Our Values & Beliefs
Our Statement of Faith
Our Values
• Encountering God – We value helping people to encounter Jesus through both the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the clear and simple teaching of God’s Word.
• Worship – We value experiencing God through praise and worship, in both small and large gatherings.
• Servanthood – While recognising that every person has a part to play in building the church with their God given gifts, we choose to value character over gifting. We are servants who lead, not leaders who serve.
• Family – We value the pursuit of unity in all our different expressions of church life, while having as much fun as we possibly can as a family!
• Kotahitanga – We value our bi-cultural journey with both pākehā and tangata whenua; learning and growing into what a partnership looks like to help Jesus bring spiritual renewal to Aotearoa.
• The Kingdom of God - We value understanding the whole of life, ministry and mission, through the primary lens by which we are to interpret the life and teachings of Jesus, the gospel of the Kingdom of God.
• Compassion – We value reconciling the least and the lost of society with God the Father, through compassionate, culturally relevant mission in the world.
• Authenticity – We value being real with God and with others. Vulnerability before God and others is what empowers us to victory over sin.
• Generosity – We value being good stewards of all the resources God has given, with radical generosity being the main expression of this value.
• Team – We value everyone being part of the team. There are no ‘superstars’ in Gods kingdom, everyone gets to play their part, by partnering with the Holy Spirit.
Vineyard Values
A church's values are often unseen, but they are powerful drivers of how we relate to people and to God.
Vineyard churches value:
• The Pursuit of God
We are hungry to know God's presence, hear His voice and pursue Him (Psalm 63:1-3).
• Christlikeness
We desire that through the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus' love, mercy, grace, truth, purity, power and integrity will shine through all that we are and do (Ephesians 5:2).
• God's Mercy
Mercy is fundamental to all God does in salvation. We, therefore, aim to extend mercy to one another and to all to whom we minister (Colossians 3:12,13).
• Prayer
Prayer is a primary means of our communication and relationship with God (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; Philippians 4:6).
• Integrity
It is important for us to speak the truth, deal honestly and live uprightly (Ephesians 4:15).
• Servant Leadership
We aim to exercise leadership with humility, selflessness, grace, care for people and a sincere desire to build up the Body of Christ (Mark 10:37,44-45).
• The Individual
Single or married, we want to enable and support mature relationships and family growth (Romans 12:9-10).
• Relationships
We are honoured by every person God adds to the Vineyard. We aim to maintain mutual respect, open communication, determined co-operation and to believe and speak the best about each other (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).
• Unity
All who belong to Christ are one in His Body, the Church. We aim to maintain unity by honouring all who call on Jesus' name and by seeking relationship with all parts of the Church (John 17:21-23).
• Reality
We aim to walk in the Spirit and see supernatural works of God, while also valuing the intellect and our physical humanity (James 1:5).
• Simplicity
We wish to do nothing for "religious effect" but to act in natural, non-hyped ways. We desire to do the ministry of Christ with joy (Philippians 4:4).
• Cultural Relevance
We aim to speak and act in ways in which our culture can respond positively. For example, we value worship music in a style that is relevant to our time and society, and the people our churches are reaching (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).
• Fruit and Gifts
We value living and expressing the fruit and gifts of the Holy Spirit. We value character over giftedness.
• Liberty
We want to create freedom to follow Jesus rather than conforming to arbitrary standards. We embrace grace, not legalism.
• Sovereignty of Holy Spirit
We want to maintain flexible structures, traditions and practices to allow the Holy Spirit to move sovereignly.