Vision

Covenant Grace Church exists to fulfil the 'Great Commission' by being a Gospel centred community of believers that delight in the Sovereignty of God, that boast in the Cross of Christ and that live by His grace and for His glory.

Values

1) A church that delights in and cherishes the Sovereignty and Grace of God. (Eph 2:1-10, Rom 9-11)

2) A church with a high view of Scripture, emphasizing its inerrancy, sufficiency and authority for all of life and church practice. (2 Tim 3:15-16, 1 Pet 1:23-25)

3) A church with a Gospel-centred approach to ministry; rejoicing in the power of God as revealed in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. (1 Cor 1:18-31, Rom 1:16-17)

4) A thinking people with clear affirmations and deep affections awakened by a true vision of God. (1 Cor 14:20, 2 Tim 2:7, Matt 22:37)

5) A missional church that engages all spheres of life and culture with the Gospel. (Acts 17, 1 Cor 9:19-23)

6) A worship lifestyle and experience that is biblically-based, historically rooted, culturally aware and Spirit-empowered. (Jn 4:24)

7) A commitment to the corporate and community life of the local church. Founded upon family values with lifestyles that prefer simplicity over luxury and generosity over riches. (1 Tim 6:17-19, Phil 4:10-20, 2 Cor 9:1-15)

8) A people devoted to God's means of grace – the Lord's supper, believers' baptism, fellowship, prayer, preaching, evangelism and bible study. (Acts 2:42, 1 Tim 4:13-16)

9) A church that partners with like-minded churches, denominations and networks. (1 Cor 1:12, 3:4-9, 4:6)

10) A passionate people whose chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever! (1 Cor 10:31)

Distinctives – Summary of Belief*

The above vision and values, and the following 5 distinctives are written with the express purpose of serving you. We want to be clear about our calling and convictions and, in so doing, help you make a wise decision concerning your involvement with Covenant Grace Church.
Therefore, if you are considering becoming a member of Covenant Grace, one of our requests is that you “enjoy being with us” and embrace distinctives 1 and 2 below. However, we also believe that when it comes to church leadership, it is essential to have a unity of 'head' (belief) and 'heart' (practice). Thus, if at some point in the future you would like to serve in a leadership capacity at Covenant Grace Church, considerable adherence to all 5 distinctives would be necessary. Here they are:

1) We are Christians which distinguishes us from other world religions and cults. We are sinners saved by the grace of God, born again by the Holy Spirit, through faith in Jesus Christ. We love the Triune God (1 God, 3 persons – Father, Son & Holy Spirit) and seek to glorify and enjoy Him in all we do.

2) We are Evangelicals. Essentially this means that we are committed to the historic truths of the Christian Faith – this includes the inspiration and authority of the Scriptures, the Incarnation and Deity of Jesus Christ, His substitutionary death for our sins, His physical resurrection and personal return. We also emphasise the necessity of a personal faith and relationship with God, produced by the Holy Spirit and evidenced by the 'fruits of the Spirit' (Gal 5:22-24).

3) We are Missional. We believe that we must be faithful to both the content of unchanging biblical doctrine and the context of the culture in which God has placed us. It is our mission to be a Gospel-centred “city within the city” - by calling, discipling and equipping believers to be effective missionaries in their cultures. (1 Cor 9:19-23, Jude 3)

4) We are Charismatic. Depending on your background, this may carry various connotations but in the true essence of the word we are all 'charis-matic' (grace-gift). We acknowledge that there are some unfortunate excesses within the charismatic movement and would disagree with areas of unbalanced theology and practices. However, we do believe that the Holy Spirit empowers Christians for Christ-exalting ministry and that He continues to give special gifts to believers in order to edify the church and glorify Jesus Christ. Every believer is therefore encouraged to serve, by using their spiritual gifts not for personal gain but “for the common good of the body” (1 Cor 12:7-11, 1 Pet 4:10).

5) We are Reformed (Protestant). Essentially this means that we believe God is Sovereign in and over all things, determining all that comes to pass for the praise of His glory and emphasising that “salvation belongs to the Lord” (Ps 3:8, Jn 1:12-13). Although there are some areas of 'classic' reformed theology that we would not hold to (infant baptism, cessationism and certain forms of church government) we do share a common commitment to the truths that were reclaimed during the Reformation – specifically its high view of 'The Scriptures' and the 'Doctrines of Grace' – emphasising that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, as revealed in the Scripture alone, to the Glory of God alone. (Eph 1-2, Rom 9-11, Jn 6-10)

How can we be both Reformed and Charismatic?

