VISION 
To join in gospel ministry in SE Grand Rapids as a God-glorifying, gospel-centered, biblically faithful, cross-cultural, justice-practicing presbyterian church. 

MISSION 
We exist to worship the Lord, edify his saints, and witness to the world by the power of, and in obedience to, Christ our prophet, priest and king. 

Worship the Lord  

The Lord sent Moses to Egypt with the words, “Let my son go that he may serve [worship] me.” (Exodus 4:23) This is also repeated in Exodus 7:16, 8:1, 8:20, 9:1, 9:13, and 10:3. God delivered his people from bondage so that they may worship him. The church exists to worship God according to his will. The Samaritan woman, noting the segregated worship of her people (Samaritans) from the Lord’s people (Jews), is told by the Lord in John 4:23-24, “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” We seek this united, God-centered worship at New City Fellowship by drawing the gifts of our varied cultures together in the worship of God in Spirit and truth. 

Edify his saints  

Mutual edification is also a crucial priority in the church. God’s desire is that his people truly grow in the grace and the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 3:18) Through the preaching of the living Word, the prayers of believing saints, and the sacraments of the Lord’s Supper and Baptism, the Spirit of God works to strengthen God’s people so that Christ may dwell in their hearts through faith. (Ephesians 3:16-17) We believe this edification takes place as we care for one another’s spiritual and physical needs. Colossians 3:16 tells us, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”  And in 1 John 3:17-18, we are instructed in this way: “But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” We seek this mutual edification at New City through our worship, Christian Education classes, life groups, men’s/women’s groups, diaconal assistance, and other ministries designed to this end.         

Witness to the world  

Witness is another crucial priority for the Church. We are commanded by Christ to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19–20) We believe witnessing involves not only the word of the gospel that we preach but actions in keeping with that gospel. We are committed therefore to practicing what James tells us in James 1:27: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” We at New City seek to bear witness to Christ by developing disciples who know how to share their faith personally and by partnering with local Christian-based ministries in our city, looking for opportunities to share Christ in word and action.  
 

CORE VALUES 

Glorifying God 

Our God is the triune God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As a church we seek to be motivated in all we do to bring honor to the Father, to exalt Christ, and to live in the power of the Spirit. We seek to lay aside our idols, whatever they are, centering our worship in God alone. In everything we seek to follow Paul’s encouragement: “… so, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31) 

Living in the gospel 

As a church we seek to live in the truth of the gospel, resting personally in the freedom from condemnation that Christ won for us through his death and resurrection. In Romans 1:16 the gospel is defined as, “…the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” We seek to live out this gospel in all our relationships, refusing to condemn each other but offering instead the forgiveness which we ourselves have received from Christ. We seek to live in the call of Scripture: “32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32) 

Submitting to the word of God 

The Psalmist speaks to the word of God as a lamp to his feet and a light to his path. (Psalm 119:105) As a church we seek to submit to the word of God alone as our rule in all we believe and do, trusting that it alone can make us mature in our call to reflect God’s image in this world.  We seek to submit to the word of God, knowing that when we do we bring blessing to ourselves and to all who hear. 

Practicing justice 

God spoke through Isaiah commanding his people, “… learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.” (Isaiah 1:17) Justice at its core isn’t ultimately about judgment but about setting things right. It’s about oppression being corrected, the fatherless being protected, widows being defended, strangers/foreigners being cared for, and the poor being lifted from their poverty. As a church we seek to be engaged in the work of setting things right, both inside and outside the church, remembering the words of Scripture: “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:10) 

Pursuing cross-cultural competency 

As a church we seek to become in our experience what God has accomplished for us through the cross of Christ. We seek in Christ to become the one new humanity from every tribe, language, people, and nation that God has purchased through the sacrifice of his Son. We will therefore seek to grow in our cross-cultural competency—that is our ability to bridge our differences culturally. We seek as a church to learn from one another in order to grow up into Revelation 7:9-10: “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” 

Witnessing to the community 

Christ told his disciples in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” As a church we seek to obey Christ’s command in our day by making ourselves present in our community in word and in action. We seek to build genuinely loving relationships with our neighbors building real trust through which we can preach the gospel and live it out among them.