Rev. Henry Tseung
Introduction:
The followings are our Core Values, Mission Statement, Vision Statement, and the future 4-year ministry foci that will be for all the congregations and all the members of our church. Although these were shared in the Cantonese, English and Mandarin Ministerial Dialogue Meetings earlier this year, it is vital that these are to be made known to each brother and sister.
(A) Core Values:
Our core values are based on the Bible. They influence the mission and vision of the church. They serve as a guide and drive all our ministries.
(1) Vibrant Worship: We offer to God genuine praise and worship.
We believe that through both our private and corporate worship, we glorify God and exhibit His greatnesses (Ps. 50:10-14, Isa. 6:1-4).
(2) Diligent Bible Study: We treasure the message and the teachings of the Bible.
We believe that the Scriptures hold the highest authority for our faith, daily living, and all church ministries (Act 2:42, 2 Tim. 3:16-17).
(3) Caring Community: We stress active involvement in fellowship.
We believe that believers coming together to form the body of Christ. Therefore, fellowship members should love, care and encourage one another to grow (John 13:34-35, Heb.10:24).
(4) Evangelism: We are faithful in spreading the Gospel.
We believe that it is the fundamental will of God to save lost souls. We endeavour to spread the Gospel in our city, our country and abroad (John 3:16, 1Tim. 2:4-5).
(5) Equipping for Service: We adhere to the biblical teaching regarding the prime responsibility of pastor.
We believe that the first responsibility of a pastor is to equip and encourage believers to discover and effectively use their spiritual gifts. God will also raise His chosen leaders after His own heart to assist the pastors in leading the church (1 Cor. 12:11, Eph. 4:11-13, 1 Pet. 4:10).
(6) Earnest Prayer: We emphasize the ministry of prayers.
We believe that through prayers we may better understand His will, and from Him we draw strength, which sustains all our ministries and personal life (Heb. 4:16, Eph. 6: 18-19).
(7) Faithful Stewardship: We seek to be a faithful steward of resources from God.
We believe that all our resources are entrusted to us by God. We must use the resources with faithfulness and wisdom, in the mentality that it is more blessed to give than to receive. We are also accountable to God for the resources we use (Matt. 25:14-29, Luke 16:10, Act 20:35).
(8) Striving for Excellence: We pursue excellence in all our services to God.
We believe that we are to hold to the highest standard in serving God, because He has given unto us His most excellent Son Jesus Christ (Mal. 1:6-14, Rom. 8:32, Col. 3:23-24).
(9) Creativity & Innovation: We constantly evaluate the forms and means of conducting our church ministries.
Because we live in a rapidly changing age, we believe that we need to constantly assess and adjust our services.
Keeping in line with biblical principles, we encourage new ideas so that we can meet the needs of people and improve our ministry effectiveness (1 Chron. 12:32).
(10) Unity in Spirit: We strive for unity among our congregations.
We believe in unity in life, despite cultural and language differences. By God’s grace and with His strength, we can be united together in love and peace (Rom. 12:10, Eph. 4:1-6).
(Abbreviated) We value:
1. vibrant worship.
2. diligent Bible study.
3. caring community.
4. evangelism.
5. intentional equipping believers for serving.
6. earnest prayer.
7. faithful stewardship of resources.
8. excellence.
9. creativity and innovation.
10 unity.
(B) Mission Statement (“To Do What?”):
We are a community of Christians faithful to the “Great Commission” (Matthew 28:18-20) of the Lord Jesus Christ.
“Our mission is to bring the lost to Christ, nurture believers to become faithful followers of Christ, and spread the name of Christ both in Calgary and beyond.”
Slogan: “Belong to Christ; Follow Christ; Proclaim Christ.”
(C) The Vision Statement (“The Future Picture for us”):
The cornerstone of our church is engraved with “God Built This Church for His People to Proclaim His Name to the Whole World.” The inscription clearly expresses our dedication to God and to our fellow men.
It also underlines the two core values of the Christian and Missionary Alliance:
(1) The Deeper Christian Life: a Christ-centered, sanctified life, so that we can be more Christ-like.
(2) Global Evangelization: with the deeper Christian life as the source of our strength, we spread the message “God loves the world” both locally and abroad.
See our church as a River, one that carries the abundant life of Christ Jesus. In it, believers shall gain spiritual growth and shall faithfully follow and serve Him; the River shall bring believers to a farther land of life maturity. The River shall also bring the Gospel of new life to the lost. All the functions and ministries of our church shall be planned strategically to make the mission of this River possible. And through our mission ministry, the River shall spread the Truth and Gospel to many in this city, this province, this country and beyond, bringing revival, life and hope.
We are undergirded by the Core Values to build.
The Church is mission-driven.
We are aiming at the wonderful picture (vision) of the “River of Life” reviving the life of our believers and bringing new life to the lost here in locality and overseas.
We will adopt a simple but effective Disciple-making Process as our strategy: to deliberately bring an individual from being an unbeliever to a healthy disciple of Christ (the goal) through stages.
We will be following a 4-year cycle (2012-2015), with annual foci (based on Acts 2: 42-47):