Mission Statement

To fulfill God’s purpose - to know Him, display strength and take action - that all may experience His transforming power and do His works. (Daniel 11:32, John 14:12)

The Mission

Our mission is not particular to only our church, but comes from the mission of God to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28). The mission is not merely to make converts but to bring the lost into God’s transforming power, so that they too may do His works.

Daniel 11:32 says, "...but the people who know their God will display strength and take action." In Daniel 11:32, God has given us a way by which we may work the works of God, not merely in an activist way, without the power of God. It is through knowing God and growing in strength that His strength and substance becomes displayed as being, not merely as giftedness. It is on that basis that we take action in a missional way. When we speak of “taking action”, we do not mean merely doing what is within our own power to do in the service of the Kingdom of God. We mean rather that God works His works in and through us, so that the works of God are from the other side. They arise from the presence of God and are humanly impossible to undertake. The purpose of all this is that in love, the lost may be reached and brought into Christ’s marvelous life.

The mission of God provides that purpose and context for Daniel 11:32. The danger of taking Daniel 11:32 out of that context is to misconstrue the knowledge of God and even the display of strength. Ours is not a vision of non-missional contemplation, or academic pursuit, or gifts of the Spirit that do not result in redemption in our lands (family, work, business, social context, our network of relationships outside church). At the beginning and end of the day, all that happens in VCF is to break through into our lands and into the world.

When we come to church, all our discipleship, corporate prayer, small group life and edification is directed to the land where we live as witnesses. The church, then, exists not primarily to build up its own services, so that its members can substitute the church for their land. The church is like the community that Daniel had praying with him when he sought for revelation as a witness to Nebuchadnezzar. It functions like the community that prayed for boldness in the face of threats (Acts 4). The church in prayer is the church in mission.

Our mission is to raise a company of people who can take action, working the works of God. Discipling people through Daniel 11:32 to be witnesses that “none may perish” remains our mission. Our mission is that “lay” people may function as witnesses, developing their originality as “originals”, giftings, competences, relationships and testimonies in the fields in which they are situated. Like Joseph and Daniel, the insight, grace, competence and seriousness with which we fill the positions that God has set us is part of the witness in the world.

Statement of Faith

The Trinity

We believe in the one God, eternally existing in three persons, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, as set forth in the Nicene-Constantinoplian Creed (381 A.D.).

Christology

We believe that Jesus Christ is true God and true human, being conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. His substitutionary death on the cross was for our sins according to the Scriptures. He arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and is at the right hand of the Majesty as our High Priest and Advocate.

Ministry of the Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is the one promised by Christ whose ministry it is to glorify God, to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment, to regenerate, sanctify, comfort, guide, empower the believer. We believe that He indwells every believer.

The Word of God

We believe the Old and New Testaments to be the infallible Word of God, fully inspired by the Holy Spirit and fully and supremely authoritative for all matters of life, faith and conduct.

Regeneration

We believe in the total depravity of humanity, and that the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection provide the only grounds for salvation for all who repent and fully embrace His finished work on the cross.

The Church

We believe in one holy, catholic and apostolic Church composed of those who through faith in Jesus Christ have been united together in the Body of Christ. The church is called out to offer acceptable worship to God and to fulfill His purposes through the proclamation of the gospel with power, making disciples of all nations, by tending the flock through ministry of the Word, sacraments and pastoral care, and manifesting His justice, deliverance and healing in the world.

Sacraments

Water baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances to be observed and administered by the Church in this age until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Eschatology

We believe that by the return of Christ to raise the dead, to judge all people and to establish His Kingdom, God’s redemptive purposes will be consummated.