Values

God uses many ways to govern the world and his church. However, he has appointed specific means to glorify himself in us and satisfy us in him. These are called the “means of grace”—the Word, prayer, and the sacraments of baptism and communion. Our Sunday worship includes the Word (sung, read, preached, and confessed), baptism (for believers and their children), and weekly communion, all offered to God through prayer. At Redeemer, we want our members to treasure the Bible and embrace a life of prayer.

Water baptism is the visible sign of belonging to Jesus, and individuals (and their children) commit to Jesus’s community through church membership. Being united with Christ means we are also united with others who are united to him, collectively called ‘the church.’ A local church is a local expression of the worldwide church. Following Christ means joining a local church and being actively involved in its love and service. At Redeemer, we expect our members to help set up our weekly gatherings, regularly attend fellowship groups, and give generously to the church’s work.

God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh, not because the infinite, almighty God was tired from his creative activity but to set a pattern of work and rest for humanity. Sunday is also the day Jesus rose from the dead, bringing new hope. As a church, we value setting aside Sunday as a day of spiritual rest. We let Sunday shape our week. Redeemer encourages members to organise their week so that Sunday is spent in worship, fellowship, showing mercy, and hospitality.

Jesus said that true worshipers will worship God in Spirit and truth (John 4:24). Redeemer believes that knowing more about God and Jesus, and relishing the Word of God inspired by the Spirit, is true worship (John 17:3). We also use the rich history of reflecting on Scripture to worship God better. Seeking to know God is a constantly stretching experience, but it fulfils our purpose as humans. As a church, we desire sound theology to grow in our worship of God.

Hospitality may be a specialised industry today, but it has always been commonplace in the church because it was common practice for Jesus during his earthly life. In fact, his credibility was questioned because he spent too much time eating and drinking with the cultural outcasts and sinners (Matthew 11:19). More specifically, we believe the gospel itself is a supreme act of hospitality—God the Son came down to invite his enemies to be his friends and sit at his table as his Father’s adopted children by giving himself as a sacrifice for our sins. Our weekly communion is both a means of enjoying this rich grace of Christ and sets the tone of our posture toward those who are still strangers to Christ. At Redeemer, we value coffee tables and dinner tables in that we love friends gathering over great coffee and delicious food. We encourage our members to show intentional, prayerful hospitality to those in our church, neighbourhoods, and workplaces.

Disciples usually live in two significant environments throughout the week: vocation and neighbourhoods. Firstly, in a work culture often self-focused, manipulative, and deviant, our members are encouraged to serve with discipline, sacrifice, and generosity for Christ’s honour out of love for him. Secondly, contrary to disengagement from our neighbours, our members engage in community life as they are able, from running clubs to relational evangelism because God has intentionally placed each one of us where we are.

We believe that the mission that Christ has entrusted to his church of making disciples of all nations is best accomplished by planting new churches, a design initiated by Jesus himself (Matthew 28:16-20). As a church planted by New City Fellowship, Redeemer seeks to honour Christ by planting more churches because we sincerely believe that the local church is Christ’s plan to create disciples who are loved by him, and so love him and others in return. We seek to forge a culture of taking the mission of Christ forward as we are able in our individual lives with the vision of being a church-planting church.