Vision and Values

Who we are and where we’re going.

Our vision is to bring hope to the Cherwell Valley. God has given us a vision to reach the Cherwell Valley and beyond - to see our towns and every village in-between transformed to see people start a relationship with Jesus and connect into communities that are part of Lifehouse Community Church.

Our vision is Lifehouse Community Church – Bringing Hope to the Cherwell Valley.  But what does that mean, and what questions does it prompt?

Lifehouse - Can our lives be different? Can they somehow be bigger, better, fuller? Is the life that Jesus wants for me just some kind of personal spirituality, or can it be shared, grown together, overflowing?

Community - Is church really just about one or two organised meetings in a week? What can a community of faith actually look like? Who would be in it? How would I be part of it? How would Jesus be part of it?

Church - If Jesus is the centre of the church, what should it be like? How does he lead us? What does that look like, together and individually? And are we living up to the potential of his promised Holy Spirit?

Bringing Hope - If Jesus came for the sake of the world, how should the world be changed? How do we make a difference to messy lives, brokenness, injustice? What can the arrival of Jesus mean to people and situations?

to the Cherwell Valley - We love Bicester and Banbury and the places between and beyond. But are they all they should be? If not, how do we work with others to bring transformation?

These are our questions – questions that we believe Jesus has an answer for!  If you have similar questions, we’d love to talk to you about them!

Values and Practices

We have 7 core values and 5 key practices.

Core Values

  1. The Bible- We believe that the Bible is God’s word, given to instruct and guide us, as individuals and as a church, and it is our final authority in all matters of belief and practice.

  2. Holy Spirit- The Holy Spirit is not an optional extra in the Christian life. Jesus promised his disciples that he would send them God’s Spirit, to be with them and to enable them to obey all that God Commands – and we really need him!

  3. Believer’s baptism in water- Many people joining Lifehouse Community Church have found baptism to be a key moment in their spiritual life, which takes them into a new season of life in Christ.

  4. Discipleship- Being a Christian is not just about being saved from our sins to enter heaven, but becoming more and more like Jesus himself. Anything that helps us follow Jesus can be called ‘discipleship’, but the pattern of discipleship actually modelled by Jesus was of personal relationships that provide both support and challenge.

  5. Prayer and worship- These are a key part of who we are, when we gather as church and in our whole lives. As God reveals himself to us, we can't help but respond in prayer and worship.

  6. Community- We love and care for one another as an extended family, especially as we meet in communities across the Cherwell valley.

  7. Mission- Jesus gives us the great commission to go and make disciples, sharing about Jesus with those that do not know him yet, through words, works and wonders.

Key Practices

1. The Gathered- We believe that Sunday gatherings are really important, enabling us to gather together as one family.

2. Generosity- One of our key practices is that we want to be a generous people. We want to be a generous people in lots of ways and one of these ways is with our money.

3. Leadership- We pattern our leadership arrangements on the New Testament church.

4. Serving- We believe that there are many different talents and gifts amongst us all in Lifehouse Community Church. There is great benefit when all these gifts and talents are used for everyone’s benefit.

5. Global Mission- In Lifehouse Community Church we have a heart for more than just ourselves and our vision and mission extends beyond our local congregation.

Membership

To find out more about our vision and values, you might like to join the next DNA evening. It's an ideal way to find out more about church life held on one evening in an informal conversation with one of the elders and the leadership forum.