What sort of church do we want to be?

Vision statements contain an element of “dreaming” about how we see the church developing over the next five to ten years and what we want to become in the Lord.  Some things may seem out of reach, but it would not be a vision if we could do it all by ourselves!  And remember, God is able to immeasurably more than we can ask or even imagine, so we hope that you are excited by this as you read it!

We want BCF to be a church where...

The Holy Spirit finds freedom to minister.

We envisage services in which people are convinced, convicted and changed by God’s Word, through the ministry of people gifted and empowered to preach in a way that is both relevant and challenging.  Services are led by a variety of people from within the fellowship, alongside teams of dedicated musicians, who together stimulate meaningful worship and a hunger for a deeper love for Christ.  Using music and drama, as well as seeing spiritual gifts exercised, these services draw people into a fuller experience of Christ.

We see a church in which worship goes further than Sundays.  Retreats and prayer days foster personal and small group spirituality, so that people are excited in their knowledge of Christ, looking for his blessing every day.  Personal worship is a vital part of their daily lives and they carry his presence with them wherever they go.  Their aim is to offer themselves as living sacrifices to God in everything they do.


Christians put themselves out for each other.

We see a church of people who look for opportunities to serve one another and encourage each other in both faith and daily life.  We see people who accept their responsibilities for each other in Christ, who ensure that no one is left out and who are prepared to care for each other in depth.

We see housegroups that foster supportive relationships, openness to and acceptance of each other, which thus stimulate faith and strengthen a bond of love for each other.  We see a network of people praying together in small and larger groups that covers every aspect of church life.

We see meetings on Sunday that are gatherings of friends who enjoy being with each other in God’s presence, creating an environment of warm companionship which both affirms and builds each other up, as well as providing a welcoming environment for visitors to experience Christian love in action.

Christians are fully equipped to play their part.

We envisage a programme of training for the whole church to enable people to find their gifts, develop them and use them in the sphere of service God has chosen for them, whether at home or abroad.

We see young people who are being encouraged, challenged and taught to serve the Lord in church life and reach their own generation, through discipleship programmes, youth cells, outreach projects to their peers, and short term mission trips.

To facilitate the effective working of this vision we see a dedicated team that includes a youth worker, two full-time pastors and an administrator.  We see appropriate premises being rented for the administration of the work as it grows: a church office and facilities for projects in the community.  On Sundays, in the short term, we see Brixworth Primary School being used in conjunction with the Community Centre to allow for expansion.


Every Christian is actively involved in Christ’s mission.

We see a church that openly welcomes outsiders and does everything to win both young and old for Christ.  All members participate in some way in the church’s evangelism in the village, so there is a wide variety of ways in which the gospel is presented.  We see regular outreach not only in Brixworth, but also in five of the surrounding villages, as a result of which people regularly come to faith, with 12 new Christians every year.

We see a church that is actively involved in the community, engaging in ministry to the village that demonstrates the love and compassion of Jesus in practical ways, reinforcing the spoken message of God’s salvation to the world.  Members actively look for ways in which they may serve and bring God’s blessing to the community.

We see a church with a heart for the world, which has established meaningful links with churches in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East.  Its aim is to send out new full-time workers into world mission every five years, with short term teams going out on an annual basis to encourage other Christians, learn about the worldwide church and envision those who stay behind to pray.  We see a church where prayer for mission and evangelism is the backbone of its life.