We are like-minded & like-hearted.
Harbor Network churches enjoy partnership marked by shared theological convictions and core values. Being like-minded in our convictions grounds us in the historic, apostolic faith. Being like-hearted in our values guides us in the way we pursue life and ministry together. Like two rails of a track, partnerships work best when both aspects are in alignment.
Like-minded in our convictions.
Our Confessional Statement
Since 2011 we have utilized The Gospel Coalition’s confessional statement as the foundational confession that all our churches acknowledge as the minimum, top-tier doctrines our churches believe and embody. This confessional statement places us inside the Protestant, reformed, orthodox, and evangelical space within broader Christendom.
Our Theological Distinctives
Additionally, partnership with Harbor requires churches to joyfully align with and embody three theological distinctives for the protection and enrichment of thriving churches.
Harbor churches are reformational.
Our theology is rooted in the major tenets of the Protestant Reformation: that salvation comes to us only in God’s Word (sola scriptura) by faith alone (sola fide) and grace alone (sola gratia) through Christ alone (solus Christus) and for God’s glory alone (soli Deo gloria). This means our churches affirm the authority of God’s Word, God’s sovereignty in salvation, and the necessity of evangelism. We seek to exhibit deep trust in God’s promises and providence, and be zealous in our evangelistic efforts and good works.
Harbor churches are credo-baptists.
Our churches see personal conversion as a necessity prior to administering baptism; our practice of believer’s baptism is by immersion.
Harbor churches are biblically led by elders and deacons.
Harbor churches believe that among the spiritual household of the local church there are two divinely mandated offices: qualified servants (men and women) are entrusted with the responsibility to lead and steward ministries as deacons, and qualified men, joined in a plurality, are entrusted with the authority and responsibility to shepherd God’s household as elders.
Like-hearted in our values.
Our Core Values
Harbor’s five core values outline who we are as a network and define what is important to us. As core values, they influence all our work, from how to accomplish our mission and pursue our vision, to how to program conferences and hire staff. Values ensure that all those within our organization are like-hearted, not just like-minded.
These shared values also provide Harbor leaders with a common approach to contextualized, gospel-centered ministry, outlined more fully in this document, the Harbor “Anchor and Compass.”
Wholehearted Leadership
We bring our transformed and transforming presence into our leadership. Our leaders partake in the humble pursuit of the development of the whole person, marked by the oneness and communion with God that is necessary for healthy leadership from the heart, not the hurt.
conviction & imagination
We anchor ourselves in the historic faith and also imagine fresh expressions of the kingdom for our particular cultural moment. Our leaders believe that theological clarity gives us the conviction and courage for imagination.
renewal-driven mission
We join with the Holy Spirit and one another in the work of personal, social, and cultural renewal. Our leaders seek to walk in the reality that God is making all things new. We participate in this work by seeking the good of the communities where he has placed us.
friendship
We pursue intentional, authentic, and multicultural friendships with each other. Our leaders are available to one another, vulnerable with one another, and adamantly for one another.
diversity
We empower a diverse group of leaders from all people groups to plant churches in diverse areas because God values all people. Our leaders embrace humble equality as we pursue unity in diversity in our local contexts and in the life of our network.