Values & Vision

What We Believe, and Why

Every family is beautifully different - and we're no exception! At All Nations, we simply believe in the authority of the Bible, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the holiness of Jesus as God Himself. Scroll down to find out more about our core values and beliefs.

Why Jesus?

The Great Commandment

... to love God with all that we are and have, and to love everyone else as ourself (Mark 12, verses 30-31)

The Great Commission

... to go out and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28, verses 19-20)

The Great Invitation

... to live in and from His Presence, by being filled with the Holy Spirit (John 7, verses 37-39)

1. The Glory of God

A great definition of the Glory of God is the invisible qualities, character, attributes, power and majesty of God - made visible to, in and through us in such a way that we know and encounter His Presence. Such an encounter can never leave us unchanged, and leads us to worship, mission and service. We are ruined for anything else.

We are passionate about pursuing God and His Presence. We love spending time with Him in worship and encounter, and we know that one touch from the King changes everything. We believe that the Father’s heart is to encounter once more our nation (and the nations) with the power of revival through the Holy Spirit. As God revives His church, so the lost will be saved and nations impacted for good. “Send revival!” is a big prayer for us, as it is about seeing the glory of the Lord invade our land once more.

2. Diverse Family (Revelation 7:9)

Why diverse? Because it reflects the heart of God in His being, His creativity and His multi-coloured wisdom. Ephesians 3:10 tells us that the intent of God is to reveal through the church His manifold wisdom to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 2:15-16 tells how this is done: through Jesus’ work on the cross, putting to death every hostility and destroying every barrier that exists between people and creating a new race of people reconciled to God and each other.

Of course, diversity is not just about race or colour. It encompasses age and stage in life as well as social standing and culture. All Nations Church is a hugely diverse family made up of people from many backgrounds. Family is the language of the New Testament church, where brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters know the adoption of our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ the Son. Praise the Lord that He is not ashamed to call us His brothers and sisters (Hebrews 2:11).

Our dream is of a church so rich in diversity that worldly divisions, cultural barriers, and natural hostilities are taken down and broken under the gospel of Jesus. That’s worth showing to the world!

3. Going (Matthew 28:19)

Jesus’ closing words to His church were “Go!!” And we too are to know those words ringing loud and clear in our ears and in our hearts. We are to go to those who don’t yet know Him, near or far. In fact our mandate is the ends of the earth. However, we start with our families, our street, our school, our workplace, our community and go wherever God sends us.

Our strategy for going is to be filled with the Holy Spirit and led by Him. That will result in many creative initiatives to reach those not yet saved as well as equipping each person to be active in sharing their faith wherever God gives opportunity (Philemon 6).

4. Growing (John 15:16)

It’s not just wishful thinking to grow. Anything that has life and health grows. That’s God’s pattern. And it’s true for His church. A church that is God-centred, Bible-believing, Spirit-filled and mission-overflowing will grow. Jesus appointed us to bear much fruit and fruit that would last (John 15:8, 16). We believe God has called us to be a church of size and capacity that will impact our nation and the nations for God’s glory.

That includes numbers, but it’s so much more. It includes growing in love and knowledge of Father God; growing more like Jesus; growing in obedience to his Word; growing in hunger and experience of the Spirit. The overflow of this is that we will grow in love and compassion for the lost, for the poor, for the broken, and for the oppressed (Luke 4:18‑19).

5. Bedford & Beyond (Acts 1:8)

It’s too small a thing for us to be locked into our local scene, as precious as that is. We seek to be active in shaping Bedford with the power of the Gospel and the values of the Kingdom of God. We do that in partnership with the other churches in the town, and work with those in authority to make this a great place to live.

From Bedford, we also have great opportunity to impact our nation as many work in our capital and other big cities. We want to shape our nation for good with the good news of Jesus.

The most effective strategy for changing communities is to establish vibrant, New Testament congregations that go and grow! Part of our vision is to be active in establishing new groups of believers across the town of Bedford, through Connect Groups, Missional Families and new sites. We are also committed to establishing new churches in the UK and overseas as God’s Spirit leads us. Mission for us is not an option – it is our calling.

Our Statement of Faith

Here's our "Statement of Faith"; it's what we, as a church, believe that God has said to be true. If you have any questions a about any of this, don't hesitate to reach out; we'd love to talk with you.

We believe:

  • The one true God who lives eternally in three persons – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
  • The love of God for the world
  • The love, grace and sovereignty of God in creating, sustaining, ruling, redeeming and judging the world

We believe:

  • The incarnation of God’s eternal Son, the Lord Jesus Christ – born of the virgin Mary; truly divine and truly human, yet without sin
  • The atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross: dying in our place, paying the price of sin and defeating evil, so reconciling us with God
  • The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, the first fruits of our resurrection; His ascension to the Father, and His reign and mediation as the only Saviour of the world
  • The justification of sinners solely by the grace of God through faith in Christ, leading every believer to repent, trust in Jesus Christ as personal Saviour and Lord, be baptised in water and in the Holy Spirit
  • The personal and visible return of Jesus Christ to fulfil the purposes of God, who will raise all people to judgement, bring eternal life to the redeemed and eternal condemnation to the lost, and establish a new heaven and new earth

We believe:

  • The ministry of God the Holy Spirit, who leads us to repentance, unites us with Christ through new birth, seals our adoption as children of God the Father, empowers our discipleship and enables our witness, confirmed by signs and wonders

We believe:

  • The divine inspiration and supreme authority of the Old and New Testament Scriptures (The Bible), which are the written Word of God – fully trustworthy for faith and conduct

We believe:

  • The corruption of humanity and the world by sin, which incurs divine wrath and judgement
  • The dignity of all people, made male and female in God’s image to love, be holy and care for God’s world
  • The equal value of men and women and their complementary roles
  • The sanctity of human life, from the moment of conception in the womb until God brings our earthly life to its end
  • The centrality of faithful marriage between a man and a woman, of family life and of chaste singleness as foundations for Christian community and godly society

We believe:

  • The church, the body of Christ both local and universal, the priesthood of all believers — given life by the Spirit and endowed with the Spirit’s gifts to worship God and proclaim the Kingdom of God with love and justice
  • Preaching the gospel throughout the world and fulfilling the ministry of Jesus in word and deed in the power of the Holy Spirit
  • The breaking of bread and the laying on of hands
  • Called, anointed and appointed leadership through the Holy Spirit, recognised by the local fellowship of believers, and confirmed by apostolic leadership
To be a diverse family, going for and growing from the glory of God, in Bedford and beyond