BGMC VALUES

We believe that the person of Jesus is able to answer the question, ‘what is God like’? We uphold that Jesus is the fullest and final expression of God’s character, whose essence is love. This love was ultimately seen in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, revealing God to be acting decisively for humanity to set us free. It is love and not doctrine, therefore that holds us together. It is from this love that we seek to become changed into the cruciform character of God. We view the bible as being the inspired story of God’s people in history learning how to follow him, and that we can understand it through the lens of the person and work of Jesus Christ. 

We are committed to being a community that worships God both when we gather together and as we live our daily lives – in our homes, neighbourhoods, and workplaces. We believe that God is Lord of all creation and that we can encounter him in the ordinary moments and events of everyday life. Therefore, we seek to understand how faith engages with the diverse aspects of contemporary society – culture, family, politics, sport, and the arts. Our gathered expressions of life together seek to be a holistic response of worship to God through our bodies, minds, emotions and desires. We take seriously the sacred partnership with God in bringing change in the world through prayer.

We recognise our calling as Christians to love God and love our neighbour, and we want the difference we make in the world to look like Jesus and point to him. We are committed to helping people encounter the flourishing and full life that Jesus freely offers, through our joyful presence and gracious proclamation. As image-bearers of God, we embrace our sacred calling to care for the earth and to join in God’s work of reconciling all creation to herself. We deeply value our partnerships with our local community, as we work together to make Tower Hamlets a more peaceful, just, and hopeful place to live and work.

We believe that the umbrella of God’s love is wide enough to welcome everyone, regardless of age, gender, sexuality, appearance, ethnicity, bank balance, or political beliefs. We believe the church should be a place of belonging for those who believe in God all of the time, some of the time, or not at all. We believe the truth of God is to be held as an open palm and not a clenched fist. So, we value honesty, asking questions and being curious. We take seriously Jesus’ command not to judge, and we are committed to embodying the radical, inclusive welcome of God’s Kingdom. We admit to wrestling with how to welcome otherness and difference with grace and humility –  as a gift and not a threat – in our complex world.

We acknowledge the destructive power of human sin and the reality of evil in the world. We therefore want to make space for lament and sorrow. At the same time, we are committed to discerning and celebrating what is good and beautiful, while naming and resisting what is not. We seek to live wisely and faithfully in the tension and mess of the in-between. We are continually learning how to develop a prophetic imagination that refuses to accept what seems inevitable. As we look forward to the healing of all creation, we pray and work for God’s Kingdom to reconfigure the world around his gracious rule. In all our flaws and failures, we strive as a Christian community to be a faithful preview and sign of what this beautiful future will look like.