Our Philosophy

Priorities

We seek to live out our mission by prioritizing three things: 

Gospel

The gospel is the good news concerning the victory over sin’s condemnation and curse won by Jesus at the cross — that through the life, death and resurrection of Christ, God is making all things new, both personally for those who repent and believe, but also cosmically as he ultimately renews and remakes creation. This means our hope is not in what we do for God, but what God has done for us. At GracePoint, we want the gospel to inform everything about who we are and what we do. We want to live authentically as a gospel-centred community of Christ-followers.

Community

Christ followers are called to a commitment to both the core content of the gospel and the primary context of the believing community, the church. Jesus came to create a people who would model what it means to live under his Lordship. At GracePoint, we want what we do to be defined by the gospel, and the context to be our belonging to the new community of Christ, the church. The church is to be an outpost of the kingdom of God, an embassy of heaven here
on earth.

Culture

Rather than separating ourselves from the world, Christ-followers have been called by our Lord to be a positive influence in it. We are to be salt and light in the world so that others may see our good works and give glory to God. Therefore, at GracePoint, we want to strive to want to engage our culture to see it transformed by Jesus. We want to represent the truths of Christianity to the world in insightful, creative, and gracious ways.

Approach

In pursuing our stated mission, the following is our approach, based on the methodology Jesus lays out in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20):

Connect (Go)

We will seek to take the initiative to associate with those who do not as of yet know Jesus, seeking to build meaningful relationships through which they might experience God’s love.

Convey (Preach the Gospel)

We will seek to always be ready to share with people the message of the gospel in word as the Holy Spirit gives opportunity to do so, and to also show that message to others through actions that reflect God’s love for them.

Confess (Baptize)

We will seek to encourage people to publicly give testimony of their faith in Jesus Christ through being baptized by immersion as a believer.

Conform (Teach to Obey)

We will seek to nurture Christ-followers in their faith so that they are equipped to live out their lives in service to God and others, becoming ever maturing, fully devoted, followers of Christ for who Jesus is their first and greatest love. Essential to this growth is the teaching of the word of God, the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, and the supportive community of the church.

Vision

Here at GracePoint, we seek to fulfill our God-given mission, both in the community we serve here in Toronto and the world at large, by being a community characterized by the following commitments:

We Believe

…that the gospel is to be central to all we are and do, serving as our message, mission and motivation.

We Grow

…our spiritual maturity and devotion to follow Jesus through intentional discipleship.

We Serve

…in the ministry here at GracePoint, making our unique personal contribution using the gifts and abilities given to each of us by the Holy Spirit.

We Share

…the life changing message of the gospel with others by seeking to show them its reality through generous acts of kindness and care, and also by telling them about Jesus through thoughtful and gracious conversation.

We Contribute

…to the life and well-being of the broader community we are a part of here in Toronto through expressions of practical and tangible service.

Values

Though we are a collection of diverse people at GracePoint, certain core values unify our efforts and define us as a community. At our best, we as a church give expression to the following seven values as we pursue our mission and vision:

a culture of Relevancy

We believe that the church should be relevant to contemporary society while remaining doctrinally pure. 1 Corinthians 9:19-23

a culture of Community

We believe that loving relationships should permeate all aspects of the life of the church and are critical to one’s spiritual growth. 1 Corinthians 13

a culture of Diversity

We believe that the rich variety of age, ethnic backgrounds, personalities, life experiences, spiritual gifts, and ministry passions of our congregation is something to celebrate, and that we find our unity in the Spirit of God. Galatians 3:28

a culture of Maturity

We believe that the pursuit of full devotion to Christ and his cause is to be normal for every believer and should produce authenticity and continuous spiritual growth. Hebrews 6:1

a culture of Dependency

We believe that the Christian experience is to be lived out in active reliance upon the guidance of God’s written word and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. John 15:4-5

a culture of Equality

We believe that the church is a community of ministers who are equally privileged and responsible to steward their time, talents, and financial resources in a way that honours God and builds up his people. 1 Peter 4:10

a culture of Spirituality

We believe that the core of the Christian experience is to be a vibrant, life-changing, inspiring, ongoing love relationship with Jesus. Philippians 1:9-11