We Are Family Of Churches Together On A Mission
We work to strengthen existing churches, plant healthy churches, train and equip leaders, and partner with our global family.
Our Identity
Relationships Really Matter
In Mark 3:14, we read that the first reason Jesus chose the twelve disciples is “so that they might be with him.” He did not gather these men simply because they happened to believe the same things or value the same things (they didn’t initially), but he gathered them first to relationship. For Jesus, relationships were not an add-on or a bonus but the means by which he carried out his ministry.
We see the same pattern in the New Testament, with family functioning as the prevailing metaphor for healthy church life. Confluence believes that an emphasis on relationships is a biblical imperative for any group of churches, and it’s crucial that we build strong relationships with one another.
We build strong relationships because:
God is a relational God.
God's plan has always been to fill the earth through families (Genesis 1:28, Genesis 12:2-3).
The New Testament churches embraced the language of family. For example, Paul writes in Ephesians 3:14-15: "I kneel before the Father from whom His whole family on heaven and earth derives its name."
The New Testament pattern of leadership had a relational bent (Romans 15:30-31, 2 Timothy 1:2; 1 Corinthians 4:17).
For those reasons, we are theologically convinced of the importance of strong, familial relationships between churches and leaders. We want to be churches that are not only on mission, but on mission together.
Theological Statement
As part of the universal church, we hold to the ecumenical creeds (the Apostles’, Nicene-Constantinopolitan, Chalcedonian and Athanasian Creeds). As Protestant Christians, we affirm that justification is by faith alone, and stand in the tradition of Reformation confessional documents like the Heidelberg Catechism, although we believe water baptism is only for believers. As contemporary evangelicals, we also affirm modern statements such as the Lausanne Covenant and the Evangelical Alliance statement of faith.
Core Doctrinal Values
1. Word-Based
(Col 1:25; 1 Thess 2:13; 2 Tim 3:16-17; 4:1-5)
We believe in the absolute truthfulness, sufficiency and final authority of Scripture. This value is expressed through the Bible having the central place in governing doctrine, practice, ethos and patterns of church life.
2. Grace-Filled
(Eph 2:8-10; Acts 11:23; Col 1:6)
The message of grace and the gospel is central to the Christian life and local church. Grace ought to be expressed in relation to salvation, church life, relationships and leadership style. We see our salvation as a work of God from start to finish.
Grace is at the heart of the Christian life and continually renews the believer and the Church. The gospel of grace is not the first step in a stairway of truths; rather, it is more like the hub in a wheel of truth. The gospel is not just the ABC but the A to Z of Christianity. The gospel is not the minimum required doctrine necessary to enter the kingdom, but the way we make all progress in the kingdom.
The gospel of grace is the way that anything is renewed and transformed by Christ—whether a heart, a relationship, a church, or a community. It is the key to all doctrine and to our view of our lives in this world. Therefore, all our problems come from a lack of orientation to the gospel. Put positively, the gospel transforms our hearts, thinking and approaches to absolutely everything.
Implied in our understanding of grace is a confident trust in God who is the author and finisher of our faith. Because God is the prime mover, we see God’s sovereignty as foundational to our understanding of the Christian life and practice.
3. Spirit-Empowered
(Eph 5:18; Acts 1:7-8; Gal 3:1-5; 1 Cor 12:1-7)
We believe that all the gifts in Scripture are available and desirable today for building the local church and extending the Kingdom of God. We believe every believer should be filled with the Spirit as part of God’s desire to empower us for Christian life and witness.
In addition to affecting regeneration and sanctification, the Holy Spirit also empowers believers for Christian witness and service. While all genuine believers are indwelled by the Holy Spirit at conversion, the New Testament indicates the importance of an ongoing, empowering work of the Spirit subsequent to conversion as well. Being indwelled by the Spirit and being filled with the Spirit are theologically distinct experiences. The Holy Spirit desires to fill each believer continually with increased power for Christian life and witness, and imparts his supernatural gifts for the edification of the Body and for various works of ministry in the world. All the gifts of the Holy Spirit at work in the church of the first century are available today, are vital for the mission of the church, and are to be earnestly desired and practiced.
