Content
Drury Church, an outline
Church Order
Denomination
Our Church life
Vision
Conclusion
Drury Church, an outline:
We believe:
The Bible is God’s authoritative word to correct, instruct, and encourage His church. (2 Tim 3.16)
God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and created man by a direct immediate act. (Matt 28.18-20; Gen 1.27)
Jesus is God’s son, and He lived on earth in a body like ours, yet was without sin. (Heb 4.14-15)
Jesus died on a cross outside the city of Jerusalem, and His blood given there still cleanses from sin anyone coming to God in genuine repentance. (John 1.7)
All men have sinned and are in need of Jesus’ saving work. (Rom 3.23)
A person living in a relationship of dependence on Jesus for cleansing, and His ministry of grace, has eternal life, and will be saved from God’s wrath on the Day of Judgment. (Rom 5.6-10)
A Christian would want to confess his faith in Jesus Christ, and confirm that position by being baptised in water.
(Rom 10.9-10, Matt 3.15)
Our Heavenly Father has given the Holy Spirit to the saints on earth to make the things of Jesus plain to them, to strengthen them, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, empower them to do God’s will.
(John 14.15-17, 26; Acts 1.8)
Our Lord Jesus Christ will return to rule and reign upon the earth, and afterward there will be a resurrection of the dead, where the wicked will face eternal punishment, and the redeemed, eternal life with God. (Acts 1.11; Rev 20.11-15)
CHURCH ORDER
It is clear from Ephesians 4.11 and 1 Corinthians 12.27-28, that in the Church there is an order that is important to recognise so that God does indeed lead the Church, and not man. The first two ministry gifts, apostles (ones sent forth), and prophets (inspired expounders), are set first because their attribute is to think Godward first. This is why to men they often appear adamant and too fixed, unable to be controlled by man. However, they are redeemed sinners, like the rest of the body of Christ, and must not expect to be able to stand unsupported. They need to be accountable. The whole Body needs to be praying and checking in the scriptures, remembering for example, that only the kidney may feel pain when the bloodstream is being poisoned.
For this reason, there needs to be elders, whose function is described as being pastors or shepherds, and overseers. (Acts 20.17-31) They must be men, able to teach, (1 Tim 3.2) and constantly watching for the safety of the body, able to explain the direction being taken by the Church, so that none are “left in the dark”.
To further help the Church to understand the scriptures, God has gifted teachers with an ability to explain God’s truths.
Good leadership will “prepare God’s people for works of service”, (Eph 4.12) and equip them to fulfill their place in the Body of Christ. This means the Church members will all be fruitful, and have also the ability to reach out to the surrounding community and in making the gospel known.
Evangelists have a special gift in this last function, but soul winning is also everyone’s responsibility, and usually being a servant first makes an opportunity to direct a soul to Jesus.
A deacon — ministrant or servant — is appointed by the elders to serve the physical needs of the church in a trustworthy and sincere manner. (1 Tim 3.8-13)
DENOMINATIONS
Because Drury Church is inter-denominational in its position, we are grateful for the teachings and life examples brought down through generations in each of the evangelical denominations. We therefore seek to keep meaningful contacts with all churches of all denominations that hold to the reformation truths set out in “We believe”.
OUR CHURCH LIFE
To be effective on the earth we must be real. The things that matter are our relationship with God, the way we honour each other in marriage, family, and Church life, the attitude with which we train our children, the care of those who are weak, sick, or aged, and the giving of hospitality to a stranger. God has instructions for all these areas so that there is a way that pleases Him, and it is our desire as part of His Church to demonstrate this by the way we live. We share our possessions and have a common purse. (Acts 4.32)
Drury Church accepts the need for prophetic direction and recognises this function in several of its members. It has three elders at present, and is ready for God to add others who meet the requirements in 1 Tim 3.1-7, and Titus 1.5-9. We seek to have leadership that is not lording it over God’s flock, but are leading by example. (1 Pet 5.1-4)
Prayer plays a central part in our life, and we acknowledge the ministry of intercession as being the base upon which more visible members stand. (1 Cor 12.21-26) However, as with evangelism, prayer is also everyone’s responsibility, so we have daily meetings for prayer. The main times being an hour from 5.45am each weekday morning and from 6.30am till 8am on Saturdays.
