inward

By the word inward we point to the horizontal dimension of our Christian experience. We look inward (or around) to one another in the body of Christ and our fundamental responsibility is to encourage and edify one another.

• Doing Life Together in Community

Life was never meant to be lived in isolation from others, but in relationship with those who share with us a common faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Our House Churches and D-Groups are designed to facilitate this communal dimension in the life of Bridgeway Church.

• Accountability and Encouragement

We grow spiritually only to the extent that we are held accountable by others who love us and are encouraged by them to persevere and press into the heart of God. And they, in turn, are equally dependent on us for the same blessings. In a word, we must entrust ourselves to one another.

• Exercise of Spiritual Gifts

All spiritual gifts were bestowed for the “common good” (1 Cor. 12:7), to be used by all believers to strengthen, encourage, teach, and love one another as we grow up together in Christ. We believe that all the spiritual gifts described in the New Testament are valid for today and are essential for life and growth in the church.

• Discipling one another

Becoming committed and knowledgeable followers of Christ who reflect his image is a corporate affair, one that demands the personal involvement and input of each believer in the life of every other believer. We value any means by which devotion to Jesus can be deepened and intensified.

• Training and Equipping

God’s desire is that all His children serve in ministry, and not simply those who are paid for their services. To this end, we are each called not only to be trained and equipped but also to train and equip others for the work to which God has called us.

outward

By the word outward we have in view our responsibility to the world. We look outward to make Christ known through the gospel and to bring his Lordship to bear on every dimension of life.

• Mission and Evangelism

The church does not exist solely for its own sake, but in order to participate in the mission of God in bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world. Mission is not an optional program in the church but an essential element in the identity of the church. Mission is as much who we are as what we do.

• Pursuit of biblical justice

Essential to our mandate as the people of God is to strive, in the power of the Spirit, for peace, racial reconciliation, together with the alleviation of poverty, hunger, and homelessness. We do not confuse these endeavors with the content of the Gospel. They are, rather, the desired consequence of what God has accomplished for us in Christ.

• Church planting

As part of our calling to participate in the mission of God, we are committed to the training of leaders and the planting of local churches that reflect the mission and values of Bridgeway.

• Service to the community

Our aim is to extend the kingdom of God in our community not only by preaching the Gospel but also by expressing His love through concrete deeds of service and sacrifice for those who do not know Him.

• Engaging and changing the culture

We are called neither to retreat from our culture nor to conform to it but, through the power of the Holy Spirit and the truth of the Gospel, to speak prophetically to it as we seek its transformation and submission to the Lordship of Christ. We long to see the arts redeemed for the name of Christ and utilized in the promotion of His glory.

forward

The Christian life is a journey towards ever-increasing conformity to the image of Christ himself. By the word forward we have in mind this progressive spiritual transformation of becoming more like Jesus in every way.

• Informed and Transformed by the Scriptures

Genuine spiritual maturity can only be attained as we are taught and informed by the revelation of God in Scripture and thereby transformed into a people passionate for His name and satisfied with all that He is for us in Jesus. We affirm not only the inspiration of the Scriptures but their life-changing, sin-killing power, and thus regard the Bible as central and foundational to all we believe and do as a church.

• Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit

Christian maturity is largely defined by the degree to which our lives manifest the fruit of the Spirit. We strive, therefore, by the grace of God at work within us, to cultivate the virtues of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

• Spiritual Disciplines

Spiritual growth is a struggle, and one that requires dedication, focus, and self-sacrifice. Through spiritual disciplines such as prayer, fasting, solitude, silence, reading and meditation on the Word, worship, serving, journaling, and the stewardship of our time, we aim to deepen our relationship with the Lord.

• Persevering Prayer

Although it is itself one of the spiritual disciplines, we put a special emphasis on prayer in all its many expressions such as intercession, petition, and thanksgiving. We especially value prayer for healing, whether physical, spiritual, or emotional.

• Celebration of the Sacraments

God has commanded that His people regularly celebrate two sacraments or ordinances: believer’s Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Water baptism symbolizes our entrance into spiritual life and through the Lord’s Supper we are nourished and sustained within it.

We believe that all four of these spiritual dynamics must be integrated into both our corporate worship services as well as our House Churches and D-groups.