If we don’t define culture, it will be defined for us.
If Vision is about where we are going, our Culture is about who we are becoming.
We want to be the kind of people that reflect God’s heart and character. With that in mind, as a church family we are trying to grow in five areas of culture.
Honour
“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honour.” Romans 12:10
When we honour someone we respect them, value them and credit them with worth. Honour is about showing people how valuable they are; making them feel special and seeing them the way that Jesus does.
We can show honour in many ways, including the way that we talk to and about people. We want to encourage one another and celebrate others and their breakthroughs and successes. We want to speak well of other churches in the town. And, we also want to honour ourselves by being mindful of what we say over ourselves.
Acceptance
“...clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievance you may have against one another.” Colossians 3:12-14
Jesus accepted us unconditionally the moment we were saved and our attitude to one another should be no different. This means that when we share our deepest or most shameful secrets, we shouldn’t receive judgement but love, just as Jesus would do.
Accepting one another doesn’t mean being complacent about sin and accepting that anything goes. Instead, it means lovingly encouraging each other to embrace the change and freedom needed to become who Jesus has called us to be.
Authenticity
“If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus, His son, purifies us from all our sin.” 1 John 1:7
We want King’s Arms to be a place where people can really be themselves and be honest about who they are and where they are at. It’s ok if you have junk in your life but it’s not ok to pretend. It is the hidden stuff, the things that we feel shame about, that will have power and a hold over our lives. When we share those things authentically with one another, that power is broken and we can come into full freedom.
We challenge everybody to have two or three friends who know our worst secrets but are willing to love us, provoke us and cheer us on.
Generosity
“…be rich in good deeds, generous and willing to share.” 1 Timothy 6:17-19
God's ultimate act of generosity was sending His Son to die for us. We want to create a culture where people are generous with their money, their possessions, their time and their love. The culture of the society around us is one of ‘not enough’. Yet, God says that He gives us enough bread to eat and seed to sow (2 Corinthians 6:6-12).
We want to live by that truth; that God gives us all that we need each day, plus enough to share and give away. This might look like sharing our car by giving lifts, sharing our home by offering hospitality or being generous with our time by listening and praying with someone.
Courage
"....Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Hebrews 12:1-3
Courage is not the absence of fear but the decision we make that something is more important than the fear. Courage is all about taking risks. God has extraordinary things for us to achieve as a church and this won’t happen if we are content to stay within our comfort zone.
Personal courage may involve dealing with things long hidden such as pain, sin or marriage difficulties. Courage can also mean trying something, even if we’re not sure it will work out; we recognise that God’s ability to fix things is greater than our ability to mess things up! And, courage may look like daring to dream big and taking actions towards what might seem impossible. We believe that nothing is impossible for God.