Values

Our Guidelines for the Present

• We value working with the whole body of Christ. Because the body of Christ is far more than any one denomination, we are open to working with any evangelical church and will encourage cooperation between churches as much as possible. In that sense, we will actively practice principles of heaven where we will for all eternity be with believers from every tribe, tongue and (denomi)nation, united in our worship of Jesus (Rev. 5:9).
• We value church multiplication. Given the fact that less than one-fifth of one percent of all Czechs knows Christ as Lord, the need for new churches in this country is huge. The only way to see the Czech Republic saturated with churches is by church multiplication. Simple church addition will not suffice. Churches need to start churches that will in turn start other churches that will in turn start other churches. The need for reproduction needs to be built into the DNA of newly planted churches.
• We value reproducibility. Ministry must be reproducible in order for it to be multiplied. It cannot be dependent on resources that are not available generally to other churches. Our desire is to produce a ministry that can be easily reproduced by other churches using similarly available resources.
• We value simplicity. In order for multiplication to happen, church cannot be complicated. The structure must be as simple as possible. Simplicity is necessary in order for church multiplication to happen. Small groups and cell or house churches are a key component of this.
• We value the ministry all believers, the priesthood of the believer. Believers are, according to the Bible, “a royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9). Each saint is uniquely gifted for the health and welfare of the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:7-11, Rom. 12:4-8). Ministry within the church should reflect the gifts of those present, not just the pastor. The saints should be given opportunity to minister to one another and grow in their ability to use their giftedness (a la 1 Cor. 14:26), not just on an occasional basis but as part of normal church life. Healthy churches utilize the gifts of all members of the body.
• We value the necessity of equipping others. In order for church multiplication to happen, believers must be equipped and mobilized (Eph. 4:12). New leaders must be trained and given opportunity to lead. Church leaders bear the primary responsibility for equipping those in their congregation. We strive to always invest in the lives of others, particularly to help make them more effective servants of Christ.