TRINITY CHURCH NETWORK VALUES
AND DISTINCTIVES

Trinity Church Network is a community helping people to discover their magnificent true identity and destiny, sparked into life through a radical relationship with Jesus.

In explaining the kingdom of God Jesus said that it is like a man who finds a treasure buried in a field who goes and sells everything he has in order to buy the field and get his hands on the treasure (Matthew 13).

‘Values’ are like kingdom of Jesus treasures. They are much more than beliefs; they are our ‘valuables’; they energise what we do and how we do it. People’s ‘beliefs’ are not necessarily their values.

Jesus said that it is only through new birth into the amazing realm of God’s spirit that people are empowered to ‘see’ these kingdom things or ‘enter’ the kingdom (John 3). Here is a summary of Trinity’s treasures and energising passions.

God is ‘relational’
God is ‘Trinity’ of relationships and he partners with us as his co-workers in a battle of kingdom love against the evil that destroys people (Zeph 3:17; Eph 6:10f). God not only guides with his Spirit in this mission, he responds to the prayers of his people, thus bringing about situations that might not otherwise have happened. This means that the future is partly ‘open’, full of possibilities (Jer 3:7), as well as of those things which God has sovereignly determined to do.

All people are valuable and made in God’s image (“positive anthropology”).
There is within every person the magnificent design of God (Gen 1:27), waiting to be released in a saving encounter with Jesus. All activities and pursuits to ‘find ourselves’ other than with God cause us to get ‘lost’ and to develop a false self or identity (Isaiah 53:6). This is sin. Kingdom mission is calling people into relationship with Jesus so that they are ‘found’ in him and ‘salvaged’.

Our mission is to announce the kingdom of God and to demonstrate it to others.
The kingdom is God’s will being done on earth as it is in heaven. It comes in words, works and wonders (Rom 15:17-19; 1 Thess 1:5). The gospel is ‘good news for the poor’, addressing the needs of the whole person. Preaching the kingdom hastens the return of Jesus (Is 61; Mt 6:33; 11:12; 24:14; 2 Pet 3:12).

Everything we do is about Jesus and for him (centrality of Jesus).
All activities are intended to bring Jesus to people and people to Jesus. Talk about God – Godianity – is not necessarily Christianity. (Colossians 1:15-20).

Jesus-type mission is ‘charismatic’ requiring all the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Spiritual gifts are ‘tools’ for displaying the kingdom. Only what is done in the Holy Spirit can bring heaven to earth and is capable of destroying the works of the evil one (1 Corinthians 14:1,39; 1 Thess 5:19-21; Mt 6:10).

Praise, worship and prayer in the the Holy Spirit are central in kingdom mission.
Praise is a primary evidence of being baptised (immersed) in the Spirit (John 4:24; Acts 2).

The Bible is the Spirit-inspired Word of God.
All our teaching must arise from Scripture and be tested by it. We encourage study of the scriptures as well as biblical preaching and teaching (2 Tim 3:15, 16).

All believers are prophets and priests of God.
All religious privilege associated with sex, race or social status is eliminated in Jesus. Some believers (both men and women) are leaders by gifting and recognition, and have ‘rule’ in the community of God, but they are not ‘clergy’. Our objective is a church without ‘priests’ or ‘laity’ (or rather one in which everyone is both). (Mt 27:50-51; Heb 10:11-22; Acts 2:16-18; Gal 3:28).

Jesus’ death was an unlimited atonement for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2).
God wants everyone to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. Salvation is by the unmerited grace of God offered to all and received by repentance and faith in Jesus. (1 Tim 2:1-7; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 John 2:2). No one is either predetermined to be saved or to be lost. ‘Predestination’ is that ‘end’ to which God is bringing everyone who chooses Christ. It refers to their destiny in the coming kingdom, and is not about who will become a Christian.

Unity strengthens our spiritual authority.
We aim, as our conscience allows, to bless, affirm and cooperate with the work of all true Christians, including those who do not share all our values. We are eager to have dialogue with and represent fairly the views of those with whom we may disagree. (Eph 4:3; Ps 133; Prov 6:16-19; Titus 3:10).