St John's Hoxton A Beacon Of Hope For Hoxton
Vision
Our vision is to be a beacon of hope for Hoxton.
Mission
We seek to share the good news of Jesus with all the people of Hoxton, and to play our part in the transformation of the local neighbourhood.
Values
Welcome:
We want to extend the loving welcome of God to all people who visit our church, whatever their background. We wish to avoid becoming a ‘holy huddle’ who are not capable of welcoming others.
Hospitality:
We want to be active in providing hospitality to all people who visit our church. We will ensure that refreshments are always available, and of a high quality. We will ensure the environment caters to the needs of different visitors: baby-changing facilities, good toilets, disabled access, adequate lighting, comfortable surroundings and clear signage.
Excellence:
‘Be perfect as God is perfect’ we are told in the New Testament. We will aim for perfection and settle for excellence. We want to be diligent and professional in everything we do, ensuring high standards of preparation and delivery for all our services. We do not want to be sloppy or lazy in our approach to God’s mission.
Joy:
‘The joy of the Lord is my strength’ says Nehemiah 8:10. We desire to be people whose lives are characterised by joy whatever the circumstances of our lives. We recognise that non-Christians will not be attracted to a ‘gloomy’ church – but that God’s joy is infectious and captivating.
Hope:
‘Hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.’ (Romans 5:5) God has given us the hope of new creation and resurrection in Jesus. We know that this hope transforms our lives even now – and can also transform our neighbourhood when we share this hope with others. Our world is in need of a renewed imagination, and a hope which drives change in lives and society. We will be a people committed to sharing our hope with others.
Our Strategy
We’re on a journey - and we hope you might want to be part of it! We believe in a model of church which involves every member - we are participants not spectators!
As we seek to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, we have a specific strategy for how we hope to develop as a church. These 5 strategic parameters are set out below:
- To cultivate a Diverse Church, made up of different people from different local communities, but united in Christ. (Gal. 3:28 – ‘There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus’)
- To adopt Distinctive Mission programmes that reach out to, serve and engage with the many different communities who comprise the local neighbourhood. (1 Cor. 9:22 - ‘I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.’)
- To build a Dedicated Team of leaders, both staff and volunteers who are committed to using their gifts and skills to help achieve our vision.
- To Develop Buildings which are needs-oriented, and which create a hospitable hub at the heart of our neighbourhood.
- To Deploy Leaders & Planters in the creation of new congregations and church plants in other areas of our neighbourhood and beyond.