Six values shaping our church culture.

Click the buttons for pop-up details on each value.

Where beliefs identify the theology of the Church and the truths underpinning all of our programs, events and activities, core values are the guiding principles reflecting how we go about putting our beliefs into practice.

Core values help set expectations for the emphasises of our church as well as unify the pastoral team and wider congregation in “one spirit and purpose” (Philippians 2:2).

CCN has six core values structured around the Biblical principles to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and to “love your neighbour as yourself.” (Matthew 22:36-40).

Bible teaching permeates everything we do at CCN. We see the Bible like a road-map for daily living (Psalm 119:105) and encourage all people to spend time in Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16-17) that we would be both ‘doers’ and ‘hearers’ of God’s Word (James 1:22-25).

While we do have occasional topical teachings and mini-series, the primary substance of our weekly sermons consists of systematically working through a book of the Bible at a time—chapter-by-chapter, verse-by-verse—that we might “rightly divide the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15) in its historical and grammatical context.

1. Bible Teaching

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…”

2 Timothy 3:16

Sound or “healthy” doctrine doctrine is teachings that uphold God as the source, object and end of all things (Romans 11:36; 1 Corinthians 8:6). It provides a pattern that, when followed, promotes healthy faith and cultivates loving relationships of grace and truth. Sound doctrine is essential because where God’s teachings are changed the basis of our faith shifts and “the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation” is lost (Ephesians 1:13; cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14).

At CCN we are committed to holding fast to what has been entrusted to us in the Scriptures and believe that by doing so we will be:

safeguarded from false teachings (2 Timothy 2:24–26; Titus 1:9-11);
promoting the message of salvation (Matthew 5:13-16; 1 Timothy 4:16; Titus 2:9-10; 1 Peter 3:1-6);
glorifying God through the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ(1 Timothy 1:10-11) and the practice of living changed lives which reflect the sacrificial love He has shown to us (1 Peter 4:11; 2 Peter 3:18).

2. Sound Doctrine

“Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus…”

2 Timothy 1:13

Worship is constant inner praise to the God of Scripture manifest in prayer, song, service, giving, living and gratitude. Worship is something we do by conviction in response to something we believe to be true; an outer expression of an inner conviction (Isaiah 29:13; 2 Samuel 6:14). It is a lifestyle not a moment — “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.” (Colossians 3:16 cf. Psalm 34:1-3; 95:6; Acts 4:24; 16:25; Romans 12:1; Ephesians 5:18-21).

Some churches prefer to emphasise feelings and affections in worship while others emphasise reason and understanding. Jesus’ statement to the Samaritan woman in John 4:24 teaches a both/and approach which we strive to emulate at CCN. We value spirit-filled worship that is neither mechanical or formalistic, but infused with heartfelt commitment, love and zeal for God for who He is and all He has done.

At the same time we also value truth and therefore see worship as fundamentally an expression rooted and tethered to the realities of biblical revelation. Hence, we understand ‘authentic worship’ to consist of a balance between head and heart, intellect and emotion — perspiration and inspiration — expressed through prayer, Bible reading, teaching, meditation, singing, and the application God’s truth to everyday life (Romans 12:1).

3. Authentic Worship

“God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth…”

John 4:24

When the transformation of salvation takes place in the life of a believer, spiritual growth begins in conscious awareness of God’s presence and in communion with Him through Jesus Christ.

The process of spiritual growth is what theologians call “sanctification” (1 Thessalonians 4:3), which is a word that is related to the word saint. To “sanctify” something is to set it apart or make it holy for special use. Hence, the more we grow to be like Jesus, the more God can used us for His good and glorious purposes.

The process of sanctification is perhaps best described in 2 Peter 1:3-8, which tells us that by God’s power we have “everything we need” to live a godly life. Fundamentally, spiritual growth is alignment of our lives to the way God has designed life to be lived: in communion with Him, our Maker!

Spiritual growth is a lifelong process that is, in part, dependent on the free will of every believer who is called to: study and apply God’s Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17), to be prayerful in all things (Philippians 4:5-7), and to walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-26).

4. Spiritual Growth

“speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ…”

Ephesians 4:15

The Bible describes the Church as a spiritual body (1 Corinthians 12:12-13) of which Christ is the head (Ephesians 1:22; 4:15; Colossians 1:18). Essentially, then, one of the ways God ‘hugs’ His people is through his arms (the body) of the Church.

We believe Church should be a place that reflects the sacrificial love of Jesus — “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35; cf. 1 John 4:7-10).

We see consistent meeting with one another as a faithful expression of love and devotion to God and towards each other (1 Corinthians 11:18-20; Hebrews 10:25).

We strive to:

connect people to others who will foster their spiritual maturity and capacity for service;
give of our time, talents, and treasures to God in conviction of Jesus’ truth, expression of His character and competence in fulfilling His Commission to share (Matthew 28:19–20; 1 Timothy 4:6–8); and
be a humble, transparent, trusting, generous and socially conscious community of believers who shine bright light stars to the glory of God (Matthew 5:17-16; John 17:20-23; Galatians 5:13, 22-23; Ephesians 4:15, 25; Philippians 2:3-4, 14-16; Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:3; 1 Peter 4:10).

5. Loving Fellowship

“walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace…”

Ephesians 4:1-3

As we grow to be more like Jesus our desires become more like His. And what does God desire? “[God] desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). In other words, the more we spiritually grow, the more we desire to see all people saved! As recipients of God’s grace we find ourselves compelled to share the Good News of Jesus with everyone we can.

The Good News of Jesus is meant for the whole world and our own “worlds” of home, neighbourhoods, schools, universities and workplaces. That is why CCN spends a large portion of our annual budget supporting global missions.

Locally, we are committed to “equipping the saints for the work of the ministry” (Ephesians 4:12-16). We believe all Christians have a strategic position for influencing the family, friends, neighbours, and co-workers they have around them with the Good News of Jesus. In its essence, Gospel outreach (evangelism) consists of the demonstration, proclamation, and reasoning of the Good News of Jesus Christ. We believe this is the responsibility of every believer and of the church as an organised whole to be involved in gospel outreach, which is why much of our energy and resources are committed to both local and global outreach.

6. Gospel Outreach

“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

Values