Our Vision

Over the past three years we have been working out what it means for St Nic's to be a church in the city of Nottingham. Pretty basic stuff!

At the heart of any church's purpose is that we exist to make disciples. Jesus' Great Commission, given in the last verses of Matthew's Gospel, has this at its heart:

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

But these verse also give us clues as to how this should happen and what flows from it. From this we have developed Four Rs: responding, relating, reaching & resourcing

Responding

We respond to Jesus who has been given all authority. 'Jesus is Lord' is the creed. We respond by our dependence on him in prayer and in obedience. This means that prayer is central - we hold central prayer meeting in season throughout the year - and we look for people to respond in obedience to the call of God in their lives.

Relating

Jesus speaks of baptising the disciples in the name of the father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Baptism, symbolised by being taken into the water, speaks of being imersed in the eternal relationship of the Trinity. As we share that relationship, so we are brought into relationship with one another.

Reaching

As we have mentioned, this is the core activity of the church. It is not just about programmes it is also about lifestyle and ethos. It is also about bringing people into a relationship with God and with others.

Resourcing

Part of making disciples is the "teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you". This is in sermons and Bible Studies and programmes such as Growing Leaders and in mentoring and debating and trying things out and making mistakes!