Values
MOTIVES (Why are we doing it?)
Gospel centrality | calling sinners and the “righteous” to repentance
Gracious community | making Redeemer a safe place for sinners
Earnest spirituality | grace is opposed to earning but not effort
Institutional integrity | building trust for formative belonging through excellence
Side-by-side ministry | equipping the saints for the works of ministry
Sending capacity | growing through multiplication
Measures
MARKS (When are we successful?)
Gospel Fluency | understanding and speaking the gospel to yourself and others
Relational Health | becoming the gospel to others through dying love
Spiritual Practice | developing mind, body, soul habits for spiritual growth
Missional Living | loving the city and especially our non-Christian neighbors
Gospel
The gospel is spiritual power for change (Rom 1:16-17). We will continually seek to evangelize both religious and irreligious people. The goal of ministry at Redeemer is to increase people’s faith in the gospel. Also, we will have the mind of Christ in all we do. Jesus’ dying love for us compels us to die to ourselves so that others might live.
City
The church exists for the city, not the city for the church (Jer 29:7). We will adopt city-loving ways of doing ministry rather than ways that are hostile or indifferent to the flourishing of the city. We will strive to be hospitable to skeptics and seekers, wanting and expecting them to be among us.
Movement
The gospel continually breaks out (cf. Acts 4:4; 6:7; 12:24). One church is not enough. We will pray and work for a movement of churches and ministries that renew Winter Haven by meeting both spiritual and physical needs. We will measure ministry success not by the programs we build to serve people, but by the people we build to serve our city.
What We Ask of Everyone
Make weekly public worship a priority.
Pursue friendship with others in a Community Group or some other small group.
Whole-heartedly commit to developing habits of private worship including: CBR journal and prayer cards.
Use your time, treasure, and talents to support the worship and work of the church.
Discover a mission field (outside of the church) and seek training to be the best you can be in that work.