A LIGHT FOR THE CITY
Our purpose at Emmanuel is to be 'a light for the city' reflecting Jesus, the light of the world. We are committed to being a visible and transformative presence in Plymouth, shining the hope of Christ into our community. Through worship, transformed lives, and compassionate outreach, we share His love and bring renewal to our city.
VALUES
We have values to guide our members' behaviour, shape our culture, and ensure alignment with our mission and vision.
Hungry
We seek to know and experience more of God through prayer, worship, and the Bible. We long to grow deeper in faith, seeking spiritual transformation and relying on the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Our hunger fuels our commitment to heartfelt worship, persistent prayer, and a life of service.
Humble
We acknowledge that all strength and blessing are gifts from God, rooted in the grace of Jesus, our servant King. Humility shapes us to be quick to listen and patient, allowing us to respond with empathy and wisdom, especially as a trauma-informed community. We welcome discussion, seek to serve one another, and keep our focus on Christ, enabling us to truly be a light to the city.
Hopeful
We seek to be a people of hope, rooted in the promises of God and the resurrection of Jesus. We believe in His power to bring transformation. Our hope leads us to be forward-looking, courageous in prayer, and bold in sharing the good news of Christ.
Holy
We seek to reflect the holiness of God, as revealed in the Bible, in every aspect of our lives as a royal priesthood. Set apart for His purposes. Meditating on and studying the Bible, empowered by the Holy Spirit, we pursue lives of holiness, both individually and as a community.
7 Priorities
Our priorities exist to fulfill our core purpose and vision. These priorities guide the church's activities, resource allocation and overall direction; ensuring we effectively serve our members and the wider community.
1: Growing Disciples
The best thing anyone can do is become a disciple of Jesus, the light of the world. We aim to grow in breadth and depth.We aim to welcome 50 new people to faith, or reaffirmation of faith. Home-groups and prayer triplets grow from 100 to 150 and are flourishing. We aim to establish a mentoring program.
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
(Matthew 28:19)
2: Pastoral Care
We aim to establish a structured pastoral care programme that nurtures the spiritual, emotional and physical well-being of every individual. As we grow we want to ensure we continue to provide compassionate and holistic support that fosters a sense of belonging and spiritual well-being within our church community.
"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ."
(Galatians 6:2)
3: Children
We want to engage younger by reaching children and supporting their parents, carers and teachers. We aim to double the number of children who worship at Emmanuel. Raising children in our culture is hard and we want to support all those that play a role in raising children.
"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it."
(Proverbs 22:6)
4: Young People
We want to engage younger and triple the number of youth who worship and are growing in their discipleship at Emmanuel, reaching out into schools and uniform groups. Engaging with young people during their formative years, through relevant and inspiring Jesus centred ministry helps them navigate life's challenges as committed faithful followers of Jesus. Young people are the leaders of today, not just tomorrow.
"How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word." (Psalm 119:9)
5: Young Adults
This is our smallest demographic in the church, but the biggest within walking distance of our building. We aim to establish three young adult homes groups. Young adults set the culture of the world around them and we want to help disciple them into Christ-centred maturity to be a light to the city.
"Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity."
(1 Timothy 4:12)
6: Seeking the Welfare of the City
We aim to discover a theology of God’s mission centred on the common good, discerning and participating in God's work within the city of Plymouth, and establishing a unified approach to urban welfare with three key projects. We will also learn and discover from global Christian communities to enhance our efforts and partner with a project in a global South city facing similar challenges of urban welfare.
‘Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
(Jer 29:7).
7: Trauma-Informed Church
Working in partnership with others we aim to discover what is is to be a trauma informed church by 2026 and to have developed new and expanding existing ministries as a compassionate response. The impact of COVID and the challenges of consumerism and individualism means there is a lot of trauma, loneliness and darkness in our communities. We want to shine the light of hope in our fast-changing world.
"The LORD is near to the broken-hearted and saves the crushed in spirit."
(Psalm 34:18)