As a congregation, we have been given a mission – the Great Commission. With the values formulated below, we would like to express our understanding of this mission and God’s will for us as a congregation – and at the same time show how we put this mission into practice.
The Great Commission
Jesus came with a commission that he gave to his church. It is in Matthew 28:18-20, called the Great Commission, and was to be obeyed by all churches and communities.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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.”
For a church to effectively carry out the Great Commission, we must study God’s Word and pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit. In this way, we can discern how God wants us as a church to carry out the Great Commission. After that, it is important to communicate this clearly to the church. This is the purpose of our mission and values.
We belong to Christ.
We are a Jesus-centered church dedicated to serving Him and putting Him at the center of everything we do.
We believe that Christ is the head and that we belong to Him. This belief sets the tone for everything that happens within our church. We believe that Jesus is the source of our life and that He hold s all authority. We acknowledge Him as chief shepherd, Lord, and life-giver of the church. All members of the church are called to submit to Christ and to the authority of Scripture. The ultimate authority in the church rests in Christ, not in any person or group or denomination, and this is the primary influence on the way that CCHD leaders seek to lead.
We place a strong emphasis on making Jesus the focus of all aspects of our church. In our preaching, our prayer, our worship and our life together, we strive to be Christ-focused. We seek to serve Jesus as our Lord, King, Shepherd, and Savior, and we trust in Him for our life. We recognize and celebrate His love, honor and worth and are deeply in love with Him.
We preach the Word of God to exalt Him, to edify His people, and to equip them for a life of worshipful service.
Jesus’ ministry was centered on preaching and teaching the kingdom of God. Therefore, when preaching the Bible, it should be understood as Jesus speaking to His people.
Preaching should exalt Jesus, edify the people of God and equip them for a life of worshipful service. The focus of preaching should not be on the sharing of good ideas but on the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The goal is not to hear man’s ideas, but to learn from the authoritative, inerrant, life-changing Word of God as written in the Bible. Preaching should not merely provide instructions for an effective week but should be the means to exalt God and bring glory to His name. When the Word of God is preached, Jesus’ sheep hear His voice, know Him and follow Him.
Paul says in Ephesians 4 that the pastor’s job is to edify the body of Christ, which means He is to build them up through teaching them God’s truth. The pastor’s role is not to entertain, but to instruct and for “equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry.” (Ephesians 4:12) By first exalting God, the listeners gain strength, understanding, and edification, which equips them to live the right way. The goal is to practically apply the Bible’s teachings to every aspect of life. We seek not merely to fill the congregation’s heads with information, but to fill their hearts with truth, thereby motivating their minds and inspiring their hands to live worshipful lives.
We worship in spirit and truth.
“in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” (Hebrews 2:12)
Jesus, our High Priest and lamb, is also the priest and temple, where we come to worship.
“True worship happens when we set our mind’s attention and our heart’s affection upon the Lord, praising Him for who He is and what He has done.” (Voddie Baucham)
Worship occupies a significant place in our service, where we express our praise and adoration. Our worship should be characterized by being in Spirit and in truth. Therefore, we want to give our hearts and minds to it, guided by the Spirit and the Word of God.
We want our worship to be meaningful and true. When we worship through songs, it is important to us that the words of the songs we sing reflect God’s truth. The role of the musicians is to draw us closer to God, not to draw attention to their performance. They should lead us into God’s throne room, where we kneel before Him and offer Him our praise.
We pour out our hearts before God, for His power is made perfect in weakness.
As a church, we want to be steadfast in prayer, maintaining a consistent and vibrant relationship with God through this spiritual discipline. Let us not miss out on the blessings that God has in store for us, but let us be a people who pray the promises of God with faith and dependence on Him.
Prayer should be a consistent and vibrant part of our relationship with God. It should be a spiritual discipline that we engage in on a regular basis. When we pray, we open ourselves up to the presence of God and allow Him to work in and through us. We have the opportunity to confess our sins, seek His guidance and thank Him for His blessings. We can also bring our concerns to Him, knowing that He hears and cares for us.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God has graciously shared His sonship with us, allowing us to approach the Father in prayer. This gift of prayer is a means of participating in the divine life of the Trinity, as we join Jesus in His prayers, knowing that His Spirit sanctifies our petitions, as He presents them to the Father. It is awe-inspiring to consider that we have the privilege of speaking directly to the God of the universe through this simple yet profound act of prayer which anyone can do.
