Vision Statement

Vision Statements (Not ministry/program based, just the opposite)

(1) Christ-Centered Worship

We understand that to worship God is our primarily duty as people created by God (Deut.

6:13; Mat. 4:10), and we seek to live out our worship on a 7/24 basis personally and

gather to worship God in spirit and in truth on each Lord's Day (Acts 20:7).

As a result, we are committed:

Ø  To maintain a personal daily time of devotion to draw close to and worship the Lord at home;

Ø  To prepare our hearts before we come to each worship service;

Ø  To bring our own Bible to the service to enhance the keeping of God's Word in our hearts;

Ø  To teach and preach the Word of God faithfully from the pulpit expositionally;

Ø  To well-prepare our duties as we carry our roles in the worship service;

Ø  To adore and praise God for who He is exuberantly, to give thanks for all His goodness heartily and to confess our sins sincerely through songs, hymns, Scripture readings and prayers and meditations;

Ø  To remember the sacrifice of Christ for us on the cross through observing the Lord's Supper at least once a month; and

Ø  To make Christ known at each worship service.

(2) Faithful to the Bible as the Word of God

We firmly believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and we uphold the Bible as the supreme authority in every part of our lives personally and corporately:

As a result, we are committed:

Ø  To teach only truths in accordance of Evangelical Faith (the Apostles' Creed and the Statement of Faith of the MB Conference have encapsulated the important basic doctrines of our faith);

Ø  To remain faithful to and contend for these truths "once for all entrusted to the saints" (Jude 3)

Ø  To encourage and facilitate the systematic study of the Bible for all ages (as urged by the early founders of the MB movement) through Sunday Schools, Fellowship groups, small group Bible study and other means within and without the church;

Ø  In particular, we encourage the diligent study of the Bible not for the primary sake of gaining knowledge which will only lead to pride (1 Cor. 8: 1; Rev. 2:24), but for the sake of pursuing our first love for the Lord (Rev. 2:4) and for the sake of obedience (John 14:21);

Ø  Not to compromise the truths of the Bible due to pressure from the world without or due to shifting theological heresies from within Christendom. and

Ø  We pledge our faithfulness even "unto death" (Rev. 2: 1 0)

(3) Faithful to the Great Commission

We understand that the Church exists to obey Christ's Great Commission as taught and obeyed by the Apostles (Acts 1 :8; Mat 28: 19-20) and that it is the Lord's desire that "everyone might repent" (2 Pet. 3:9) and that "the gospel of the kingdom will be preached to all nations" before His Second Coming (Mat. 24:14).

As a result, we are committed:

Ø  To maintain the saving of souls as the primary mission of the church (I Cor. 9:22; Luke 19:10);

Ø  To proclaim Jesus is the only way to salvation (John 14:6; Acts 4:12)

Ø  To empower and equip every brother and sister in the church to be ready to share the gospel (1 Pet. 3: 15) systematically, responsibly and clearly

§  First to their loved ones, then

§  Their friends, colleagues/classmates and neighbors;

Ø  To lead a life of holiness, love and righteousness that befit the gospel message;

Ø  To regularly hold evangelistic rallies and other events "by all possible means" (1 Cor. 9:22) to proclaim the gospel to people in our local Richmond community and in Vancouver:

o   In this respect, we are aware that recent immigrants (mostly but not exclusively are Mandarin speaking) are most receptive to the gospel in their time of change and adaptation; and our church is made up of congregants that speak Cantonese, Mandarin and/or English;

Ø  To cultivate the vision of missions both in Canada and overseas beyond our local geographical boundaries, and/or beyond our familiar cultures and ethnicities:

o   By supporting missionaries and mission organizations          that are committed to the saving of souls through our        budget and prayer support;

o   By sending short-term mission teams to learn from and        support such missionaries and/or mission organizations; and

o   By sending and supporting our own missionaries one day; and to use publications, electronic and other media to      propagate the gospel message.

(4) Faithful in Prayers:

We understand that prayers are an essential part of our relationship with God. In the

Bible, we are not only urged to pray regularly without ceasing (1 Thess. 5: 17) but are also given great examples of how prayers define one's intimacy with God and how prayers are an absolute must in our spiritual battles

(the Psalms, Dan. 6:10; Luke 5:16; 6:12; Eph. 6:18).

