We don’t go to church. We are the church
Here at Barneys, we want church to be more than an event on Sunday. We do meet together each Sunday morning and see that as an important part of our life together. But we want church to be much more than that. We want to be living out our identity as God’s people in all of life.
As disciples of Jesus Christ, we have been given a new identity, a new name. Jesus said that disciples are to be baptised in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matt 28:18-20). Who we are as disciples is based on who God is and what he has done.
We’re a Family of Servant Missionaries
Family
God the Father has adopted us into his FAMILY. We are dearly loved children. Our worth, security and joy come from knowing the grace and love of God. As family we seek to love one another as brothers and sisters and to display the love of the Father to the world.
Servants
God the Son has rescued us to be his SERVANTS. We are not masters of our own lives but belong to the Lord Jesus. As Jesus came and served us, ultimately through his death on the cross, we are now called to serve others in his name, living lives that make Jesus' kingdom tangible and demand a gospel explanation.
Missonaries
God the Holy Spirit has empowered and sent us to be his MISSIONARIES. We have an amazing privilege and responsibility to be co-workers with God in proclaiming the gospel to the world. As missionaries we reorient our whole lives around the mission of making disciples.
This is our identity as the church. This is who we are: a Family of Servant Missionaries, sent as disciples who make disciples.
We live this identity out in what we call a Gospel Community, DNA, Sunday gathering and in other situations.
