‘A covenant community for the city’
‘So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that He may be glorified...they will rebuild the ancient ruins, they will raise up the former devastations; and they will repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations.’ Isaiah 61: 3-4
‘Remove not the ancient landmark, which your fathers have set.’ Proverbs 22:28
Mission Statement: To glorify God by reaching Toronto and beyond for Christ, equipping God’s Covenant people in the Word, dedicated to worship, evangelism and apologetics, nurture and discipleship, service and mission. Vital are church participation, covenant community life and cultural engagement in obedience to the Scriptures as interpreted by the ecumenical councils and historic evangelical confessions.
Regeneration and Revival: Undergirded by a distinctly Biblical foundation, we seek transformation and cultural engagement at all levels – beginning with the individual, followed by the family, the community, the academy and the socio-cultural order, seeking to apply the Lordship of Christ in all areas of life and thought. (1 Tim 6: 5-6; 2 Cor 10: 4-5; Ps 2: 10-12; Matt 28:18; Gen 1:28, 9:1;Matt 28:18)
Education: Through preaching, teaching, lecturing and mentoring we seek to take all thought in captivity to Christ; equipping believers to reach, impact and revive a nation for Christ and His Kingdom. (Titus 2:8, Prov 22:6, 2Tim 2:15)
Apologetics: To reach today’s inquirer and skeptic in a Biblically illiterate culture, we seek to recover the New Testament’s inseparable unity of the defence with the proclamation of the Gospel by undergirding our evangelism with apologetics by means of preaching, teaching, forums, writing, broadcasting, resourcing, and partnering with like-minded churches and organizations. (1Pt 3:15, Phil 1:16, Acts 17:17)
Proclamation: We seek to be an outward-turned Covenant people, committed to the mission of the Kingdom of God, with a focus on the real needs of Toronto, and to preaching, teaching, and transforming lives by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Rom 10: 14-15, Matt 28: 19-20)
Service: By reaching out to the Church and the downtown community; by helping people in their immediate needs through acts of kindness and charity, especially widows, orphans and the poor; by creating opportunities to present the Gospel to those not reached by other ministries; by promoting justice and righteousness in both the Covenant community and social structures of the city; by applying Biblical truth to family, school and government etc. to improve the quality of community life.
Evangelism: By training in the ministry of evangelism and apologetics; by sponsoring events designed to reach those who are investigating the claims of Jesus Christ; by building relationships with skeptics and unchurched people in Toronto; by supporting mission locally and abroad by partnering with others; by supporting and growing the Ezra Institute for Contemporary Christianity
Worship: By encouraging private worship and prayer; by providing public worship opportunities in a beautiful & majestic worship space; by encouraging the continued awareness of and response to God's awesome presence; by regular participation and celebration in the sacraments; by teaching that all of life is an opportunity for worship through obedience to God’s Word.
Nurture: by equipping God’s Covenant people for service and ministry; by expounding and applying the Word of God in accurate and practical ways; by helping people discover, develop and use their spiritual gifts and talents for building up God’s Kingdom and His church; by encouraging an atmosphere of mutual accountability, confession, love, acceptance and forgiveness; by ministering to, supporting and strengthening our church families and singles.
Vision Statement: To glorify God by communicating the universal Lordship of Christ and the truth of Holy Scripture to Toronto, while encouraging our intentional Covenant community to become fully dependent on Jesus Christ, obedient to the Great Commission, engaged in the Cultural Mandate, and diligent in seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.