We are known for our love for one another.
Jesus says, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35).
Christians are not meant to live in isolation. We are created as relational beings. Christian friendships are not just based on a common interest in something, but rather on a deeper connection rooted in a shared belief in our heavenly Father, who has saved each of us through the Gospel and has given us a common passion for His name. True Christian friendships are characterized by a genuine love for one another.
Love reflects the very nature and character of God. As individuals created in the image of God and redeemed by Christ, we are called to imitate God’s heart and to show love to one another. Therefore, our interactions and attitudes toward one another should be characterized by this fundamental principle: love.
This love includes forgiving one another even when relationships become challenging and painful. Because of our fallen nature, it is inevitable that brothers and sisters will intentionally or unintentionally hurt one another. However, the kind of love we are called to is proactive and does not require the recipient to be qualified first. We aim to extend love and forgiveness first and freely, in line with the Bible’s description of love as unconditional, selfless and sacrificial, in Colossians 3:12-14
“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.”
To understand love, we must look to Jesus Christ, who embodies true love. In 1 John 4:7 we read
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. ”
This emphasizes that love is a fruit of new birth, and that those who love God are born of God and know God.
We have the heart of our Father.
Our goal is to be a warm and welcoming body of believers, where people feel loved, wanted and welcome. We want people to know that God’s heart towards them is warm, loving, kind and friendly, no matter who or what they are, or what they’ve done. As we strive to get our relationships right, we want this to be reflected in the way we treat others, whether they are coming through our doors or just hearing about us as a church. We don’t want to be a closed-off community, but rather we want to be a church where people can come to find love and acceptance.
We also want CCHD to be a church that attracts others, with a warm and inviting atmosphere that people are naturally drawn to. This is why we have created a welcoming environment, from our Sunday worship gatherings to the more informal coffee bar, where people can sit and converse, getting to know each other in a relaxed and casual manner.
It is of course important to have discernment when welcoming new people into our community. We don’t want to overwhelm them with too many questions, but rather take the time to get to know them at their pace. We want CCHD to be a place where people feel comfortable and at ease, where they know that they are loved, wanted and welcomed, and where they sense that they can become part of our family.
People bring their lives and their stories with them, and it’s important that we offer them the support and love that they need, whether they are lonely, hurting, hopeless, lost or confused. We have fellowship, healing, hope, refuge and truth to offer them, and we want it to be as easy as possible for them to come to CCHD and feel loved and accepted.
We are an international community.
People of many nationalities are represented in our church, creating a unique and fun atmosphere. Our church body reflects the fact that God has called His people from every tribe, tongue and nation. We celebrate the variety of cultures and believe that none are superior, but rather that all contribute to a heavenly culture.
Living in a foreign country can be intimidating, but our church is a warm and welcoming place, where everyone can feel at home. We want to experience the unity of Christ and learn to love one other despite our cultural differences. As an international church, we want to pursue everyone in the city with the Gospel of Jesus, regardless of any individual’s color, creed, culture, nationality or tribe. This is what Christ has called the church to do.
We are reaching this generation, passing on to the next generation, and preparing them to do the same.
As a church and as Christians we are a part of something much bigger than ourselves, and it is our responsibility to spread the Gospel and to leave a positive legacy. It is important to remember that we are here for a purpose and to make a difference. Scripture reminds us of the brevity of life and of the importance of using our time wisely (Psalm 90:10-12). As a church, we should strive to create a sustained and healthy community that will continue to grow long into the future.
As participants in God’s kingdom, we are called not only to live with Jesus and to follow Him, but also to pass on His Gospel to others. The kingdom is built through the process of sharing and replicating the good news, just as Andrew went to tell Simon about finding the Messiah (John 1:41). It is important for us to have a clear vision, that looks beyond our immediate needs, and strives to bring the Gospel of Christ to all nations and make disciples. If a church becomes too self-focused, it risks losing sight of the bigger picture of God’s work in the world.
We serve one another with our God-given gifts.
