We Value THE WHOLE WORD OF GOD: The Word of God is our Final Authority. We actively seek direction from God's Word in all of our teaching, preaching and decision making.
2 Tim 3:16 -All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
2 Peter 1:19-21And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
We Value BEING SPIRIT LED: We endeavor to be open to the many and unexpected ways in which God might unleash and manifest His Holy Spirit in our midst.This means being open to new things and recognizing God however He may choose to show up on our doorstep.
2 Corinthians 12:7Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
Acts 16:6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.
Acts 2:17 In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.
John 16:13-16 - But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you. In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me."
We Value HOLY SPIRIT EMPOWERED WORSHIP: We value worship that is intimate, life changing and God encountering. Since God is always doing things in new ways we rely on the Holy Spirit to aid us in recognizing His leading.
John 4:23-24 - Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
Psalm 150 -Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. 2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, 4 praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. 6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.
We Value PRAYER: Like Jesus, we rely on prayer to sustain our communication and enhance our relationship with the Father. It permeates everything we are and everything we do.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 pray continually ; Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Matthew 7:7. "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
We Value FAMILY with a strong emphasis on young people: We value God’s design for marriage and the family. Our children are gifts entrusted to us by God and represent our future.
1 Timothy 5:8 If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
We Value FELLOWSHIP: We demonstrate our need for one another as members of His Body through authentic relationships. We recognize that authentic relationships can only develop in community.
1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all] sin.
1 John 4:12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
We Value SERVANTHOOD: God has given each believer a gift for the purpose of serving. We desire to be a church that provides opportunities for everyone to serve in order to strengthen and encourage the Church Body.
Phil 2:7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
Mark 9:35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all."
Eph 4:7-12 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: "When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men." It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.
John 12:26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
We Value PEOPLE. All People matter to God therefore they matter to us, be they hurting, messed up, mixed up or tossed out. We are compelled to be a place that accepts people as they are, where they are and who they are.
Romans 12:16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Matthew 9:36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Isaiah 42:6-7 "I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.
We Value FLEXIBILITY. While remaining true to scripture, we realize we all have to bend at times in how we do ministry. We adapt to different circumstances and are flexible in the methods we use.
1 Corinthians 9:19-23. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel that I may share in its blessings.
James 4:13 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."
Proverbs 16:9 In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.
We Value EXCELLENCE. We strive for excellence in everything we do, because it Honors God and Inspires People. 1Cor 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
Col 3:17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him
Eph 6:7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men
We Value CREATIVITY – Since we are made in the image of the Creator, we encourage innovation and ingenuity in communicating His message.
Gen 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse
We Value OUTREACH —We share a sense of mission to spread the Gospel beyond the four walls of the church.
Acts 1:18 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
John 20:21 Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you
Phil 2:4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
It’s not about us! Sometimes we have to get out of the way, set aside our agenda, and champion what God is doing, whether we agree with it, or whether it fits our style, or whether it makes us comfortable or not. I give up my comfort zone so that someone else might be reached.
CORE VALUES OF THE BURKE CHURCH
