We value and are committed to being disciples who make disciples 

To follow Jesus is to be his disciple. We understand a disciple to be a learner; a student. As the servant leaders and partners of Garden City, we are first and foremost, lifelong students sitting at the feet of our Master Teacher.

Jesus spent 3 years teaching, eating, sleeping next to, modeling kingdom living, and practicing the way of life with his disciples. Toward the end of their time together he called them to continue to live as he had lived; to keep walking as people of the way. In Matthew 28, Jesus gathers his students and says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

We believe that attentive students obey their Master Teacher and seek to live out all he commands. We are told in the book of James to “be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” In light of this call in Scripture, as those who are embodied and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we believe that disciples of Jesus seek to take all that he commands and models and strive to live as citizens of his kingdom. This occurs through practicing his way of life as well as teaching and walking alongside other people as they grow as disciples of Jesus. 

We value and are committed to exegetical teaching

We believe that God moves powerfully and mightily through his word. This begins in creation (Genesis 1), extends to the calling of a people out of nothing (Genesis 12), and finds it’s ultimate culmination in the sending of the Word became flesh, Jesus of Nazareth (John 1). 

As we come to the Scriptures, we see that God has provided humanity with a clear picture of his heart and intentions for the world. The Lord has provided the Scriptures that we might be taught, admonished, corrected, and trained to grow in our ability to image our creator (2 Timothy 3:16). Given this clear and concise picture regarding the nature and purpose of the Scriptures, we believe that one of the most important things we could commit ourselves to as a church is studying, learning, asking questions, faithfully teaching, and seeking to practice the word of God. Our conviction is that the faithful, exegetical teaching of the Scriptures will consistently point us to the one who has given us everything we need for life and godliness as we grow in our knowledge and experience of intimacy with the Lord. 

We value and are committed to the weekly communion of the saints

We believe that the taking of the bread and wine when the gathering of the saints occurs, is a centerpiece of Christian life and worship. In the earliest stages of the Christian church (Acts 2) we already see what seems to be a list of four elements that were central to the Christian gathering. The apostles and followers of the way gave devotion to the Lord’s supper. This seems to imply that it was a regular practice when the saints gathered. 

Paul, in Acts 20, makes sure that on the first day of the week, when he is with the church community, that they celebrate the breaking of bread together. In 1 Corinthians 11 there’s such an abuse of the Lord’s supper that Paul must address how believers in the Messiah partake of communion. In speaking of this passage, biblical scholar Gordon Fee writes, “This addition in particular implies a frequently repeated action, suggesting that from the beginning the Last Supper was for Christians not an annual Christian Passover, but a regularly repeated meal in ‘honor of the Lord,’ hence the Lord’s Supper.”

Although we do not believe it is a sin to not take communion during each Sunday gathering, we do believe this gift of grace falls under the category of best rhythms and practices for a Spirit-filled and Spirit-formed church. We understand the thinking that says, “if we do it every week it becomes less meaningful.” That being said, we also recognize that we don’t use the same line of thinking when it comes to daily bible reading and or even weekly teaching. We wouldn’t say that following these rhythms makes reading the bible, prayer, or worship through music less meaningful. It is our conviction that the partaking of the communion of the saints is a part of our rich orthodox history meant to be celebrated meaningfully each time the saints gather.

Lastly, we are a forgetful people and the patterned and rhythm (ed) practice of the communion of the saints is about being reminded and formed in the way of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We need to be reminded that Jesus, through the cross, has done something once and for all with sin and death. We leave our gatherings each week reminded of who we were before Christ and who we are now, in Christ, as sent ones with a message.  

We value and are committed to Spirit-formed life around the table

As we look at the life of Jesus, it is evident that he views the table as effective means to engage with others. Jesus sees the table as a place to engage with the lost (Luke 7:36-50) express hospitality (Luke 9:10-17; 19:1-10), teach and equip for ministry (Luke 10:38-42), spend time in prayer (John 13-17), answer questions (Luke 14:1-24), provide insight into the Scriptures (Luke 24:36-43), and more. 

Our heart is to model our life and ministry rhythms around the practices of Jesus. Given the reality that he seemed to utilize table fellowship as an indispensable part of his ministry, we are committed to placing a high value on the smaller, intentional gathering of communities around a shared meal where everyone is welcomed.

