the
edge network

Identities

The F. I. R. S. T. thing to say
about us is not what we do, but who we are because of what God has
done for us through his Son and by his Spirit.

F. The [F]amily of God
Because
God is our Father, we are the family of God. Our heavenly Father
graciously accepts us and cares for us. We are united as brothers and
sisters.

I. The L[I]ght of God
Because
Jesus is our Prophet, we are the light of God. God has [i]lluminated
us through Jesus and we witness to his liberating truth through our
words and actions.

R. The Hei[r]s of God
Because
Jesus is our Saviour, we are the heirs of God. Jesus has set us free
from the condemnation our rebellion deserves through his death in our
place. We have received the promise of a glorious inheritance, making
us like [r]efugees in this age.

S. The [S]ervants of
God
Because Jesus is our King, we are the servants of God. We
follow Christ’s example of sacrificial love, finding freedom
and joy in serving God and others.

T. The [T]emple of God

Because the Holy Spirit is God’s empowering presence,
we are the temple of God. We are saints, people set apart for God,
and the home in which God lives.

Rhythms

Each week we respond to the
identity that God gives to us in his grace by trying to B. L. E. S.
S. others through what we do.

B. We [B]less
Each
week we bless others in our Christian community and local
neighbourhood in word, action or gift at least three times.

L. We [L]isten
Each
week we listen to God, looking for him to guide us through his word
and Spirit. And we listen to people around us to understand their
stories and the story of our culture.

E. We [E]at
Each
week we eat or have a drink with people outside our immediate family
at least three times, offering friendship and community.

S. We [S]peak
Each
week we tell people the story of Jesus and our story of Jesus, making
Jesus a normal part of our conversations. And we speak to God through
prayer, recognising our dependence on him in all things.

S. We [S]abbath
Each
week we spend time in rest, play, partying or creativity.

Values

1. The priority of the
gospel
We are committed to filling ordinary life with gospel
intentionality, pastoring one another with the gospel and sharing the
gospel with unbelievers. We challenge one another to be sacrificial,
servant-hearted, risk-taking and flexible because the gospel has
priority over our comfort, preferences, security and traditions. We
will not let Christian activity be just one part of our lives.

2. Mission through
community
We are committed to communicating the gospel message
in the context of a gospel community. As we build relationships with
people and share the gospel message, we want to introduce them to
Christian community. We want people to experience church as a network
of relationships rather than a meeting you attend or a place you
enter. We will not put on evangelistic missions outside the context
of a Christian community.

3. Home as the primary
location of church
We want a reproducible model of church
without any trappings that might impede freedom and flexibility. We
are committed to homes as a context for all or most of church life
with home shaping the ethos of church. When congregations use other
buildings, those buildings will not be viewed as the main focus of
mission.

4. Sharing our lives as
extended family
We are committed to sharing our lives in
Christian community, caring for one another, discipling one another
and resolving conflict. We expect one another to make decisions with
regard to the implications for the church and to make significant
decisions in consultation with the church. We will not let conflict
continue unresolved, nor view church simply as a meeting you attend.

5. Inclusive communities
We
are committed to welcoming broken people and making church accessible
to unbelievers. We want to offer a sense of belonging, and be
communities of grace in which people can be open and vulnerable. We
will not let our welcome be dependent on adherence to any cultural
norms not demanded by the gospel.

6. Working for city renewal
We
are committed to working for neighbourhood and city renewal –
redressing injustice, pursuing reconciliation and welcoming the
marginalized. We

Values

celebrate the diversity of
cultures in our local contexts while recognising the need for gospel
renewal. We encourage one another to glorify God and serve others
through the workplace, business, community projects, government and
artistic endeavour. We will not make a division between spiritual and
non-spiritual activities.

7. Growing by starting
churches and church planting networks
We are committed to
starting new congregations. We will work together within, between and
beyond our networks of missionary congregations. Our vision is to
collaborate in a wider church planting movement to litter the world
with communities of light. We will not develop into single, large
congregations, nor become insular.

8. Prayer as a missionary
activity
Recognising that God is the primary agent and
orchestrator of mission, we view prayer as a missionary activity. We
want prayer to be both a regular community discipline, and an
impromptu response to needs and opportunities. We will not assume we
are in control of mission, nor rob God of his glory by boasting of
our achievements.

9. Everyone exercising gospel
ministry
We are committed to every Christian seeing themselves
as a missionary and exercising gospel ministry in every aspect of
life. We shape activities around gospel opportunities, and the gifts
and passions of church members. Leadership is not about control, but
setting a missional vision by modelling and teaching the
gospel so creating a culture in which everyone
flourishes in ministry. We will not make distinctions between
full-time and nonfull-time ministers.

10. Shaped by the Bible
We
want our lives and our life together to be formed and shaped by the
Bible’s story of redemption. We believe the Bible to be the
reliable, authoritative and sufficient word of God, and are therefore
committed to good Bible learning. We will not act on the basis of
tradition, habit or pragmatism without reflection on the Bible. We
will not see Bible teaching as an end in itself, but as that which
must shape our thinking and action.