Newsong Vision & Values

We see a world one day…

VISION STATEMENT

Where there is a Newsong community in every major world class city. Where marginalized individuals and misfits have a place to be mentored and encouraged to make a difference with their lives and have a community that supports them as they take action to impact the world in extraordinary ways.

Newsong’s one word description:  “Reconciliation”

HISTORY
Newsong was conceived in the Fall of 1993 when, at a conference, in Dave Gibbons’ hotel room, Dave heard God saying “Psalm 40″ twice. He read it, opened the Bible and read the words “putting a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.” Upon reading those words, he looked out the window saw Irvine and the Orange County region stretched before him, and knew that God had a plan for him to move his family to Orange County from back east to start a church where many will see the LORD. The church grew exponentially, and they moved multiple times due to the outgrowth of their facility, for God could not be contained. Today, Newsong’s mission is to reach those on the fringes of society, not just within Orange County California.

Who is Newsong?
Newsong is a community of misfits transformed by Jesus to be a catalyst for loving people on the fringes of our culture.

Our Promise
We will help our community be successful in knowing Christ.
We will help our community find a community to belong to.
We will help our community discover their purpose in life as we walk together.

Core Values
Christ- Walk with Jesus
No matter where you are spiritually our hope is to help you grow one step closer to Christ.
Pursing a personal relationship with Jesus is the true essence of our faith and essential in life transformation. Throughout our daily pursuit, we experience Him through our celebration, laughter, worship, joy and pain. Because God is so massive, He is beyond our comprehension and we must embrace the mystery of who God is in our own lives.

Community- Finding your team
To be known, to love and be loved-MISSIONAL, not just a small group. Small group is just a form. You can have community even in larger groups. Humans by nature are social creatures. God not only designed us to live in a deep relationship with Him, but also with others. The journey in life is hard and the maturation of the journeyman is nearly impossible without fellow travelers around him or her. Life is a team effort. Who’s on your team?

Cause- Find your mission
To passionately and holistically use your time, treasure and talents to transform lives.
What gives you purpose in life? We believe that everybody should have a purpose and a cause that is bigger then themselves. Without this key component, life becomes all about the individual and that gets old fast. To have a missional purpose is to live for something greater. We believe together is better than alone, especially when it comes to a place of belonging.

Ten Words
1. Innovative
2. Creative
3. Leader
4. Community
5. Passionate
6. Global
7. Revolutionary
8. Cultural
9. Next generation
10. Fluid

Sub-Values
Third Culture
Being third culture means having the mindset and the will to love, learn, and serve in any culture, even in the midst of pain and discomfort. As we mature in knowing Christ’s character, we discover that he has called us to love and serve cultures and people unlike our own — may it be racially, or socioeconomically.

Everyone Plays (cWOW Church without Walls)
Serving the least of these and loving our neighbor. We are relevant to culture and adaptable to our world. We are a community without walls. We engage our local communities. Our culture is not about strong-arming you into a connection with God but about honest conversations concerning our relationship with God, our community with one another, and our responsibility to humbly serve the misfits of our world.

We are a missional community coming together to serve and impact the world through the arts, relevant and holistic ministry to the poor, technology, business, media, church planting and leadership development. We are a church where everyone plays—where our 9-5 becomes your sacred work—on the frontline of dealing with injustice, oppression, poverty, and racism. It’s a church that’s not about physical structures, but rather a community of people who stir revolution with their lives.

Be Water My Friend, (Multicultural)
Newsong is a community of believers who can adapt to every form of culture and see a church without walls, non-hierarchical, but supportive and catalytic in nature. Newsong is a global community with many different sizes and shapes, rural and urban, collaborating in leadership development, missional initiatives, and the sharing of resources. While the truth of God may not change, each generation must construct its own language and style to connect with God and with the real world.

Bruce Lee, a legend in martial arts, once said “You put water in a cup, it becomes a cup. You put water into the bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put it into a teapot, it becomes a teapot. The water can flow. The water can crash… be water my friend.” Our water- our message- remains what it always has been: the love of Jesus. As Christians we must change the shape of the message to fit the cultural context of the people we are loving and serving so that they can receive Jesus’ love.

Our DNA - Questions lead us more than answers:

Who is your neighbor?
Your neighbor is someone unlike you. Think about someone whom you would never talk to, or even dislike because they are so different from you. It could be your those loud college students who live next door to you or that annoying coworker who always makes the most annoying small talk as he passes your workstation. Your neighbor could even be the marginalized in society. This is the type of person you’re supposed to love. Look at the story of the Good Samaritan. A Jew has been mugged, and after a couple of his Jewish brethren didn’t help him, a Samaritan, who normally doesn’t associate with Jews, stops and helps the wounded man and makes sure he’s fully recovered. We must be that Samaritan.

What is your greatest pain?
Your pain is your greatest platform for ministry. Your pain, not your happiness, captivates those you lead. What will draw a person to a successful CEO will not be the happiness he gains from a great salary, but the ego-shattering blows of rejection he received when he interviewed for all those jobs at the beginning of his career. More people would know the feeling of defeat than the feeling of having millions of dollars. Pain is the common denominator of all humans. It binds humanity together like a dark thread in an elaborate tapestry. When your familiar tongue fails you in a foreign context, your pain will speak where words cease.

What do you have in your hand?
You may ask yourself, “I have really nothing to give to the world. I need to be a better leader to lead a ministry in church.” Excuses run through our heads concerning why we need more resources in order to do Jesus’ will. But God really asks us, “What is in your hand?” Meaning, what talents do you already possess? How can you offer those talents to others? They may be small in your eyes, but if God can feed four thousand with some bread and fish in a little boy’s hands, God can do wonders with the very little that you believe you have in yours.

The New A.B.C.’s of Ministry

Throughout the ages, people looked to ordained clergy to lead in spiritual matters, but that is about to change. God wants everyone to be ministers in his kingdom. So decide from the three traits below, which type of minister are you?

Artists: The Voice
The arts and the artists who create them set the tone of truth in today’s society. Artists are the prophets of every generation, a prophet even non-Christians listen to. The arts infiltrate main culture and firmly set the nomenclature of today’s times. Embracing the arts is the best way to speak to today’s modern world.

Business Persons: The Dreamers
Business people are the fuel for any movement. They can lead entrepreneurial initiatives that help to spark the church’s  initiatives locally and globally. They oftentimes possess the mix of creativity, sustainable management and systems that keep any organization on mission. In order to be successful, business people are already Third-Culture minded, so they already have the skills to gravitate and serve in multi-cultural experiences for God’s Kingdom.

Community Development Specialists: The Builders
If business people are the visionaries for a God-sized movement, the builders are the foundation. They are the teachers, doctors, builders, counselors, politicians, emergency aid workers and spiritual guides. Without these people, any great idea would crumble.