Mission, vision & values

We are an evangelical Christian church - which means we place the Word of God found in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible as our highest authority for what we do and what we believe.

We are also a church committed to sharing the love of God in Christ Jesus to all whom we can. We do this through what we say and what we do. To put it another way, it is not enough just to tell others about Jesus - we want to show it too.

Our mission statement

The purpose of Riverside Church is to bring glory to God by proclaiming new life in Jesus Christ, being a welcoming Christian community, growing in maturity and reaching out in service to our neighbours near and far.

Our vision

Through our personal witness, and operating within the values of the church, we will aim to double the size of our average Sunday morning congregation over the next 5 years.

Our values

In order to realise our vision and fulfil our mission, we will operate according to some key values.

Youth & Children's Work

• All those involved in leading our youth and children’s work will be active members of the church fellowship, committed as disciples of Jesus Christ first and foremost.
• All those involved in leading our youth and children’s work will do so from a motive of desiring to bring these children and young people towards Christ and eventually to a position where they can make an informed choice to accept Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour.
• All children and young people that come onto our premises or are otherwise involved in our activities will be able to do so safely, and that they will all find acceptance and Christian love. Abuse of any form will not be a part of their experience of this fellowship. The church is committed to fully implementing the Good Practice guidelines for working with children and young people, and operating all of our youth and children’s work activities according to those guidelines.
• Our youth and children’s work will be properly funded and staffed to underline the importance of this activity.

Evangelism/Mission

• As disciples of Jesus Christ, members will be encouraged and enabled to share their faith with friends and neighbours and seek opportunities to involve their friends and neighbours with the work and activities of the church.
• We will show our concern for the poor and marginalised of our society and the wider world through our giving and our practical efforts

Worship

• As Christians, attendance at church for worship is a high priority in the lives of this fellowship.
• We will be committed to regular and consistent preaching and teaching of God’s Word as revealed in the Bible
• We will provide worship which is Spirit-led, inspiring, accessible and worthy of the God to whom it is offered, and recognise that God can reach people through many different aspects of worship including music, drama, interactive worship, prayer, silence and spiritual gifts
• A wide variety of worship material and styles will be used to help members of the fellowship explore and deepen their relationship with God.
• Adults and children will worship together, and will only move into separate age groups to facilitate appropriate learning and for other matters where conscience dictates that we should worship separately. Children and Young People are never an inconvenience in our worship.
• We will provide a crèche for under-5s at our main morning act of worship which parents will be free to make use of. It will be staffed by volunteers to allow parents the opportunity to worship and learn.

Fellowship

• All people who regularly worship in the church or occasionally associate with us should have a sense of belonging to one another, regardless of age or ability.
• All people within our fellowship will be valued for who they are, not what they can contribute.
• We will encourage every member to recognise the gifts God has given them, and use them in His service
• We will encourage all members to become part of a home/house/cell group where people will be committed to one another in prayer, support and time, and which will be open to include and serve outsiders
• All members of the fellowship will exercise mutual pastoral care.
• We will look to all members to value the importance and power of prayer, and to pray regularly for the church, the community and the world
• All members of this fellowship will operate according to these value statements and seek to serve God and our community in order that we may all realise our vision for the fellowship and fulfil our mission.
• All who enter full membership in this church will commit to exercising their respective ministries for the benefit and edification of others. This will include, but not be limited to, regular attendance at Church Meeting and willingly and lovingly serve others (through the programmes and activities of the church and as individuals.)
• Everyone in full membership will be bound by and abide by the constitution of Riverside Church

Revised July , 2008