We encourage each individual member to use his or her spiritual gifts in the service of the body, and our aim is to provide opportunities for everyone to do that. If you are a Christian, God has given you a gift and intends to use it. Don’t believe the lie that you’re not good enough or not capable of being used by God. He wants to use every individual.
A healthy body relies on all its parts working together. Just as the hand needs the foot, so we want to equip and to empower everyone though strong teaching with opportunities to serve. God has placed us all here together to serve one another. There are plenty of things to do in the church.
We believe in the priesthood of the believer, meaning that everyone has been given a gift and is called to serve the church. On Sundays, there is a lot going on and some roles may go unnoticed, like those dealing with the sound system. However, when everyone seeks to participate in serving, mutual encouragement and satisfaction multiplies, and church involvement is fun.
Let’s avoid the trap of having only a few people serving so that things work, while everyone else just watches. We are all in this together.
We apply the Gospel to all areas of life.
Jesus was the carpenter from Nazareth who was also a rabbi. He teaches us how to follow Him in every part of our lives. Practical discipleship is about putting our faith into action. It requires us to reflect on how we can live as Christians in all areas of our lives and to make changes as needed. We are called to be effective disciples in all parts of life and to live in ways that are in line with the teachings of Jesus.
Practical discipleship is an important aspect of our faith and plays a crucial role in our spiritual growth and maturity. It enables us to live in harmony with the teachings of Jesus. In Matthew 28:20, Jesus instructs us to, ‘teach them to observe all the things that I have commanded you’. This means that our faith is not limited to just attending church or filling our heads with biblical knowledge, but to ensure that the teachings of scripture are put into practice in all aspects of our lives. This includes our home life, our relationships, our parenting, our civic duties, our work and even our finances. We are called to be wise and to use our resources in a way that aligns with the principles of the Gospel.
We should therefore strive to grow holistically in the Lord Jesus Christ. This means considering how we can live as Christians in all areas of life, while allowing the teachings of the scriptures to shape and guide us. We want to live lives that reflect our faith, not just in church but in all areas. Our goal is to become mature Christians who live out our faith in a practical and meaningful way.
We develop leaders to serve God’s church.
As CCHD leaders, we approach the future with excitement and in the expectation that God will act. It is the leadership’s responsibility to ensure that those who follow in our footsteps are prepared for the task. The kingdom of God continues after us, and as leaders, we must prepare for it. Paul instructed Timothy to commit faithful men to the ministry, who will be able to teach others (2 Timothy 2:2) and King David was instructed to prepare his son Solomon for building the temple (1 Chronicles 28:10-20).
Jesus Himself also exemplified this approach in His ministry. He chose to build His church through His disciples by actively teaching and training them. He gave them hands-on experience, debriefed them for reflection, and, ultimately, fully prepared that small group of men to be the foundation stones of the church. They were tasked with making disciples, establishing churches and raising-up other leaders. This is what we too should strive for – to always look ahead and also to consider, select and encourage those who will continue God’s work after us, and take it even further.
We are part of God’s larger mission, equipping and sending those He calls to go.
As followers of Christ, we are all commissioned to serve as His ambassadors. No matter where we are, it is important for us to operate in this capacity. The Bible reveals that it is the Holy Spirit who sends people out on missions. For instance, in Acts 13:2, where we read how He instructs Barnabas and Saul (later renamed Paul) to embark on a special journey. Similarly, in Acts 16:9-10, He prompts Paul in a vision to go to Macedonia. Then, in Acts 20:28, Paul also confirms to the Ephesian elders that it was the Holy Spirit who had appointed them.
In John 3:17, Jesus speaks of His own sending by the Father:
“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that through Him the world might be saved.”
Thus, Jesus is the chief apostle that God sent into the world. The word “apostle” simply means “a sent one.” Jesus subsequently said to His chosen apostles:
“As the Father has sent me, I also send you.” (John 20:21)
In light of such clear scriptural precedents, we understand that God’s kingdom does not end with us. The Holy Spirit continues to send people. Therefore we remain mindful of our role within the church as participants in what God is doing in the world.
Jesus builds His church through the power of the Holy Spirit and through the Spirit-filled work of His followers. This is what God desires and what He is accomplishing in the world. It is therefore essential for us to continually seek the guidance of God’s Spirit and to be faithful in responding to His call on our lives.