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Core Values

by | Dec 10, 2021 | Disciplemaking, Discipline, Ministries, Outreach, Prayer, Scripture, Spiritual Growth, The Gospel

Our mission is to join God in His work of transforming people and communities through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our pathway is the baseball diamond – showing our key strategies as a church (the basepaths) and the essential steps for all believers (the bases) to make, mobilize and multiply disciples.

The mission expresses WHY we exist. The pathway shows WHAT we do. Our core values define HOW we go about our mission and the manner in which we implement our strategy. These values are the convictions and priorities that undergird and infuse all we do. They represent the culture we seek to develop at our church. Our values are “The Oakwood Way.” Click here to learn more about each priority in our Winter/Spring 2022 sermon series!

1. Biblically Grounded

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:24

Everything we believe and all we do is rooted firmly in Scripture. We believe the whole Bible is God’s verbally inspired and completely inerrant revelation, which gives it ultimate authority in our lives and ministries. We also believe that God’s Word is powerful, always accomplishing God’s purposes, and it is sufficient to help us grow to maturity in Christ and equip us for the work God calls us to do.

  • This is why our worship services are built around one passage of Scripture.
  • This is why many of our Community Groups study and apply the sermon each week.
  • This is why we encourage everyone to read, study, meditate on and memorize the Bible every day.
  • This is why our leaders listen to God through His Word for direction for the church.

2. Prayerfully Dependent

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

We believe that God’s work is infinitely more important than our work. Since Jesus depended completely on the Father’s will and the Spirit’s power, we must follow His example and listen to His commands, lest we foolishly rely on our own wisdom and strength which can only produce the most meager results. The real hope for our city is not in the excellence of our worship service or the persuasiveness of our evangelism. The hope for Tampa Bay (and the world) is revival – a move of God that empowers believers and draws sinners to Jesus. Since only God can send the rain of revival, we must prioritize prayer that humbly calls on the Lord for this gift of His grace.

  • This is why we prioritize prayer in every ministry, every group and every worship service.
  • This is why we schedule special nights of worship and prayer.
  • This is why our pastors meet regularly with other leaders in the region to pray. (See www.tampabay4christ.org)
  • This is why we urge all of our people to grow in their personal prayer lives.

3. Gospel Centered

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Romans 1:16

Proclaiming the cross of Jesus Christ is what opens blind eyes and enables the deaf to hear. It is the words of the gospel that enable the Holy Spirit to bring conviction of sin and to awaken faith in a dead, rebellious heart. It is the gospel that breaks the chains of sin and draws a sinner to the cleansing fountain filled with the blood of Jesus. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17).

  • This is why we sing so much about the gospel.
  • This is why our messages always highlight the good news of the grace of Jesus.
  • This is why our groups and ministries celebrate and focus on the saving work of God.
  • This is why we observe communion (the Lord’s Supper) at least once a month.
  • This is why we encourage everyone to believe the gospel and apply it to their own hearts.

4. Relationally Connected

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” John 13:34

The defining characteristic of a true Christian is love. Jesus not only taught us about love and commanded us to love, He showed us that true love humbly serves and radically sacrifices. That is how the early church came to flourish and multiply so effectively – they loved and cared for each other with unreserved generosity.

  • This is why we are a church OF small groups not just a church WITH small groups.
  • This is why we work hard to warmly welcome everyone who walks onto our campus.
  • This is why we make a special effort to care for and serve the most vulnerable among us (particularly orphans and widows).
  • This is why we exhort every believer to be in close relationship with at least one or two other believers. It is extremely unwise to walk alone.

5. Empowering Everyone

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-13

The primary task of our leaders is not to DO the work of ministry, but to EQUIP the people of Oakwood to do that ministry. Jesus modeled intentional investment in a handful of disciples – increasingly giving them responsibility for the work of preaching, teaching, healing and caring for people. This pattern continued in Acts, as everyday believers carried the gospel wherever they went and it is the clear message of the New Testament with at least 59 “one another” commands. We firmly believe in the priesthood of all believers and reject the idea of an elite class of Christians (i.e. paid staff) that does most of the work.

  • This is why we prioritize involvement over excellence in our ministries, including worship.
  • This is why we encourage all believers to discover their spiritual gifts and serve in line with their passion, personality and experiences.
  • This is why we emphasize ministry to children and teenagers – they are the future of the church!
  • This is why we invite people to start serving at the church pretty quickly – so they can find a place to be fruitful and effective!

6. Multiplying Disciplemakers

“What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:2

For decades now, the church in the west has settled for a ministry of addition. Even our growing churches in America are fortunate to add a few genuine converts each year, and only the largest and fastest growing are able to add worship venues, campuses and church plants. The global church is rapidly outpacing the west in real church growth because they are applying the basic Biblical principles of multiplication. The Jesus Model is to “Invest in a few to reach the many” (Robert Coleman). Jesus ministered to the crowds, but he entrusted His ministry to twelve young men and a handful of women.

  • This is why we seek to learn from our brothers and sisters in other countries where the gospel is advancing more rapidly.
  • This is why we send short term teams to places like Mexico and Cuba.
  • This is why we listen to and share reports from our missionaries as they seek to support and resource the global Christian movement.
  • And this is why we challenge all believers to join a “huddle” with 1-2 other believers to grow as a follower of Jesus and seek to be as fruitful as possible for Him.