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“One Church, Multiple Locations, Diverse Expressions”
ONE CHURCH – The church of the New Testament was a movement of many congregations that were united under one vision. In a similar way, Neighborhood Church is a movement of worship communities that are united as one family.
MULTIPLE LOCATIONS – Just as the church in the book of Acts was not confined to one location or building, neither is the community of Neighborhood Church. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a message/movement that ought to take root where people are at, rather than simply hoping people will come to us. Therefore, we are convinced that we will be able to impact more people if we meet in multiple locations to embody God’s kingdom where people are.
DIVERSE EXPRESSIONS—The early church understood that they had a message that would change the world. They also believed that the way that message is expressed to people differed depending on the particular cultural target. The church in Corinth looked different than the church in Jerusalem. The churches that targeted Gentiles looked different than those consisting of mostly Jewish Christians. The Apostle Paul said it this way:
“Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people 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.” 1 Corinthians 9.19-23
As we read this passage we get a window into the heart of how the early church embodied the gospel in diverse ways to witness to diverse people groups. Therefore, in continuity with the New Testament’s evangelistic model, we believe that the way in which we communicate the Gospel to people is always contextual. We start in biblical theology and then translate truth into a language that speaks to the people we are reaching out to. Relevance to culture is not optional. |
