What is 5 Stones Church like?

1. We are a Gospel-Centered Church (Grace).

John 3:16 says, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  While this is widely considered the most famous verse in the bible, what most people don’t know is that these were the words of Jesus Himself.  In it, Jesus gives us the doctrine of salvation by grace and not by works (Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5).   We believe the gospel is the most transforming power on planet earth.  Jesus went to the cross for it, and we’re giving our lives away because of it.

2. We are a Great Commission Church (Missions).

We have a passion to impact the world through Vancouver and in Vancouver.  We want to see God at work globally and locally.  This is what the Great Commission is about (Mt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8).  Our mission is to bring people to Christ, disciple them and plant churches.  Towards this end, God calls us to be innovative and creative in reaching our generation.  Hence, our mission statement reads:  “Creating a culture of innovation & impact to lead people to become devoted followers of Jesus Christ.”

3. We are a New Testament Church (Spirit-filled).

Left to ourselves, we always drift from God.  That’s why God gave us His word, so we can always “steer back” to where we should be.   Renewal is about getting back to the sweet spot of God’s truth.  As a New Testament Church, this simply means that we are striving to live according the plan and pattern that God gave us in the scriptures for church life and God-glorifying living.  Themes such as five-fold ministry, being baptized with the Holy Spirit’s power, community living, spiritual family, global missions represent a cornucopia of truth to be cherished and obeyed.   Since God is the genius par excellent, there is no need for us to “re-invent the wheel” or try to come up with something “new.”  Instead, our mandate is to faithfully study the word, and as best as we can, follow and apply it’s principles for church life in our culture here and now.  We are called to point our culture to God, and the best way to do that is to model God’s counter-culture to this culture.   Subsumed in this conviction is a bedrock trust, belief and confidence in the Bible as God’s inerrant, authoritative word in all it’s facets.  With the scriptures, we have a sure word that will always lead to life, personally and corporately.

4. We are a UBC – Urban Boutique Church (Strategic).

We love our city!  We love the buzz of the city.  We love the density & diversity of our city.  We love music, arts, sports, commerce, nature, food, education, fashion, travel, languages, design, and more!  We are urban.  We are called to be an urban church.  And part of the urban culture in Vancouver is the “village” or “community” mind-set where we strive to re-connect relationally and establish authentic relationships.  Hence, we want to always cultivate a “boutique” feel, no matter how big we get.  We want there to be a sense of intimacy, family, and friendliness.   When you come to our “612″ building, you’ll notice right away, our environs is different.  It won’t feel like a traditional church.  Our “sanctuary” is “smallish” and “cozy” (Hey, we couldn’t afford any more space!).  If we outgrow our 150 seating capacity, we’ll start another service (also called another “tribe”).  The point here is ancient Christianity was birthed in homes and upper rooms, and the “boutique” dynamic has always been part of the larger mega dynamic we often hear about.  We have no bias against growing, or growing large, but for now, we want to enjoy our boutique status.

5. We are an Incubator Church (Creative).

We love starting things.  We love pioneering.  That’s part of our DNA.   Part of what makes our church atypical is we’re a family of ministries — i.e. non-profits and NGO’s (non-government organizations) — all working hand-in-hand and in syncrony with the overall mission and heart-beat of 5 Stones. One major plus of this set-up is not just the incubation of organizations, but the incubation of leaders, their talents and callings.   We have a “change-the-world” mentality, and what better way than to put people to work where they are the innovators, leaders, and owners of the vision.  We are not “young-leaders adverse,” in fact we rather love their energy, enthusiasm and dynamism.  Since our inception in 2003, we’ve established & launched five other non-profits & societies besides 5 Stones Church.  They are 1) HISG-Canada; 2) Catalysts, Inc.; 3) Dream Centre Outreach Canada;  4) A North Korean ministry which we can’t publicize for security reasons, and 5) Canada Aid & Advancement.  Stop by our offices some time and find out more about our organizations!  There’s not enough space to talk about them here!  

6. We are a Disciple-Making Church (Reproductive).

The Church is called is to make disciples and raise up the next generation followers of Jesus (Mt . 28:19-20, Lk 9:23).  Using the gospel-transformation model Jesus gave us in Jn 14:6 – “I am the Way, the Truth & the Life,” we make disciples through four categories of growth:  1) Personal (direct) relationship to God; 2) Mentoring relationships; 3) Cell group relationships; 4) Sunday corporate worship.