Vision and Values

Inclusion and Identity

We invite everyone to share in God’s grace with us and participate in our community and worship life. This includes, but is not limited to, believers and doubters, women, men and children; people of all races and cultures, of all classes and abilities, of all sexual orientations; people who have lost hope, and those who hope for a better world.

• Everyone is invited to share bread and wine in Jesus’ name. This ritual reflects the ancient vision of God’s feast for all people. We regularly participate in this joyful and powerful expression of God’s grace and inclusiveness.
• Through the practice of baptism and voluntary, covenanted membership, we encourage public commitment to following the Way of Jesus in our community.
• We value our Baptist identity and heritage – especially the values of non-conformity, social justice, freedom of conscience, community decision-making, local autonomy, and the benefit of strong association.

Justice and Engagement

We strive for peace and justice among all people; we work to protect and restore the integrity of God’s creation; and we strive to bring hope to those Jesus called the least of his sisters and brothers.

• We challenge and encourage one another to engage in the work God has called us to do, as individuals and collectively.
• We recognise that the Way of Jesus is costly and entails selfless love, resistance to evil, and renunciation of privilege.
• We question and, when we believe it is necessary, challenge our society’s structures and values.
• We respond practically to injustice and suffering in the local area and the wider world.
• We strive to live sustainably in a world of finite resources.
• We are committed to sharing our faith with all people, maintaining an attitude of respect for the faith and integrity of individuals and communities.

Faith and Spirituality

We are committed to developing a transforming relationship with God through personal responses to Jesus’ invitation to follow him.

• We are committed to developing our faith through active learning, reflection, and spiritual practice.
• We affirm that faith is an ongoing journey of discovery. We find more grace in the search for understanding than we do in dogmatic certainty.
• We focus on the Bible as our sacred text through which we hear the word of God, and we seek to understand its message in its historical, cultural, and social contexts.
• We are committed to helping our children and young people develop their faith. We promote sharing wisdom between elder and younger members as we together seek and discover the Way of Jesus.
• We are committed to living out a rhythm of Christian practices such as prayer, hospitality, Sabbath-keeping (gathered worship and recreation), forgiveness, healing, honouring the body, and other life-giving practices.

Community Life and Practice

We affirm that the way we behave toward each other is a powerful expression of the Way of Jesus.

• We encourage open, honest, and forgiving relationships.
• We worship creatively, following the seasons of the Christian year, and inviting everyone to participate.
• We value and promote mutual accountability and caring for one another through the building of trust in small groups and relationships.
• We care for and value our property as a creative extension of our values, community life, and hospitality.