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After carefully studying the
Bible, we saw many ways the first church functioned. But when we looked at
today's churches, we did not see them functioning in the same way. We also knew
that we like to make things complicated when God means for it to be simple.
Simplicity became a key principle of our philosophy. After each point, we asked ourselves,
"Is this the simplest way to do it?" Knowing that God tells us without a plan we will not succeed, Restoration Church has laid out the following plan, or values, as God revealed: Acceptance: Jesus taught the value of accepting all people just the way they are. We believe that showing someone that you love them gives you the right to teach them God's values later. We commit to love people first, and then teach them God's principles. All people are welcome at Restoration. We are more interested in your future than your past! Connecting: Jesus showed us the example of giving others a connection in the Body of Christ. We will attempt to connect people by pairing them up with a prayer discipleship partner within their cell group to help them along. Everything we do at Restoration encourages connecting with others. The heart of connecting is friendship. Teamwork: God's word is full of examples showing us that He never intended the church to depend on the gifting of just one person. He tells us that in the multitude of counselors there is safety. We believe the best solutions come from a team of Spirit-led leaders working together in unity as a team. Ephesians 4:7-16 says, "each one" has been given a gift according to the measure of God's grace. Then He goes on to say that "He gave some as apostles, and some as Prophets, and some as Evangelists, and some as Pastors and Teachers". Restoration Church is made up of teams of people with a measure of one of the five foundational ministry gifts, or heart motivations, listed in Ephesians 4 leading in every area of ministry. This list of ministry gift appears to be the only all inclusive list for building up the body of Christ. All other spiritual gifts are accompanying gifts for the five main ministry gifts and are distributed as as God wills. Simply put, consider the ministry gifts in Ephesians 4 as the shape or heart of the ministers, and the spiritual gifts as the supernatural gifts given to them to meet certain needs at certain times as God wills. We will help each person coming to Restoration discover their heart motivation and find their place on the team that best suits the calling the Lord has on their life. One would best be fulfilled as he finds his place in ministry within the Body of Christ. Atmosphere: The atmosphere we create is important to attract all people. The reason people were attracted to Jesus was not only because He had answers for their lives, but because He was a fun person to be around! Restoration Church believes that church was meant and modeled by Christ to be fun.... not boring. Our emphasis is on reaching people just the way they are, not how we want them to be. We strive to make our cell groups and Reunions casual, fun, and relevant for all ages. We want people to come as they are and not be looked at any differently. Though we strive to be casual and fun, this doesn't imply that "anything goes" within Restoration. We believe you can come to the Lord in reverence and fear, but still show people that church is fun! Worship: Worship is one of the highest priorities of a Christian life. It is the one thing that will not stop after Christ comes back! We will strive to seek the Spirit's guidance in leading others to a worship experience with God daily, in our cell groups, and in our reunions. We understand that worship is more than music. Corporately, we seek different methods and music that glorify God whether it is our personal preference or not. We always try to to remember that if we are to reach all nations, and that people connect to God in different ways. We always give people the freedom to biblically express themselves to God as He moves them, without fear of rejection. Participation: According to 1 Corinthians 14:26, when we assemble, "each one" has something to give for the edification of the Body. This can only be done as we meet in the cell group, and it is why Jesus modeled it for us. This is why both the cell group and the Reunion service are important. Both have a purpose for the growth of the Body. It is our desire for 100% participation from the members of Restoration Church as we help each discover their role in ministry and help get them placed in that role. Church was never meant to be a spectator sport. Every Christian is on the "A" team. Unity: The whole reason for Christ's death was so that we would be in union with the Father once again. If unity is so important to Christ then it must be a priority with His church. In order for us to reach this world, the world must first see the church in unity. At Restoration we will, at all cost and without compromising the Gospel, be in unity with other believers taking every opportunity to come together to promote Christ even if we don't agree on all points, remembering that unity is not necessarily uniformity. We will do our part to the answering of Christ's final prayer in John 17. Membership: We recognize that God will keep up with who is a member of His Kingdom so we don't have to. At Restoration Church, in order to establish a list of resources and accountability, a member of our body is one who is a baptized believer who God leads to work and minister in the cell and Reunion under the leadership of Restoration. We do not send off for recommendation letters from other church bodies but leave it to you, as a new member, to maintain the right relationship with your previous church. A letter stating that you have been led to minister within Restoration could be sent to a previous body if desired or requested by you, asking them to remove you from their role. Baptism: Part of the Great Commission given by Jesus was to baptize the new converts. Baptism identifies us as one who now follows Christ. It is an outward sign to all who see, including the powers and principalities of the air, that we are now believers and followers of Christ. Baptism is the first step of obedience and growth in your walk with the Lord. In the New Testament, baptism always followed after becoming a believer in Christ. It was done in a body of water, which is the best representation of the old man buried with Christ (as you go under) and the new man being born into Christ (as you come up). It is for this reason that Restoration practices immersion in baptism. We believe it is the biblical method, remembering that the order (salvation then baptism) and the heart motive are far more important than arguing over the method. The command to baptize was given to the church and not just the elders or leaders. Therefore, we encourage all members to baptize those whom they may have a relationship with. Parents have the privilege to baptize their children as they give their heart to the Lord. The Lords Supper: Christ implemented a beautiful ceremony that reminded His disciples of what He had done for them. This has become known as "The Lords Supper". He gave them bread in remembrance of His body which was broken for us and passed the cup to drink in remembrance of His blood that was spilled for us. It was conducted in the intimate setting of His small group and it is there (cell group) that we mostly practice this beautiful reminder. Jesus doesn't tell us how often to do it, but only says, "For as as you eat.... and drink.... do this in remembrance of Me. This is left up to each cell servant to do as the Lord leads. This, like baptism, was given to the believer to do and is up to each individual to decide whether he or she is a believer or not. Restoration cannot determine who is "worthy" to take of the Lords Supper. Each person is to "examine him/herself" and is held accountable to the Lord for his or her decisions. This privilege was given to the "Church", not just to Restoration, therefore all believers are welcome to take the Lords Supper as it is given at Restoration.
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