before we can make a disciple, we need to evangelize people. People have got to know Jesus Christ. Who He is, what He is to them, and what they are to Him. They need to understand why Jesus died on the cross and what the relevance of His death was to Him. The need to appreciate the significance of His burial and resurrection.
The church must help people to understand their need for salvation and the plan of salvation God has ordained for our dispensation.
We have placed a very great emphasis on evangelism. We have organized the church to give attention to the missions, local evangelism, Bible study contacts, and conduct of home Bible studies. We have established cell ministries and preaching points in areas farther away from the church’s normal reach.
Christian Education
We value Christian Education for we believe that lack of knowledge is one of the main reasons why God’s people cannot flourish and grow spiritually. Each member of the church is encouraged to enroll and be faithful in attending Sunday school.
- To Grow in Biblical Knowledge
In Matthew 28:18–20, Jesus instructs His followers to make disciples of all nations, “teaching them to observe all I have commanded you.” Our task is to make disciples who know and obey everything Jesus commanded, and the best way to do that is to employ both Word Life Application in the small group ministry and Sunday school gatherings in the classrooms.
In the classroom, gifted teachers can guide Believers as they study the Scriptures, helping them understand and apply verses, chapters, and even entire Bible books. Bible and practical topics can be explored at length and in depth. The classroom environment enhances focus, minimizes distractions, and maximizes the potential for learning.
- To Develop Teachers
Through Christian Education, we have the means to train, equip, and develop Sunday School teachers, HBS teachers, ministry leaders, etc. As the church grows and more ministries are added to create and provide opportunities for serving, more teachers and ministry leaders are developed. Bible teaching ministries are best developed in the atmosphere of the Sunday School under the auspices of Christian Education and the Pastor.
- Provide Early Biblical Education for Children.
Deu 31:12-13 KJV Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law: (13) And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.
Children are very part of the church. The primary aim of Sunday School for children and youth is to give them a Christ-centered education:
To teach children and youth God’s plan of salvation through Jesus Christ;
directing and developing their God-given abilities and interests.
That the child be instructed in the fear of God’s name so that he may know-how to live to God’s glory.
To teach and lead the children to be willingly obedient to God and to the authority of God’s Word and inspire in them a desire to serve God and find the beauty and rewards of a committed believer.
To give the children a greater awareness and understanding of the secular and Christian communities, and guide them, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to understand that life is and should be directed by God’s Word.
Serving
We all have our calling to serve God through our ministries and our services to our fellowmen. Our members are encouraged to join and participate in the different ministries in the church to enable them to progress in their spiritual maturity.
Discipleship is not an end in itself. It is not a purpose or goal desired for its own sake. It is a means to attain what God wants us to attain.
Eph 4:11-12 GNB It was he who “gave gifts to people”; he appointed some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, others to be pastors and teachers. (12) He did this to prepare all God’s people for the work of Christian service, in order to build up the body of Christ.
Eph 4:13 GNB And so we shall all come together to that oneness in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God; we shall become mature people, reaching to the very height of Christ’s full stature.
Eph 4:14-16 GNB Then we shall no longer be children, carried by the waves and blown about by every shifting wind of the teaching of deceitful people, who lead others into error by the tricks they invent. (15) Instead, by speaking the truth in a spirit of love, we must grow up in every way to Christ, who is the head. (16) Under his control all the different parts of the body fit together, and the whole body is held together by every joint with which it is provided. So when each separate part works as it should, the whole body grows and builds itself up through love.