As a family, we learn the ways of Jesus as we practice the life he practiced together. We call these smaller mid-week gatherings of the church, gospel communities. Gospel communities are a central way to learn and practice the Scriptures together, serve on mission together, actively equip the saints for the work of the ministry, and make more disciples to be sent out.

We value and are committed to being local missionaries

As we look at the story of the Scriptures, one of the things that becomes clear is that God has always intended to use his people as a means through which the world could see his heart and design for humanity (Genesis 12:1-3). The Scriptures paint a beautiful tapestry of the people of God, empowered by his Spirit, working in different capacities to make his nature and character known to those around them. This tapestry includes but is not limited to gardening (Genesis 1-2), architecture (Exodus 36), administration (Numbers 11), leadership (Judges, 1 Samuel 16), parenting (Deut. 6:7), and more. 

As Jesus commissioned his disciples before ascending to heaven, he charged them to play an integral role in the Kingdom of God. They were called to make disciples of all nations; to actively seek to use their various spheres of influence as they go through life to introduce others to the person of Jesus. Given that this is the calling on the lives of those who follow him, we view ourselves as being called to continue to embrace the command of Jesus as a guiding principle for all of life. 

Whether a teacher, engineer, stay at home mom or dad, barista, or student, we are sent out each day with a message to our world. 

We value and are committed to shared leadership

As we come to the text of the New Testament, one of the things that we are struck by is the reality that all of the churches mentioned suggest that they had this in common: they were led by a plurality of people. This includes Lystra (Acts 14:23), Ephesus (Acts 20:17), Crete (Tit. 1:5), Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bythinia (1 Pet. 1:1; 5:1), as well as overseers and deacons in Philippi (Phil. 1:1). From what we can see every church was led by a team of leaders, never by one lead elder or lead pastor. This is our textual and biblical conviction. Given this reality, we feel led to ensure that leadership is to be shared at both the pastoral and elder level.

As we wrestle with the implications of this conviction, we recognize that there will be moments where the temptation to want our voice to be the loudest or most dominant will occur. It is in these moments, that with the help of the Spirit, we will look at the example of leadership that Jesus set as Paul recalls in his letter to the Philippians where he charges the leaders of the church in this way: ‘Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross.’ (2:4-8). As struggles and differences of opinion occur, we will not power up but will strive to humble ourselves and submit to one another as we seek to be led by the Spirit. 

In light of this desire, we find that Dr. Joseph Hellerman, a pastor, scholar, and teacher at Talbot School of Theology, lays out a helpful trajectory towards working through disagreements together. First, leadership will weigh in with convictions or opinions about the issue at hand. Second, leadership will listen carefully to each person’s viewpoint and to the rationales behind it. Third, leadership will seek to be highly sensitive to the general direction the discussion is going, trusting that the Holy Spirit is superintending the process. Fourth, an individual whose viewpoint becomes increasingly out of step with the trajectory of the discussion willingly defers to the growing consensus of the group. Lastly, once a decision is made, the leadership unanimously owns it. We find these steps to be instructive and will seek to model disagreements and decision making in a similar manner. 

Instead of a single lead pastor guiding the congregation, we choose to have a group of pastors & elders who both share in the teaching of the church as well as share in the day to day leadership and care of the church community. Our desire is to seek to model the ways of Jesus in our leadership. It is our belief that, pragmatically, leadership that is pluralistic best ensures the spiritual health of both the leaders and members in the local body. We recognize and anticipate that this will not be without struggle, but we are committed to striving to be led by the Spirit as we lead Garden City Church as a Spirit-filled team.

We value and are committed to the biblical vision of men & women leading  together

It is our belief that God designed men and women as those who equally bear his image. (Genesis 1:27). They are identical in dignity, worth, and value. As we look at the opening pages of the story of God, the reader is immediately struck by the immensity of the task to fill the earth and subdue it (Genesis 1:28). As the Lord looks on the state of the man, he recognizes that it is not good that the man is alone. In light of this reality, he creates an ally; a helper to partner with the man in the task of subduing the earth on behalf of God (Genesis 2:18). As we read the text, it is our conviction that there isn’t any sense of hierarchy or domination of one gender over the other. 

As sin entered the world, we see the consequence of how their rebellion distorts the God-given unity and relational equality that previously existed (Genesis 3:16-17). While the results of this curse have an immediate impact on humanity, we see that God is committed to restoring what was broken (Genesis 3:15). Even as the relationship between the two humans was strained, we see that the Lord remains committed to partnering with both men and women in his mission. 

Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, we see that the Lord consistently uses both men and women to lead (Exodus 3:10; Judges 4:4), prophesy (2 Kings 22:14; Ezekiel 4:7), stand against injustice (2 Samuel 12:1-15; Numbers 27:1-11), partner with Him in delivering his people from danger (Esther 7:1-10; 1 Samuel 17:1-54), and many other ways to further his kingdom. 

As we come to the Gospels, we see that Jesus treated women with an incredible amount of dignity and respect (John 4; Luke 8:1-3), embraced them as disciples (Luke 10:38-42), and ultimately, they were entrusted to carry the news of the resurrection to the twelve (Luke 23:55-24:12). 

As the early church began to grow, we see that women played significant roles in the movement and spread of the Gospel. Women were teachers (Acts 18:24-28), involved in the leadership of the church (Romans 16:1-7), and were gifted by the Spirit to build up the church (1 Cor. 12:1-31). 

As Paul reflects on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, he makes an incredible statement regarding the nature of the reconciliation that has occurred. He writes, ‘For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.’ (Galatians 3:27-29). It is our belief and conviction that Paul intends to communicate the reality that in Jesus, the curse of sin and brokenness has been healed. This includes the inequality and distortion between men and women. 

As we read the Scriptures, we are convinced that God has created men and women distinctly, but both have capacity and ability to play a vital and integral role in the church. Given this belief, we are committed to providing a space where women and men are free to utilize the gifts that God has graciously given them by his Spirit. 

***We understand for some this might be a departure from your background or upbringing. As the elders of Garden City Church we have studied long and widely this topic Scripturally and would love to share what we believe the Hebrew bible and New Testament teaches. We have papers on several different Scriptures that at first glance seem to prohibit women from leadership. But with some intentionality and closer study, it’s our deep conviction that the Scriptures show us what God’s heart is for men and women and their roles within His kingdom. Please, don’t hesitate to ask for these papers. We would love to share them with you***

We value and are committed to multiplication and church planting 

One of the common themes of the Scriptures is consistently giving ourselves away.  In Luke 14, Jesus teaches about the cost of discipleship. He goes to great lengths to describe how important it is that he is the first priority in the life of a disciple. Our philosophy of multiplication and church planting is founded on this understanding. We’ve not planted a church to make ourselves known. We’ve not planted a church to grow to thousands of people, add multiple services, or become the church people want to try out. We’ve planted a church because we’ve met the risen Jesus and he has changed our lives. We want desperately for as many people to hear the story of Jesus and begin to place him first in their lives. 

In order to most effectively do this, we believe that active multiplication and church planting must be a part of a local church's vision. We believe that a commitment to planting churches give us more opportunities to raise up leaders and send them out. This is our observation of the early apostles’ practice. Paul came to a city, established a church, and not long after, those churches were sending out leaders on mission. This is the pattern we see in the New Testament and the pattern we seek to follow. 

Garden City Church has a vision to start sending out mature servant leaders as soon as the Spirit leads. This is the Spirit’s work because it is his heart for many to know the name of Jesus. We want to be attentive to his leading.

We value and are committed to a bi-vocational structure for our pastoral staff

As we look at the life and ministry of Paul in the New Testament, we are struck by the way that he utilized the gifts and talents that the Lord had given him in order to provide for his ministry. In addition, the Lord also allowed Paul to use his gifts to interact with those who didn’t follow Jesus. We see a vivid picture of this being painted in Acts 18. Paul works in order to support his ministry. Through his work, he interacts with those who need to hear the good news. Not only this, but Paul linked arms with others in a similar vocation and partnered with them to be a light in the city. It is our heart that through participation in the local economy, we will have ample opportunities to use this as a means to develop relationships and shine the light of Jesus into dark places (Jn. 1:5). 

We recognize that it’s easy to become consumed with ourselves and quickly turn inward. Our desire is that through engaging with non-believers on a regular basis in the context of a working environment, we will continue to embrace the reality that God is using His people to be a light to present the good news of Jesus (2 Cor. 5:20). We long to be present with those who haven’t chosen to follow Jesus in a real and tangible way with the hopes that this will afford us the opportunity to share the good news of the gospel.