In addition to inspiring the Scriptures and effecting regeneration (salvation), the Holy Spirit also empowers believers for Christian witness and service (Acts 1:8). We believe that God sovereignly (“as He wills”) bestows spiritual gifts upon His people for the common good of the church (1 Co. 12:7, 11). The baptism of (or ‘in’) the Holy Spirit, although distinct from conversion, occurs at salvation (upon faith in Christ) and is the uniting of the believer to the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:13; Acts 2:38; Rom 8:9; Jn 7:39).

While all genuine believers are permanently indwelt by the Holy Spirit, the New Testament also indicates the importance of an ongoing, empowering work of the Spirit subsequent to conversion (Eph 5:18). Being indwelt by the Spirit and being filled with the Spirit are theologically distinct experiences. The Holy Spirit desires to fill each believer continually with increased power for Christian life and witness and imparts spiritual gifts for the edification of the Body and for various works of ministry in the world. We also believe that certain spiritual gifts (e.g. the gift of tongues) are neither essential for salvation, nor prove the presence of the Holy Spirit and are not an indication of a deeper spiritual walk or experience (1 Cor 12:27-31; 13; Eph 1:3).

We believe in a miracle working God and that He graciously answers prayers of faith for the sick and afflicted in accordance with His own Sovereign will (1 Jn 5:14-15). While all the gifts of the Spirit are vital for the mission and health of the church, they are always subject to love and are to be practiced and judged in accordance with biblical standards and guidelines (1 Cor 13; 14:20-40). The fullness of the Spirit's work in a believer's life will always testify of Jesus (Jn 15:26) and result in a greater evidence of the 'fruits of the Spirit' – love, joy, peace, patience, self-control, etc. Thus, it is biblical to expect that when people are 'filled with the Spirit', these attributes don't diminish or disappear, but rather are manifest and increase (Gal 5:22).

Therefore, it is our conviction that all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, as taught and practiced in the New Testament, are available and helpful for the church today (Rom 12:3-8; 1 Pet. 4:10-11). However, we also fully believe that the canon of Scripture is closed and that no gift of the Holy Spirit will supersede it, take away from it or add to it. For this reason we would encourage people to use their gifts but would not equate them (in theory and practice) with the authority of Scripture in directing people’s decisions. Lastly, we cherish the active presence of God in worship but don’t believe that, that should necessitate anything 'weird' or disorderly (1 Cor 14:40). When we gather corporately, we seek to be aware of our togetherness and passionate in our praise but not passionate just for the sake of it…that’s why we love songs and hymns that are Christ-centred and full of glorious doctrine. We want our minds to be informed, our hearts inflamed and lives transformed by Spirit-inspired truth, not just good music.

Covenant Grace Church Structure - relationships and accountability

We believe that the church, which is the body and bride of Christ, consists of all born again persons of all ages (Eph 1:22-23; 5:25-27; 1 Cor 12:12-14; 2 Cor 11:2). God through His Son and by His Word and Spirit creates the Church, by calling sinful men and women from every nation, tribe and tongue into the New Covenant (Matt 16:18, Heb 8:8-12). The Church is not a religious institution, club or denomination. Rather, the Church universal is made up of those who have become genuine followers of Jesus Christ and have personally appropriated the gospel. The Church exists to glorify God and to serve Him faithfully by obeying His will and commandments. This involves a commitment to see the gospel preached and churches planted in all nations.

We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches with the appointed offices of elders (pastors) and deacons, is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament (Acts 14:27; 18:22; 20:17; 1 Tim 3:1-3; Tit 1:5-11). All members of the Church are to be nurtured and equipped for the work of ministry. Women play a vital role in the life of the church and are encouraged to use their gifts and participate in ministry but, in keeping with God’s word and complementary design, eldership in the church is reserved for men (1 Tim 3:2; 1 Tim 2:12-13; Tit 1:5-9). We also believe in the autonomy of the local church — that each church should be led by a visionary/lead elder and a team of elders. The eldership team are encouraged to seek the wisdom that comes from within their own congregation and from others outside of their church, however they are free from any internal or external authority and control (Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; 1 Cor 3:9; 5:4-7, 13; 1 Pet 5:1-4).

For this reason we seek to have meaningful relationships and partnerships with gifted individuals and ministries outside of our local church. Through these relationships we receive objective council, wisdom and accountability, as well as vital pastoral input. We highly value these relationships and enjoy their auditing and apostolic function in our personal lives and the life of our church. (One of the primary relationships/partnerships we have is with ‘The Acts29Network’. For more info see www.acts29network.org)