Our Faith Plan, first developed in 2004 and reviewed in 2015, sets out why we exist, where we believe God is leading us, and how we seek to live that out together.
01
Our Calling
‘To glorify God by enjoying Him forever.’
02
Our Purpose
‘To build a community of Christlike people, conformed to His character, and committed to His cause.’
03
Our Vision
‘To become a vibrant community ON FIRE for the glory of God and the extension of His kingdom.’
What we focus on
Our Faith Plan sets out the aims that shape our life together as we seek to live out our vision. Here’s what that looks like in practice – and where you can get involved.
Growing disciples
Helping people of every age to become fully devoted followers of Jesus, growing in faith, knowledge and character.
A caring community
Building a church family where no one is overlooked, and everyone has a safe place to belong, share and grow.
Sharing God’s love
Living out the love of Christ in practical ways in Carrickfergus and beyond, and sharing the good news of Jesus.
Inspiring worship
Encouraging one another to worship God in spirit and in truth – on Sundays and in every part of life.
Fervent prayer
Being a ‘house of prayer’ – depending on God in everything, and bringing our church, community and world to Him.
Our ministry values
Our ministry values are our deeply held convictions about how we do ministry. They are the guidelines and boundary lines we work within, and they shape everything we do as we seek to live out our vision.
Dependence Our ministry attitude
God is the sovereign controller of all things, and it is He alone who gives the increase. Jesus said, ‘Without me you can do nothing.’ We accept this wholeheartedly, and so we remain dedicated to seeking His plans and directions, not our own. One measure of how seriously we mean this is prayer – we want Woodlands to be a ‘house of prayer’.
John 15:5
Community Our ministry environment
The journey to the Cross must be made alone – no one can be saved for you – but the journey from the Cross is made together, in supportive, loving relationships with our brothers and sisters. Like the body Paul describes, with its many parts working together, we are committed to building a loving community where relationships go deeper than the surface, and where we are responsible to one another and for one another in love.
1 Corinthians 12:12–27
Integrity Our ministry stance
We seek to honour God in all our behaviour, and to live lives that constantly commend the gospel.
1 Corinthians 9:12; 10:31
Love Our ministry priority
We seek to fulfil the Great Commission as a living demonstration of the Great Commandment – to love God, love others and love the lost. If we achieved everything in our Faith Plan but did not have love, we would have achieved nothing. Love must be the mark of all we do, seen in our attitude to the weakest, our practical help for those in need, and our concern to reach the lost.
1 Corinthians 13:1–13
Relevance Our ministry approach
We are called to live and minister in the tension between two worlds: the world of the Bible and the world of today. To be effective, we adapt our ministry so that it is relevant to people today, while refusing to compromise on what the Bible makes clear.
1 Corinthians 9:19–23
Our current Faith Plan
Since 2015 our Faith Plan has helped to shape our life together as a church. As God continues to grow and mould us as a church family, the Kirk Session is prayerfully seeking His direction for the next stage of our journey – as, with God’s help, we seek to grow strong and courageous disciples of Jesus in a changing world. A refreshed plan will be shared here once it is ready. In the meantime, you can download our current plan below.