Vision & Beliefs
Emmanuel is on an adventure, learning to follow Jesus wherever He leads and whatever the cost
This is our goal as a church family. We are committed to following Jesus wherever He leads us. We recognize that the ‘fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom’ (Psalm 111) and we support and encourage each other to lifestyles of deeper discipleship, learning to put God first every day. We achieve this by taking the bible seriously, by being open to the empowering work of the Holy Spirit, being passionate in our worship, through relationships in our Connect Groups and through prayer.
We love being a part of our wider Newfrontiers family of churches and particularly our sphere within it, called Catalyst. Our primary relationships in world mission, and our serving of the global poor, come most often through this network.
We believe the Church is the hope of the world, that it declares the truth about Jesus Christ, models the new community of the Spirit and builds secure families connected to the Father. We are happy to be considered:
Our Values
Four words that we find helpful in describing the culture and values that we are looking to live out together are:
HUMBLE
towards God and one another in speech, conduct and attitudes
HONOURING
of one another, recognising that we are wonderfully different but beautifully reconciled through the gospel
DEVOTED
seeking to grow in passion for God, taking time to enjoy him and welcome the presence of the Holy Spirit
COURAGEOUS
taking steps of faith and obedience that stretch us - we really believe that so often ‘the awesome is in the awkward’
What to expect at Emmanuel
WORD: Bible-based preaching which shapes our culture and practice
SPIRIT: Openness to the Holy Spirit, inviting Him to lead and transform us
DISCIPLESHIP: A discipleship culture – expecting that all at Emmanuel have an appetite to go deeper with God and to grow
PRAYER: Planning times to pray regularly and often
MISSION: We passionately tell others about Jesus, both locally and globally
FAMILY: A deep sense of family offering love and support to one another
SERVE: A heart to serve Oxford’s wider community, particularly the poor
PARTNERSHIP: An evident partnership with Catalyst / Newfrontiers, sharing mission around the world
GENEROSITY: We love to give away. We regularly have the joy of sending teams, individuals and finance to mission and church planting projects