As a result, we committed:

Ø  To make prayers central in our church life (as God's House is a House of Prayer)

§  Having at least weekly prayer meetings

§  Giving adequate time for prayers at each worship     service;

§  A Day of Prayer annually,

§  Regular prayer retreats, and

§  By providing devotional materials to help cultivate a more holistic prayer life for each individual; and

Ø  To facilitate intercession for one another and for the world by having "prayer chains", "prayer letters" and through corporate prayers as mentioned above.

(5) Committed to Discipleship

We understand that making converts is not an end in itself, but the beginning to one's journey into the fullness of Christ and to serve and know Him fully.

As a result, we are committed

Ø  To encourage everyone in the church family to cultivate a daily Bible reading habit

Ø  To help each believer to cultivate a sound and firm biblical foundation so that they may divide the Word correctly (2 Tim. 2:15) and discern right teachings from wrong

Ø  To provide opportunity for learning how to lead Bible Study;

Ø  To help integrate biblical truths into their daily lives, especially in school, at work and within the families;

In particular (but not exclusively), we are committed to

Ø  Reach and disciple children at a young age, especially, in light of anti- Christian school curricula and increasing single-parent homes (children ministry)

Ø  Reach and disciple youth, helping them to go against the secular tide and discipline themselves in the wise use of electronic media (youth ministry)

Ø  Reach and disciple young adults to find relevancy in the Word, knowing how to face secular pressure and how to impact the world for Christ (college and young career ministry)

Ø  Reach and disciple young couples to establish godly marriages, and to juggle among competing demands in life (young couple ministry)

Ø  Reach and disciple middle-age parents to maintain godly marriages, how to bring up godly teenagers and to find God's purpose in life (family ministry)

Ø  Reach and disciple early or new retirees to rejuvenate their marital bonding, to find purpose and meaning for the 2nd or 1I3rd part of their lives (2nd half ministry)

Ø  Reach and disciple senior and in particular provide tangible care for their daily needs (senior ministry)

(6) Committed to being a Church Family of Love

We understand that each believer is born into the body of Christ, and is a member of the family of God (Eph. 2:19, 1 Cor. 12:12). As a local body of Christ, we need to live out this reality (John 13:35; 15:12; 1 John 4:21) and to care for one another and bear one another's burden (Gal. 6:2).

As a result, we are committed:

Ø  To grow strong "Fellowship Groups" that provides the opportunities to practice genuine, sacrificial love and care in Christ;

Ø  To respond quickly and effectively to those in needs-physical, emotional, relational and financial-in this respect, we also recognize the increasing need to care for those children and families facing challenges like autism; 

Ø  To follow-up on all new-comers, extending our welcome to the church family, informing them of all available resources and ministries (in this respect, a new Information Booklet will be compiled); and

Ø  To organize rides for the elderly, the sick and those who need transportation to attend our church services, events and activities.

(7) A Church United as One Body-One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism,
 (Eph. 4: 4-5)

We understand we are a local church made up of believers whose mother tongues include Cantonese, Mandarin and English and with differing cultural backgrounds.

As a result, we pledge:

Ø  To value and treat each congregation and ministry equally and

Ø  To "look not only to our own interests" (Phil. 2:4) not only as individual believers, but collectively as individual ministries and congregations. In this respect,

Ø  We pledge to exist for one another;

Ø  To empower one another, and

Ø  Not to compete with one another.

(8) A Witness to the Community (Mat. 5: 13-16)

We understand that as children of God we need to let our light (or rather the light of Jesus within us) shine into the world, and especially in our local community.

As a result, we commit

Ø  To care for the physical need for the world around us both in prayers and actions;

Ø  To bring the more critical and urgent needs of the world for corporate and personal prayers;

Ø  To make available avenues for the congregants to respond to such needs in actions, including but not exclusively through financial giving; and

Ø  To support and/or participate in the caring for the needy, marginalized and powerless (Micah 6:8).

Ø  However, we pledge to reject the spirit of the "Social Gospel Movement" which undermines the priority and essentiality of the soul saving aspect of the Great Commission, and we endorse the following motto:

"To care for the soul and not the body is hypocrisy;

To care for the body and not the soul is a great irresponsibility".