Our DNA as Portrack Baptist church…

Welcoming

The thing that we hear most often from people when they visit us is that they feel welcome. We’re really proud that welcome is such a big part of who we are, because we have experienced and been changed by God’s welcome in our own lives. Whoever you are– know that God sees you, loves you, and welcomes you. And we’d love to welcome you too. 

We are committed to the love and inclusion of all people. You can find our full statement of inclusion here.

Simple

Jesus was asked what’s most important when it comes to living out our faith, and he told us to love God, to love our neighbours, and to love ourselves. We can make church more complicated than this, but it all boils down to love. 

We’re trying to share simple rhythms of noticing God in everyday life, of being together in ways that help us grow as followers of Jesus, and of loving the community around us.

Relational

Relationships are at the heart of our approach to church. We worship a God who exists in relationship, and who created us for relationship. We believe that when we love each other well, God is in our midst. We love to eat together, to talk and play games, to get out on walks, to celebrate milestones– these things deepen our sense of community and we see them as an important part of our calling. 

Creative

At Portrack we love to experiment and to play. There are so many different ways to connect with God and we encourage people to use their creativity to do so. This helps us to learn in different ways, and helps to keep being curious about God and the world around us. 

Real

This is a place where you can come as you are. We want to help people nurture authentic, resilient faith that holds space for questions, doubts, ups and downs, and struggles. This is the stuff of life, and we believe that God is with us through all of it.

Whether you are new to faith, still wondering, feeling wounded by church, or have been following Jesus for a long time, we want Portrack to be a safe place to be ourselves.

Collaborative

We value each other’s relationships with God and our lived experiences, and we believe that we can learn from each other and help each other grow. We work to feel like one team, and offer opportunities for people to try new things, to lead, and to share their gifts and passions with the rest of us. We like working together and seeing what comes out of collaboration.

Baptist

We’re a Baptist church, and this shapes how we do life together. 

We believe that our role as the gathered church on Portrack is to discern together with Jesus’ help: How do we faithfully live out our calling to be disciples in this place and in this season? 

Baptists don’t take a one-size-fits-all approach to answering these questions. We believe that our context and circumstances matter to God, and that we can find fresh inspiration and encouragement through seeking God’s call on our lives together. Decisions don’t come from the top down; we seek consensus and take our time to find ways of moving forward with God and with each other. 

Summoned to serve

We use the phrase ‘summoned to serve’ to sum up our current sense of calling as a church.

Being summoned is about being invited into God’s presence. We believe that encounter with God will naturally flow into loving service of our Creator, each other, and our community.

Summoned to serve emerged out of a time of listening to God together as a congregation. It reflects our heart for seeking God’s guidance for our shared life. We want to move in step with God, joining in with where the Spirit is at work in our community.