New City Fellowship Vision Statement
New City Fellowship exists to humbly announce the good news of the kingdom of God in Christ by discipling the nations in the reconciling Gospel of Jesus Christ through a clear proclamation of salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone, and by doing Spirit-led deeds of justice and mercy that will help bring God’s restorative peace to his people, the city of St. Louis and the nations of the earth until the end of time, when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of Christ and of God.
New City Fellowship Core Values
Gospel Power: Called to Be Children of God
The central, ongoing focus of our faith and proclamation is Jesus Christ and the forgiveness and righteousness that are ours as a free gift through his work on the cross. In Christ we are given the promise of the Holy Spirit to empower us to practice righteousness, defeat sin and live in a relationship with God the Father as sons/daughters.
The Kingdom of God: The Establishment of God’s Justice and Mercy on Earth
The Church is called to glorify God by living out love and obedience to him through a commitment of doing justice and practicing mercy, both within the church community and in the world at large. God’s expectation for us is to be an expression of his kingdom rule and reign in the midst of the nations of the earth, especially caring for the poor, the widow, the orphan and the immigrant–proclaiming the gospel in word and deed.
Spiritual Formation: Practices That Help us Grow in Grace
God calls us to be “conformed to the likeness of Christ” (Romans 8:29, Galatians 4:19) by practicing the means of grace that Jesus himself has practiced. Regular engagement of spiritual disciplines (like Scripture study, prayer, meditation, corporate worship, fellowship, sabbath rest) help us to abide in Christ and bear kingdom fruit as members of his body.
Team Ministry: Reflecting the Trinity in the Body of Christ
God is committed to fulfilling the work of his kingdom through the church, ministering together in teams that express a graciously and sovereignly distributed diversity of gifts. The power for team ministry is rooted in believing the gospel together, building the ministry out of prayer, and reflecting the nature of the Trinity in our team relationships.
Reconciliation: God’s Plan to Bring All Things Together under the Rule of Christ
The prayer of Jesus (John 17) and the eternal plan of the Father (Eph. 1) are to restore the unity and peace that have been destroyed by sin. God’s call to the church (1 Cor. 12) is for his people to intentionally embrace one another in righteousness and love across all racial, cultural and socio-economic divisions as living proof that Jesus has come and the Father has begun the final restoration of all things.
The Promises of God: Confidence in God’s Covenantal Commitment to Us
The covenantal context of the promises and their focus around the gospel of the kingdom, enables sinful, sometimes disbelieving people to appropriate the promises by a faith that is focused on the trustworthiness of God and his work for us, not on the strength or purity of the believer’s faith.
Humility and Humble Circumstances: God’s Power Revealed in Human Weakness
God is committed to advancing the work of his kingdom through humility, which involves both an attitude of the heart and a willingness to embrace humble circumstances. The historical patterns of the Bible show us how God wants us to embrace weakness and learn humility in order that the glory of his salvation might shine more powerfully.
Trials: God’s Prescription for Maturing our Faith
In a sinful and broken world, God uses trials to sanctify us. Following Jesus as a disciple who does justice and proclaims grace requires that we enter into the sufferings of Christ and embrace the trials of life as a tool in our Father’s hand to equip us for doing his will.
