Our Core Values
(1) The Gospel
We value the gospel[1] because we believe it is the power of God for salvation to every sinner who believes in Christ alone for his/her right standing with God (Rom. 1:16; 3:21-26; 1 Cor. 1:17-2:16; 15:1-19; 1 John 2:1-2).
(2) Worship
We value worship[2] because the Scriptures teach us that the chief end of humanity is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever (Psalm 73:25-28; Rom. 11:36; 1 Cor. 10:31). Moreover, we believe that worship is the only appropriate response to God and his gracious redemption of his people through the Lord Jesus Christ (John 9:38; 20:24-29; Rom. 11:33-36; Eph. 1:6, 12, 14).
(3) The Authority of Scripture
We value the Bible (both the Old and New Testaments), because we believe that it is inspired by God and that it is inerrant and infallible in all that it teaches and is therefore our ultimate authority for all things.[3]
(4) Christ-Centered Preaching
We value Christ-centered preaching because we understand that all of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation is the narrative of God’s gracious plan of redemption through the Lord Jesus, who is the focal point of the whole narrative, and that this narrative of our redemption leads us back to worship (Luke 24:13-35, 44-49).
(5) Authentic Christian Fellowship
We value authentic Christian fellowship, because the Bible teaches that believers are to love one another and that this love is perhaps the clearest identifying mark of true faith and our greatest apologetic to an unbelieving world (Jn. 13:34-35; 1 Jn. 3:14; 4:7-21).
(6) Biblical Forbearance
We value biblical forbearance toward one another in all areas neither addressed nor mandated by Scripture (e.g., family planning, schooling choices, holiday practices, and the gamut of personal preferences) so that the gospel and its proclamation might always remain primary (Rom. 14:1-23; 1 Cor. 8-9).
(7) Missional Living for All Believers
We value seeing God display His power by saving sinners through the proclamation of the gospel by all of the members of the church. We are committed to working diligently and creatively to teach each of our members to establish relationships in their community for the purpose of sharing the gospel and seeing people’s lives transformed into worshippers of the Lord Jesus Christ (Mt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; Eph. 4:11-13).
(8) Church Growth that leads to Church Planting
We value seeing Redeemer Fellowship Church and indeed the Universal Church grow in numbers, because Jesus has called us to go and make disciples. Since we believe that planting new churches is one of the greatest ways to make disciples, we desire to grow in such a way that we can achieve the numerical and financial size and strength to become the epicenter of a church planting movement in Greater Boston and beyond.
(9) Godly Leadership
We value godly leadership that sets the vision and course for the congregation and leads in genuine worship (1 Cor. 4:16; 11:1; Phil. 3:17; 4:9; 1 Thess. 1:6-7; 2:10; 2 Thess. 3:6-9; 1 Tim. 3:1-16; 4:12; 1 Pet. 5:3).
[1] The Gospel is the good news of how our Holy Trinitarian God reconciles sinful men and women back to Himself through the incarnation, perfect life, substitutionary atoning death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, which was all part of God’s plan from before the foundation of the world. Those who, by grace through faith, trust in Christ’s work alone for their right standing with God have been born again and enter into the Kingdom of God and delight in the blessings of the new covenant (already) while earnestly awaiting ultimate fulfillment thereof (not yet). This message is not simply an entry requirement, but THE central teaching of the Christian faith and an inexhaustible treasure that is applicable for both believers and unbelievers alike.
[2] Worship is the proper response of all believers to what God has done for us in Christ. Biblical worship is empowered by the Holy Spirit, where new creatures begin to treasure God above all competing affections. This internal treasuring of God wells up into outward praise and an ongoing transformation of life in line with what the Scriptures teach about God and our worship of Him. While biblical worship encompasses all of life, believers worship in a very important and biblically mandated way when they come together and worship corporately with other fellow worshippers.
[3] See the “Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy” for a fuller discussion of the inspiration, inerrancy, and infallibility of the Scriptures.