Values
People need hope. Hope is found in Jesus and built in community. One Boston Church is a community of faith dedicated to bringing the hope of Jesus to the people of greater Boston. The church is built on 3 Core Values:
- BELONG: Everyone needs somewhere to BELONG.
- BELIEVE: Everyone needs to BELIEVE in and follow Jesus.
- BECOME: Everyone needs to BECOME what God created them to be.
Guiding Principles
Four Guiding Principles shape our gatherings and community.
1. Authentic Relationships, Intentional Community
Psalm 68:6; Proverbs 27:17; John 17:21; John 13:34-35; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Hebrews 10:25
The greatest of all human needs is the need to be loved; to be truly known and accepted. When the Father created people, he said “It is not good for man to be alone.” (Genesis 2:18) Jesus spoke more about relationships than almost any other topic. The Church is not an organization; it is the Body of Christ: a living organism. It lives and breathes through the strength of its relationships. These kinds of relationships are neither accidental or haphazard. We build them with time and effort. In doing so, we create families and communities that encourage individual and corporate growth.
2. Spiritual Vibrancy, Intellectual Honesty
Deuteronomy 6:5; Acts 2; John 4:24; 1 Corinthians 2:4; 1 Corinthians 13; Luke 10:27; 1 John 1:1
At the core of the Christian faith is an encounter with God and His Son through the ongoing work and gifts of the Holy Spirit. Followers of Jesus should expect God to engage them in ways that are nothing short of supernatural that can be ”seen with our eyes and touched with our hands.” (1 John 1:1) However, faith and ongoing discipleship are not in spite of or in lieu of our mind. They are the culmination and fulfillment of the command to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.” (Deuteronomy 6:5, Luke 10:27)
3. Internal Growth, External Investment
Micah 6:8; Matthew 5:13-16; Romans 8:18-21; 2 Timothy 2:2; Titus 2:1-10; James 2:17
Walking with God includes concealed private growth and public expressions. Drawing near to God and growing in relationship with Him must be accompanied by investing in the world and the lives of those around us. “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:17) Our journey with God is intensely personal, yet must have profoundly public results and expressions. We are to “act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God” (Micah 6:8) In this vein, we are to profoundly influence, shape, and elevate every aspect of humanity.
4. Local Transformation, Global Engagement
Matthew 10:40-42; Matthew 25:34-40; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; Revelation 11:15
Jesus left the church with the challenge to “go and make disciples of all nations” saying “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Matthew 28:18; Acts 1:8) We are to carry the hope found in the miracle of His resurrection to all people. As His representatives, we are to be the hands, feet and voice of Jesus to others in our world. We become more like Christ when we visit the prisoner, welcome the stranger, love the broken, or care for the poor. (Matthew 25:34-40) We begin by personally delivering this good news in tangible, practical and measurable ways to our city and continue by engaging in strategic mission partnerships that reach out to other communities and peoples around the world.