As indicated in Acts 2.42 we seek to devote ourselves to the fellowship God has provided in the Church, and by God’s grace have seen it touching all areas of our daily life. As well as daily times of prayer, we share meals together, and celebrate the Lord’s Supper regularly. A Christian school is run for our children, and for families who come from other towns. A children’s Bible hour is held for children in Drury.
Preaching, teaching, and worship leading are shared by a number of the men at the Sunday morning meeting held in our Prayerhouse, and at the evening meeting held in one of our homes, where we also share a meal. We also meet in smaller groups in several of our homes on Wednesday evening.
Our school is designed to make room for adult education, and Bible study, and we have a library in the Prayerhouse. We have people coming from overseas to visit or to work here as volunteers, and at the same time to be trained in Christian schooling and to study the Bible. We run short-term Bible courses, and there is plenty of practical experience on the farm, working with children, ministering to those who are here in their daily needs, and giving out in the meetings.
To assist our outreach to Auckland we run a shop that sells raw milk, produce, flowers, crafts, Christian books, and Bibles.
So as to be involved in our local community, we are represented on the Drury Community Committee and take part in projects that help to beautify the town. Also, a number of us are Civil Defence volunteers.
We send a regular team for prison ministry, and weekly outreach to the nearby community.
God has given us a concern for other nations and is using our facility as a mission base. By God’s grace we have been able to help establish Christian schools in many villages on two islands in the Solomon Islands. We have established mission news boards in our Prayerhouse, and have enjoyed the privilege of being on watch in prayer for our own people, as well as those from other churches, who have gone overseas on mission trips. We hope this will continue, and our ability to support and to send out will increase.
VISION
God’s desire for His Church is plainly described in Eph 5.25-27, “to present her to Himself as a radiant Church without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” We want to be in that position when our Lord Jesus returns.
We want to demonstrate His grace in our lives, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph 2.10)
There is already a pre-school operating to help the young get started, and we have housing available so that older folk can stay close to meaningful opportunities to join in the life here and contribute their skills and wisdom. We hope that God would provide some in the Church with nursing training so that any needing care would not have to go elsewhere for help.
God has spoken to us about the need to offer hospitality to the homeless, the unemployed, and particularly unmarried mothers. We understand abortion to be murder and to offer a young mother an alternative is a practical way of saving life, and hopefully bringing another soul to experience our Heavenly Father’s love. Often people needing hospitality can be helped by having opportunities to work alongside others, and we see these opportunities in our school, kitchen, workshops, craft shop, gardens, and looking after the elderly and the sick.
CONCLUSION
Relationship with Jesus must always be put ahead of the work we do with Him — our Lord is returning for a bride. Consequently, in our daily life together, any work that we do must not spring from selfish ambition, rivalry, or self-justification, but solely from a desire to please Him. The closer we grow to Jesus, the clearer it becomes how wrong motives cause Him much sorrow, and also wounding to one another.
We are part of the Body of Christ on earth— an amazing position Jesus has given us. To fulfil our calling, we again acknowledge our dependence on Jesus’ blood to cleanse our hearts from sin, and the Word of God to continually admonish, and encourage us. The power of His Holy Spirit enables us to fulfil His will, and gives us the ministry of worship and prayer, to lift up His name in honour, and bring the needs of those around us before Him.
Indeed, as the world in its rejection of Jesus turns to more wicked ways to express its rebellion, we, the Church, will be so aware of the need to be faithful to one another, in “administering God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Pet 4.10)
Finally, what God has reserved for us to inherit at the end of this age is the result of countless Godly lives that have been lived in obedience before us. They have handed down to us examples to follow, and a testimony that enables us to more easily take God at His word, and not stumble in unbelief. What God is enabling us to do as a church is only new for us, and in fact has been done before at different times, by those keen to follow Him wholeheartedly. Our faith is increased because of the faith of those many who have gone before, therefore we must be humble, and faithfully leave an excellent inheritance for the next generation, should the Lord’s return not be as soon as we hope.
The elders and church at Drury, August 1996,
Updated, July 2001, May 2005, August 2006, July 2009