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Guiding Principles
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Throughout the New Life Ministries church plant, the following principles and considerations will help guide and influence our planning and decision making:
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God’s Provision: We trust and believe that God will do immeasurably more in downtown Kansas City than we could ever ask or imagine.
Our commitment is to put our trust and faith in God alone and not in our planning or ability. Jeremiah 17:7-8 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.” |
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Our Purpose: Church planting provides the most effective means for reaching the lost.
In all of our planning and programming, we will stay focused on our core purpose to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. We want everyone to be growing in their faith no matter how long they have been a Christian. This is in obedience to the Biblical command to make disciples of all people found in Matthew 28:19-20 “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’” Amen.” We will strategize to use the most effective methods in accordance with conservative biblical exegesis to reach people with the message of Jesus Christ and conform people to the image of Jesus Christ. |
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Our Faith: A new church plant challenges us to step out in faith beyond our current comfort levels.
God’s blessing and provision in the early stages of New Life Ministries has already been abundant. In response, we need to increase steps of faith. In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus told the parable of the talents. The servants who were entrusted with much were faithful and thus were blessed with even more. We recognize God’s blessing in each of our own lives and will strive to be faithful stewards with the abundance He has poured out on us. |
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Our Prayer: We recognize the power and absolute necessity of seeking God’s direction at every stage of this process.
Proverbs 16:9 says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” We will make prayer a priority. |
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Our Relationships: Establishing, building and nurturing relationships with God, with one another, and with the community will take priority in all we do.
We are committed to love each other (I John 3:11; 3:23; 4:7,11,12), not a program or process. |
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Our Planning: Planning is a means to an end, not the end.
God’s leading must direct our plans, so our plans never hinder God’s direction. We will use planning as a tool to help us join God in what He is doing and to accomplish what He is calling us to do. Planning will help us coordinate our available resources to move us from where we are to where God wants us to be. Our plans will serve as a guide to help focus our efforts and will be updated to reflect where God is leading us. |
