WHO WE ARE

Although written over 2000 years ago we love the Bible and believe it is as relevant now has it ever has been.

We see it as inspired by God and therefore authoritative in shaping what we believe, how we try to live our lives, and how we shape the ministry and values of Jubilee Church. We start with two simple yet profound things Jesus taught:

The Great Command:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbour as yourself.”  Matthew 22:37-39

The Great Commission

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:19-20

Our shorthand for these passages is Loving God, Loving Others and Loving Life

We are also keen that the culture of the church and its values are shaped by the wisdom found in the Bible and important values for us are:

Welcome

We want to be a welcoming church.  We want to help newcomers quickly feel at home.  Why? Because we believe there is a big welcome in the heart of Jesus for everyone. It’s also why we value the gift of hospitality.

Grace

We feel the gospel of grace shapes every aspect of our life as a church. This means we believe God accepts us just as we are, but loves us so much that He wants us to be transformed into the best we can be.  Grace is especially worked out in our high regard for good and godly relationships in the Church.

Bible-based and open to the Holy Spirit in our worship

We feel the Bible to be our authoritative guide in all matters of faith and practice.  In addition when we come together to worship, we seek both the freedom and the order that are given by the Holy Spirit. We seek both passionately and in balance.

Prayer

We feel prayer is vital and fundamental to all we do. We encourage personal prayer but also believe corporate prayer makes a powerful church.

Excellence

We feel excellence honours God and inspires people, but perfectionism doesn’t. Therefore we seek to do our best, learn from our mistakes, and evaluate our effectiveness. We are open to constructive criticism and we aim to pursue excellence but not extravagance.

Stewardship

We feel we should be good stewards of the resources God gives us individually and corporately. One way we show this is through giving financially to the church in proportion to our resources. The trustees of the church also seek to steward the church’s money with wisdom and faith.

Partnership

We welcome fellowship with all Christians. We love to work in partnership and want to do this with a confident humility – confident in who we are, and humble enough to recognise God is at work in others in different ways.

Leadership

We feel good and godly leadership is invaluable for a healthy and thriving church.  We encourage teams that have leaders with a desire to serve and empower others.

Fruit and Fun!

We want to grow in what the Bible calls the fruits of the Holy Spirit – that is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  If joy is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, we want to be known for our joy and this shapes our desire to try and have fun while building the church!

We believe these values are inspired!