This was, and still is, our mission and vision statement. I wrote this in 1993, and think that it is probably still helpful. It does need some application to current situations, and some might be confused about some terminology:

Our Vision

—It is our vision to reach the lost in the city of Hamilton. By “lost” we mean those who most painfully know what life without Christ means. This includes all people, but especially those outside of mainstream church: the divorced, those unmarried but living together, the poor, the disabled, the unemployed, the alcoholic and their children, the abused, the immigrant, the criminal offender and their families; those without family, those hurt by churches in the past, those with no attachment to organized religion, those who have given up on church but not on God.

—It is our vision to intentionally reach those who are not church members, and those who would not be welcome, or feel welcome, in other churches.

What does this mean in practise?

—We must reject all forms of discrimination: sexual, racial, economic, ethnic, educational, and social.

—We will also reject anything that will hinder this vision. Many of the expectations normally found in traditional church settings can keep the “lost” from ever being “found”. Churches are often too concerned with “proper” dress, or have an obsession with order, embarrassing the poor, keep an ‘arms-length’ relationship between members, and place a stigma upon a select range of previous sins, etc.

—We must be careful to place only the demands upon people that God does.

We will be identified in our community by
these qualities:

—We will Love one another

—We will celebrate the cross-cultural family that is the church

—We will Embrace those without money, property, prestige or power

—We will have modest but well-used facilities

—We will be honest about our need for God’s salvation, holiness, and righteousness

—We will be Shepherding.

This means a big difference in how we do
church