We seek to develop a culture of...

PURSUING JESUS

Jesus Christ is at the centre of everything we do at Village. He is all we have to offer. The day that we stop pointing toward, and pursuing Jesus is the day we are done. Our lives truly begin, and end with Jesus. We want to build a culture which orients around this reality as we encourage each other to pursue Jesus with all we have.

CHURCH AS FAMILY

Too often the church is considered an institution instead of a family. It was never meant to be an event simply attended, but an invitation into a life of divine belonging. In family life you don't just consume, you give. Families are never perfect, but we believe relational differences provide an opportunity to grow and become more like Christ. We are committed to sharing our lives in Christian community, caring for one another, discipling one another and resolving conflict.

PRAYER & DEPENDENCY

Being created by God in His image, and restored to the Father through Jesus, we are committed to being the people God calls us to be by depending on Jesus. We want prayer to be both a regular community discipline and an impromptu response to needs and opportunities. We recognise our natural instinct is to be self-sufficient and therefore commit to a life dependent on the power of the Holy Spirit.

WORD DWELLING AMONG US

Our commitment to Scripture is what makes the church unique to every other type of community in the city. We believe that God reveals Himself primarily through Scripture, and that we are to be a people who not only hear it, but are shaped and moulded by it. We will not act on the basis of tradition, habit or pragmatism without reflection on the scripture. We will not see Bible teaching as an end in itself, but as that which must shape our thinking and action. 

SPIRITUAL HONESTY & AUTHENTICITY

We want Village to be a place where it's okay to be honest about where we are spiritually without any need to pretend; doubt is best explored within the security of family life. We want to build an environment where we wrestle with difficult issues and see them resolved in the hope of the Gospel. We want to offer a sense of belonging and be communities of grace in which people can be open and vulnerable. We will not let our welcome be dependent on adherence to any cultural norms not demanded by the Gospel.

GOSPEL INTENTIONALITY

Throughout the New Testament we read of the early church being guided in the ways of Gospel-based relationships. Over and over again there is a language of 'one another': love, accept, strengthen, confess to, admonish, etc. This language shows us the importance of being deliberate with each other in living out the Gospel in our lives.

SACRIFICIAL LIVING & GENEROSITY

In understanding the abundant, sacrificial generosity of God, we want to be a community who are generous with our whole lives. This includes time, resources, talents, abilities, money and more. Jesus calls us to live a life of radical difference. In a world marked by consumption, we are seeking to build a community of counter-cultural generosity.

MISSION THROUGH COMMUNITY

In Matthew 28, Jesus sends his disciples with authority to show people what true life looks like. They weren't called to do it individually, but as a community. We are committed to communicating the Gospel message in the context of a Gospel community. We want people to experience church as a network of relationships rather than just a meeting you attend or a place you enter.

RECONCILIATION & RENEWAL

In Christ Jesus we are in the business of seeking His Kingdom which is one of redemption and restoration. The Gospel is not just about soul saving, but whole-life redemption. God IS making all things new. Present tense. Village is seeking to be a part of that story and passionately believe this is Good News! Good news for this island, for Belfast, and for the streets and neighbourhoods we live in. In a unique city where peace isn't taken for granted, where consumerism is becoming the religion of the masses, and where identities and relationships are unclear, we believe Jesus Christ is where new life is found.

GRACE

In understanding the full and immeasurable extent of God's grace on our lives, we want to show grace beyond our limits. At Village we are seeking to develop a culture of grace upon grace. It is in this grace that we truly understand the love of God and also realise that the path of a disciple is a path towards healing, wholeness and holiness. 

Village Church Belfast is a non-denominational church that believes in the authority of the Christian scriptures for our life and practice. We hold to the essential orthodox Christian beliefs as best expressed in the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed, as well as the Evangelical Statement of Faith.