Our Church Values

Dear Friends,

The majority of us at New Hope Family Church grew up in a time when what was valued by the Nation’s culture was very different than what is valued in America today. If you’re a “Baby Boomer” like me, our parent’s generation valued hard work. Integrity. Honesty. Respect of others. Family. And above all else, God. Those were the values imprinted upon our own generation and ultimately defined who we are today. Our values are the key ingredient in our psyche that molds us, shapes us and determines who/what we’ll become. That’s why it’s so important that the values we impart to our children and grandchildren are Godly values.

It is especially important for a church to be grounded in Godly values that can be written, studied and worked out in our day-to-day lives as believers. A church’s values are, in essence, a succinct summary of what’s important to the church and, when those values are adopted and lived out by that congregation, they are what keeps the church on God’s path. 

Many decades ago, when God “called” me to be a pastor, it was during a prolonged time of prayer and Bible study that I wrote down what I believed should be the values of God’s church. Those are the values embedded in the foundation of New Hope Family Church. Last Sunday, we gathered and celebrated our seventh year church anniversary and thanked God for all He had done in us and through us. Let’s look again at the values that God has given us for New Hope Family Church because through the grace of God this is who we are becoming as a Body of Christ.

We value a passionate and authentic relationship with God built on a foundation of prayer and His Word. When we are centered on Jesus, we release God to empower the Holy Spirit to work in and through who we are and all that we do. Matthew 22:37   John 14:15-16

We value people who, through their passion for the Lord, are impacting the lives of others in both spiritual and practical ways, overlaying God's commandments with His grace while ministering to one another in a loving, sensitive, non-judgmental manner. John 13:34-35 

We value every person in the community, believing that no matter what their circumstances, they are within reach of a loving, healing, redeeming Savior who offers all who come to Him the blessing and promise of a new hope. Our connection with pre-believers is by expressing God's love and care in tangible ways so that from their first contact with New Hope Family Church, they are lovingly drawn step-by-step towards a full experience of acceptance, support, belief, belonging and service to others. Matthew 25:40

We value an intergenerational and intercultural gathering of his people truly reflective of what God has created Heaven to look like! Revelation 7:9 

We value equipping people for ministry through the full realization of their God-given gifts, educating and edifying through all available resources, releasing them to fulfill God's call and then creating an encouraging and supportive environment in which the Holy Spirit is enabled to work unhindered in their lives as He empowers them for His purposes. Ephesians 4:11-12

We value ancient/contemporary worship directed towards God, centered around Jesus. We entreat a powerful experience of worship which engages our senses, takes us into the presence of God without pretense or false emotionalism and connects us with our Lord and Savior. Revelation 5:13

We value application-oriented teachings which are Christ-centered, creative, credible and compelling while communicating Bible-based truths in a relevant manner to an intercultural community. Romans 10:13-15

We value excellence in all aspects of our ministry striving to always do our best and committed to achieving the highest quality in all that we do. 1 Corinthians 3:13 

We value the universal church and actively seek to develop and foster harmony within the worldwide body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:25-27

These are the values that have shaped and defined New Hope Family Church and while we fallible humans don’t perfectly hit the mark in actualizing these values, we continuously strive to do so. They are important to us. They are important to God.  Amen?