Who we are
We are a Biblically grounded, Christ Centred, Spirit led, Gospel Entrenched, Apostolic, and Congregational local church in Rangiora, New Zealand. We are a church which has been plated to raise up assemblies in God and plant more churches.
We place a high value of the faithful ministry that has been present in the region of North Canterbury for over one hundred and fifty years. How humbling it is to be a part of an incredible legacy of service to Christ and his bride. We believe we are called to stand along side other churches and ministries in our area, to pursue the unity of the faith and simultaneously, the continual peace of conscience as we are led in God's word by the Spirit, and seek to outwork God's design for his Church both faithfully and contextually. We acknowledge that other ministries will look and feel different, and that does not make them any more or less faithful than the ministry of Foundation Church, but each body must outwork their ministry as they believe they have been led and called to do so.
What makes us different?
We believe that the New Testament (and church history) endorses and affirms the notion that the weekly gathering is generally established for the sake of the elect; those who claim to follow Jesus. The church of God is a sacred assembly designed for collective fellowship with God the Father, through the Son and by the Spirit, and with God’s people. Our weekly gatherings are intended for the collective training, equipping, encouragement, and teaching of God’s children. Whilst we always make space for those who do not know Christ to receive Him, our primary focus in a meeting isn’t evangelism but discipleship enhancement, it is for the building up of God’s people as we meet with God. Whilst it is our goal that the many ‘non-believers’ should gather; we see that repeatedly the focus of Christ’s ministry was narrowed when scripture says, “Christ began to teach his disciples… and the crowds gathered and were amazed.”
It is our hope that many non-believers would come and hear the word of God taught, see the sacraments administered, and experience God’s power displayed through the members of the church in corporate worship, and encounter Christ in our midst. Our goal, however, is that the believers would be equipped and trained for mission; for contextual ministry, as salt and light throughout the entire week. Whilst many churches have designed their gathering for the non-believer, we believe this philosophy and contemporary ecclesiastical approach diminishes the sacredness and holiness of what the gathering is called to be.
At the same time, we also have a passion to corporatize a focused evangelism model which intentionally involves the sharing of the Gospel door to door. We do not believe that doctrine should be diminished in our gatherings for the sake of reaching people. On the contrary, Biblical doctrine is to be taught, and the Holy Scriptures expounded so that Christian living and witness can be established. Mature believers produce believers; it’s that simple. Children cannot have children. We must press towards maturity, and grow up into our salvation.
Believers who attend, then go on to become members at Foundation Church through covenant membership and a public commitment to the Church, should expect to be taught and trained in the Word of God, to be exhorted towards Godly living and witness, to be encouraged to practise the presence of God daily through intimacy and openness to the Spirit, and then also to be mobilised into the mission field of North Canterbury where we have been sent to serve our Lord in his Mission.