Next week’s schedule for our weeklong Fathers Day celebrations. All are invited!
As a Christ-centred Church in New Zealand in the Wesleyan stream we are called to exalt Jesus Christ by:
Exalting Jesus Christ:
Jesus Christ is evidenced in both preaching and focus. It is the foundation and focus of our evangelism, discipleship and compassion. Jesus said, “…when I am lifted up … I will draw everyone to myself." (John 12:32). It is the heartbeat of our worship, both corporately and in the life and service of believers.
Equipping Believers:
We accept the Great Commission's instruction for us to go and make disciples. This includes inviting believers to receive God's gift of the Holy Spirit, enabling them to live holy lives, fulfilling the Great Commandment to love God completely and their neighbours as themselves.
Developing Leaders:
Educated and competent leadership has always been a characteristic of effective Wesleyan work and witness. We equip and empower those called to leadership in the church through an integrated training of head, heart, hand and habits expressed in the paradigm of praxis and preparation (doing and being). The Wesleyan Methodist Church of New Zealand strives to have a Godly education for our leaders which enables them to be well equipped and fruitful in ministry.
Multiplying:
We recognise the condition of all persons outside of the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and fully embrace the responsibility of the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20). This authentically expresses the passion of our Saviour, who came to seek and to save the lost. We seek to do this by planting new congregations in New Zealand, working with other Christian groups where this will strengthen our Christian witness, as well as by actively participating in Christian mission overseas.
Transforming our Community:
We were born in societal reformation and affirm that holy lives bring a holy impact upon culture. This includes both evangelism and compassion. We recognise that the key to the reforming of society is the transformation of persons by the grace of God. We encourage and empower believers to allow God to transform them into new persons (Rom 12:2) and to share the benefits of the gospel with all people everywhere. We seek to influence our local communities with Christian grace and wisdom by working with, and praying for, government and other leaders.
Discipling across Generations:
We value the multi-generational nature of the body of Christ and encourage each generation to disciple those who follow them (Titus 2). We value the participation of all generations including children, youth and younger adults, and are committed to resourcing people as they grow and take their place in the church today.
The Wesleyan Methodist Church shares the dynamic orthodox Christian faith together with certain distinctive emphases. It encourages people to move toward maturity in discipleship, described by John Wesley as "Scriptural Holiness". This includes an assurance and certainty of salvation and commitment to continuing personal and social transformation. We believe in the priesthood of all believers as stated in Scripture and recognises that God calls each person to tasks and gifts of ministry empowered by the Holy Spirit. The call of God upon some may lead the Church to set them aside for specific responsibilities. Some are called to the Ministry of Word, Sacraments and Pastoral Care and the Church recognises this by ordination and the laying-on of hands and prayer for the anointing and blessing of the Holy Spirit. Others are called to various ministries that the Church recognises appropriately.
The Wesleyan Methodist Church recognises the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion and encourages all partners to seek to worship together on the Lord's day.
We are a multi-racial Church family which delights in the variety of cultures and languages God has given us. When we gather together annually we celebrate the vibrancy of our faith in Jesus Christ through varied cultural expression. We believe that multi-cultural New Zealand will only be effectively evangelised by a multi-cultural mission.
We are a mission-minded movement which places local churches at the heart of mission in their contexts. Our movement is a “connexion” (a connection with the cross at the centre) encouraging one another to love God with all our heart, mind, soul & strength. Our network of local churches is joined together by common beliefs, shared vision and values, and accountable practices. Our national leaders are called to equip and empower local congregations for local, national and international mission.
All persons are welcomed into partnership with the Wesleyan Methodist Church of New Zealand who express their faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord, seek to live a holy life in accordance with the Scriptures and want to share in the mission and responsibilities of being the people of God in their community through their local congregation.