It is our settled conviction that the Christian should have a carefully considered understanding of the relationship between doctrine and praxis. What we believe (our doctrine) should shape how we live and go about the task of ministry (our praxis). However, even when Christians agree on many points of doctrine, they may still disagree on how that doctrine informs their practice and ministry. It is often a surprise to Christians how they can agree on many areas of theology, yet still disagree on how the church ought to fulfill its ministry. It is essential for churches to carefully consider and hold fast their biblical and theological convictions, however they should carefully consider their philosophy of ministry as well.

 

Therefore, we hope this document defines for our church how our biblical convictions shape our philosophy of ministry, which forms the priorities, values, and goals of our church, thus guiding our ministry, vision, and mission. A philosophy of ministry helps to promote shared understanding in how we go about the task of being God’s people in our service to one another and to the world. Since a philosophy of ministry describes in brief the priorities, values, and goals of our ministry it therefore informs our decision-making and keeps us accountable to the decisions we make as a church.

 

As the elders of Trails Church, it is our hope that this summary of ministry philosophy would guide our church in these ways:

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• Guiding the leadership of the church to make informed decisions based upon shared priorities, values, and goals

• Protecting the direction of the church’s ministry, so that it can be evaluated whether we are serving according to the priorities, values, and goals we claim to hold

• Teaching the members of the church about the vision for the church’s ministry, in hopes this will foster camaraderie and commitment to the mission of the church

• Helping our members better evaluate how their giftings and desires for Christian service can be most effectively utilized in the ministry of the church for the glory of Christ

• Clarifying what will be considered in the formation of ministry partnerships with other like-minded churches and/or parachurch ministries

 

Having described the intended purposes for this document, let us briefly clarify what this document is not. This philosophy of ministry is not a requirement for church membership, nor is full agreement with it a requirement for faithful service in this church. This document is not meant to be exhaustive, nor exclusionary, nor does it outright prohibit us from specific ministry partnerships. Meaning, this document is not intended to build fences but to encourage unity. We hope this summary helps Christians as they join Trails Church in membership and helps other churches partner with us in Christ-honouring ministry.

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1. Gospel-Centred Ministry

The Trails Church believes that the gospel is the foundation and driving force behind everything we do. This includes not just preaching the gospel for salvation but also applying it into all areas of life. The gospel is understood as the message of God’s grace, demonstrated through the perfect life, substitutionary death, and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, which transforms our lives and the kingdom we live for. Every aspect of ministry, preaching, worship, community, and mission is shaped by this central truth.

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2. Church Multiplication

One of our central goals is church planting and multiplication. We believe that the Great Commission (Mathew 28:18-20) calls the church to go and make disciples of all nations. Thus, as more disciples are made it necessarily follows that local churches must be planted. We have already begun to see this desire for replicational ministry bear fruit in the life of our church. This vision for multiplication shapes how we minister now and long-term, as we prefer to see churches planted rather than utilizing other “church growth” strategies such as multi-service, multi-site, building expansion, or live-streaming. As churches are planted, our goal is that these daughter churches would mature to ultimately function as autonomous institutions, not as a perpetual satellite or campus. Rather, as they grow and mature, they would have their own covenant members, plurality of elders, etc.

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3. Expositional Preaching 

The preaching of God’s Word is a central component of our ministry. God has communicated authoritatively in the Bible, which can be accurately understood, shared, and obeyed in all times and places. Therefore, we prioritize expositional preaching, meaning that the point of the sermon is the point of the text. The Bible is taught in its proper context, communicating the author’s intent to the biblical audience, and then applied to contemporary life. Expositional preaching aims to be doctrinally rich and practical, helping people understand not just the theology of the text but also how it applies to and transforms our lives.

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4. Missional Living

The Trails Church emphasizes the idea that every believer is called to live on mission by sharing their lives and the gospel with those who are not Christians. This includes local and global evangelism, as well as a focus on serving and meeting tangible needs of those around us. We believe that the church should not simply be a place where people gather, but a people who scatter into the world to live out the gospel. This includes encouraging our members to participate in local outreach and ministry opportunities as well as support international missions through financial partnerships and church plants.

