Ministry

Cultural Distinctives of A2A Ministry

The following are the specific distinctives we believe were highlighted to us which we also believe could form the platform for the Holy Spirit to launch us into a time of renewal in our churches.

Innovative Ministry - If we want to see a new and fresh move of the Holy Spirit we must embrace change. Our God is a God who loves to change things and make them new so we will need to have open hearts and minds to what God may want to do in the future. To be innovative we need to be ground breaking in our thinking, be inventive and creative, and have a new pioneering spirit. This will be a challenge to some of us, so let’s be determined not to resist the change God may want to bring.
Celebrating Uniqueness - We are an inclusive movement. We want to be able to celebrate each other’s uniqueness with enthusiasm recognising that unity is not sameness. Our unity is based on our relationship with Jesus, and as we fall more and more in love with Jesus we are able to have an authentic appreciation of how God is using each one of us to serve His purposes..
Disciple Making - The last words of Jesus on the planet before he ascended to Heaven were to go into the world “and make disciples”. Discipleship is much more than a programme of teaching opportunities. It is about relationship and walking with someone as we share life together. A true disciple is ultimately recognised by their commitment to kingdom values..
Healthy Leadership - Our mission statement says we will “raise enduring leaders”. We live at a time in history when young men and women are burning out in ever increasing numbers. The culture of our day is more dysfunctional than ever, so the complexity of people’s lives is in many cases bringing about a sense of overwhelming failure for many leaders. We will continue to work at developing a mentoring programme with the focus on who the leader is.
Spirit Empowered Mission - The baptism in the Holy Spirit is highly valued as a normal and desired experience for the Christian in our churches. We must maintain this as a value and remind our people that the purpose of being baptised in the Holy Spirit was to empower us to do mission. Being led by the power of the Holy Spirit, and functioning in the power of the Holy Spirit in a God honouring way as we do mission enterprise adds a dynamic to the way we serve that defies the resistance this anti-theist age.
Walking in Humility - Our humanity creates a competitiveness that destroys authentic community, and isolates many Christians leaving them feeling defeated, devalued, and a failure. There is something in all of us that makes us want to be “at the top of the pile”. Humility is having our strengths in submission to God so that they are always under control. We want to be a movement that is known as one without a competitive spirit so that everyone wherever they are in their spiritual journey can feel accepted.

"For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." 1 Timothy 4:8

Distinctives of A2A Ministry

Distinctives consist of certain Biblical concepts, which we emphasise, that make us distinct from and complementary to other Church movements.

Led by gifted leaders (How we lead) - This is sometimes referred to as "Apostolic leadership". Gifted leadership is desirable for every local church. This does not suggest every leader is an apostle, but it does describe a form of Biblically prescribed leadership that a highly democratic form of church leadership does not seem to reflect. We value the leadership gifts of Ephesians 4:11 and will promote this culture of leadership within our movement.
Autonomy (How we govern) - Each local church should be self-governed, self-funded and self-propagating. this autonomy is not confused with independence. Each autonomous A2A church is voluntarily submitted to the leadership of A2A without diminishing any of its autonomy.
Celebration (How we worship God) - We engage in contemporary worship which helps us express our love for and adoration of God without inhibition as prescribed in Ephesians 5:19.
Church (Why the church exists) - We believe the church presents the only hope for the world. Everything God wants to do in the world, He wants to do either directly or indirectly through the local church.
Kingdom (How we live) - Christ's ethics of the kingdom of God are most often counter to the manner in which the world treats each other. These Kingdom ethics should be promoted in and by A2A churches so as to model and contract Christ's Kingdom to the world.
Missional (What we do) - A2A churches are intentionally missional, that is, facilitating the fulfilment of the Great Commission near and far through a clear presentation of the Good News accompanies by acts of kindness.
Power ( We are not the perfect church...) - Truth that was progressively neglected by the church has been progressively restored since the Reformation. We remain open to the ongoing need for the church to be reformed to its fullest expression of what the Bible prescribes.
Unity (How we work together) - We honour each other and celebrate the diversity within A2A rather than expecting conformity of function. We work together with a complementary synergy that helps us fulfil God's purpose for us (Ephesians 4;3; Psalm 133).