Besides Vision and the Bible Principles, our initiative group is also defined by some specific elements:
1. Relevant Church
God has decided to be revealed through the Church today “the manifold wisdom of God, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Ephesians 3:10-11).
Therefore, we believe that according to the model of The Lord Jesus, the revelation of God must be expressed in the language of “today”, relevant to the generation and context in which we live, but in a biblical way.
The Church relevantly reveals the plan of God.
Relevance does not just mean being contemporary, but rather proclaiming the Gospel in a current, accessible and biblical attitude of humility, ministry, and sacrifice.
Without compromising the essence of the truth of Scripture, we will seek to be relevant so that we can translate the biblical message to the meaning of the people to whom we address, so they can understand its meaning, and implement it in their lives.
Just as the apostles proclaimed the same Gospel in different forms (1 Corinthians 9: 16-23), depending on the historical and social context in which it was exposed, we also want to be relevant to today’s context of Cluj Napoca.
Therefore, our church’s emphasis will be a current, accessible and biblical attitude, because God has called us to serve the new contemporary generation.
2. Working with children – an opportunity, not a need
Working with children will always be a priority in our church. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Luke 18:16.
They are welcome because God has something to tell them also about how they were created and why, how they should live in this life, and how the gospel can transform their lives; all contextualized according to the age of the child. We believe that this responsibility was mainly entrusted to the parents, but the local church can and must support this process.
The purpose of working with children at Relevant Cluj is apprenticeship; not an apprenticeship that first seeks to change the behavior, but the heart.
3. Tithing
Giving to the Church (or “tithe”) consists in the practical application of the Word of God in Malachi 3:10:
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.“
On this principle, each member of the initiative group and later of the future planted church will give a steady share of its income to the work of the church for the proper conduct of its activities.
Offerings, a practice mentioned in the New Testament (2 Corinthians 9), must be rooted in an attitude of generosity and joy of the heart, not a constraint:
<< Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.>>
4. Periodic and intentional evaluation
We believe that any sound spiritual work must be purpose-oriented and thus have measurable objectives that can be assessed. Efficiency in church work is a biblical requirement, and evaluations will be done intentionally and periodically, depending on the needs and criteria established by church leadership.
5. Family prioritization
In a speeding society, overcrowded and drowned in the spirit of reversing the values, the family is often sacrificed for the sake of career, enrichment, or even ministry. We believe, according to the teachings of Scripture that man’s priorities must be in the following order: 1. God; 2. Family; 3. Work/ Ministry.
Because of sin and the flesh that always tries to distort divine values and priorities, the believer is in a constant struggle in understanding and maintaining these priorities.
Knowing that believers usually take into account the supreme place that God has to hold in their lives, but seeing the struggle they are taking to prioritize the family, we want to help them, and so in our church we will fight together for keeping the family as a priority in front of other earthly occupations or temptations.
6. Unity in diversity
Having a universal and local character, the church is made up of believers who come from different cultures and generations, but which, although different, are united around the same purpose and the same essence. The goal is the Glorification of God, the essence is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
That is why we recognize the principle of unity in diversity, claiming that the function – the glorification of God – is more important than form – the way in which churches and believers choose to glorify it in the context they come from. We will focus on the function and respect the forms, even if they differ from those we are accustomed to.
So we want to avoid two extremes: – liberalism that denies the importance of the Gospel of function that is not negotiable and we should unite, and – legalism denies diversity and raises form at absolutely advocating uniformity in conformity more rather than unity in diversity. Both currents have been criticized in the Scriptures and therefore we will also struggle to avoid them.
7. Quality before quantity
The training of disciples is the mission of our church, but the final goal is not the quantity but the quality of the disciples.
That is why the apprenticeship training process will be continuously monitored and evaluated, with the fundamental elements in the formation of an apprentice being fully implemented in the life of every believer / member of the church.
8. Teamwork
God has always worked in the team. Starting with the example of the Holy Trinity, continuing with the example of the family (man, woman, children), until the formation of the church (a body with several members) or the leadership of the church (elders, not just a pastor / priest) even in the work of the disciples were sent two by two) – we always find the team spirit present in the Scriptures.
Teamwork requires unity in diversity at the level of church work, that is, we are united in achieving a common purpose, but according to the pattern left by the Holy Spirit who, in the church / work, gives different gifts, different functions, different responsibilities, and different authority.
The harmonious joining of all these aspects contributes to the realization of the purpose of God in the work of the church.
9. Non-charismatic movement
Although we believe in the plenary work of the Holy Spirit, we are convinced that it will be conformed to the Scriptures, especially in an order determined by the same Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 14:33).
Starting from this premise, we will follow the work of the Holy Spirit through the balance of Scripture, and not through human libertarianism.
10. Biblical counseling
Biblical counseling is the process by which the church tries to solve the problems and burdens of its believers. Taking into account that many perspectives of understanding, approaching, healing and resolving the problems of life are spread in contemporary society, we believe that in Scripture.
God has left us the essence and tools to solve any human problem.
That is why, in the process of analyzing and solving the problems and burdens of life, our approach will be biblical, not integrative, assessing all the symptoms and the solutions proposed in the light of the truth of Scripture.
11. Moral integrity
The work of the church requires character, conviction, compatibility and competence.
The basis of our work is the moral integrity of members and servants of the church, a work initiated by Christ and guaranteed by Himself.
Recognizing that we are all sinners, we understand the grace of God – salvation through Christ alone, and that is why we will always seek to honor God by living in the Spirit, and not by the exhortation of the flesh.