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5. Biblical Community

We believe that the Christian life is a calling to be lived out in community. The primary way Christians will be known is by their love for one another (John 13:34-35). Thus, biblical community is where Christians are faithfully practicing the “one another” commandments of the New Testament. We desire to create and facilitate opportunities for Christians to obey these commands in our relationships with one another. We are committed to fostering authentic biblical community, and therefore utilize things like small groups, Bible studies, educational cohorts, and other relational ministry opportunities to accomplish this goal. These groups are designed to help individuals grow in their faith, live on mission together, and to grow in the use of their spiritual gifts for the building up of the body. These groups provide opportunities for relationship building, mutual encouragement, accountability, care, and discipleship, all for the purpose that we are known and know others and that we might do one another spiritual good.

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6. Incarnational Discipleship  

The Trails Church places a strong emphasis on personal discipleship—helping individuals grow in their relationship with Christ through intentional, relational, and Bible-centred relationships. Jesus models a discipleship that is up-close and personal, not detached nor distant, as discipleship is fundamentally relational rather than merely informational. This encompasses both larger group gatherings (for corporate worship and teaching) and smaller, more personal settings (such as smaller groups and one-on-one mentoring). In order to ensure holistic growth, discipleship should integrate both growing in theological understanding and spiritual maturity.

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7. Leadership Development 

The Trails Church invests heavily in raising up new leaders. This includes providing leadership training for pastors, church planters, and lay leaders. Our view of leadership is one of multiplication—equipping our members for ministry in our church or sending them out to plant churches or lead ministries both locally and globally. This value of multiplication frees us to hold our leaders with open hands, letting them go as God directs them rather than seeking our own increase or security. We are committed to being a church that is ideally one assembly, thus, as God gives growth we will focus on developing leaders, that growth might lead to multiplication.

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8. Historic Baptist Ecclesiology 

We are baptistic in our understanding of baptism and polity. With regard to baptism, we affirm that the Bible teaches that baptism is a personal and public declaration of one’s faith in Jesus and, therefore, is only properly administered for those who personally and credibly profess faith in Him. We recognize that when a new Christian is baptized this is also their entrance into covenant church membership, for the sake of their continued growth in Christ under the authority and responsibility of a local church. Regarding polity, we affirm the autonomy of the local church, that its assembled members under the leadership of elders and deacons is its highest earthly authority. This is distinct from presbyterian and episcopal models of church governance, as we believe that denominational institutions, networks/associations, and regional assemblies of elders have no governing authority in local church matters.

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9. Covenant Church Membership

We believe that local church membership is a biblical necessity, meaning that it is incumbent upon every Christian to be engaged in a formal, mutually recognized relationship of accountability and responsibility with a local church. Further, we believe that it is incumbent upon local churches to be clear about precisely who are members of their bodies, and to both shepherd and disciple those members in the faith. We also understand that membership creates the structure for church discipline (Matthew 18:19). This includes correction of sin, beginning privately and sometimes culminating in excommunication, removal from the Lord’s Table and membership.

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10. Reformed Soteriology

We are reformed in our understanding of salvation. That is, we stand with Christians in the reformed tradition in affirming that the Bible teaches that God is entirely sovereign in salvation, and at the same time that we as human beings make real choices for which we are morally responsible. We are convinced from Scripture and history that a conviction of God’s sovereignty in salvation is the fuel which drives us to proclaim the gospel to the world with unshakeable confidence, knowing beyond doubt that God will open doors for gospel proclamation and then open hearts to repent and believe.

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11. Elder-Led Congregationalism

We believe that the Bible teaches that the assembled local congregation holds final earthly authority in church matters. This means that the assembled congregation has formal authority to countermand an unbiblical decision of their elders. We also believe that a local church should be led by a plurality of male elders. Understanding that the terms pastor and elder are synonymous, we deny that women should in any instance take the title “pastor.” Further, we deny that, following 1 Timothy 2:12, women should carry out any obviously pastoral role with regard to the whole church (i.e. preaching corporately). Church members should thus submit to the qualified men they have called and affirmed in the office of elder, entrusting them with oversight of the health, direction, and equipping of the body for service. 

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12. Church-Centred Missions & Evangelism

We believe that the primary means God has ordained for the accomplishment of the Great Commission is the local church. This is true both locally and internationally, and as such our efforts in local evangelism are church-centered. We also believe that the Lord has given local churches the primary responsibility to assess, disciple, and send qualified missionaries to work in evangelistic efforts globally. As such, we will partner with missions organizations that aim to assist local churches with partnership in church-centred missions.