Core Leadership Values
4. Elders in Each Local Church
(Acts 14:21-23; 20:28; 1 Tim 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9; Jam 5:14)
The Holy Spirit appoints elders confirmed by the church and apostolic ministry. Church government is not a democracy nor an autocracy but rather a theocracy. Elders’ main functions involve leading, feeding, guarding and guiding the church. We see eldership as the calling of qualified men who lead as a team in their shared endeavour. It has been our normal practice to see one of the elders provide leadership to the eldership team as a first among equals.
5. Ephesians Four Ministries
(Acts 14:21-23; 20:28; Eph 4:7-16; Rom 16:1-16)
All Ephesians 4:11 gifts are valid today and help bring churches to maturity and to equip men and women to fulfil their God-given ministry. Eldership teams are encouraged to invite Ephesians 4 ministries to help bring their local church to maturity. Local elders are the final human governing authority in a local church. However, the local elders are encouraged to invite and then to receive clear apostolic input and authority.
6. Servant-Heartedness
(Mark 10:42-45; 1 Cor 4:1-2; 1 Thess 2:1-12; 1 Pet 5:1-4)
Christian leadership, in its essence, is a call to be an example not an exception. Following the example of Jesus, Christian leaders are meant to serve others not be served. Christian leadership should be godly, transparent and accessible. Christian leadership exists to multiply ministry, not monopolise it. Christian leadership ought to have a bias towards partnership and collaboration with other gospel-shaped leaders, rather than demonstrating isolation and individualism.
Core Mission Values
7. Local Church Focused
(Matt 16:17-20 and 18:15-20; Acts 16:5; 1 Thess 1:4-8; Rev 1:20)
We regard the local church as central to the mission and purposes of God. We see the local church as the place of primary focus for Ephesians 4 ministries. Ephesians 4 ministries exist to serve the local church, not the other way round.
8. Mission Ought to Be Expressed Locally, Globally and Holistically
(Matt 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; Rom 15:17-22; Gal 2:10; Col 4:5-6)
We desire to see local churches effectively and fruitfully engaged in local Kingdom mission. We desire to see local churches caught up on a global apostolic Kingdom mission. We desire to see local churches involved in holistic mission, engaging with all sectors of society, particularly the poor and the marginalised. Normally local fruitfulness and effectiveness leads to a wider sphere of ministry, rather than the other way round.
9. Contextual freedom in Application
(Acts 16:1-5; Rom 14:1-4; 1 Cor 9:19-23)
We recognise that our core values will need to be contextualised and applied differently in different contexts. Sound contextualisation means translating and applying our core values without compromising the essence of the values themselves.
Servant Leadership
The gift of leadership is necessary for any group of people to make progress together, whether they’re part of a family, a church, or a family of churches (Romans 12:8). We believe apostles are given to lead families of churches (Ephesians 4:11-12). It's this leader, along with his team, who casts the vision and sets the tone for what the family does together.
Confluence churches are organized into five regions, and the leaders of these regions form an apostolic team. Bryan Mowrey serves as the apostle who leads this team. He is based at Jubilee Church in St. Louis, MO, where he also serves as lead elder and regional leader for the Midwest. Here’s the complete list of regions and leaders:
Northwest: led by Bo Noonan
Northeast: led by Ian Ashby
Southeast: led by Carl Herrington
California: led by Travis Aicklen
Midwest: led by Bryan Mowrey
While most of their responsibilities are centered around their local and regional churches, regional leaders serve all Confluence churches, not only the ones nearest them. Because of the strong relationships between regions, we collaborate often and learn from each other. Through regular communication, conferences, training weekends, and church visits, our regional leaders work together to serve and unify the whole family.
For an in-depth discussion of how apostolic teams serve and partner with local churches, we recommend reading Fathering Leaders, Motivating Mission by David Devenish.
Mission Is Our Goal
Mark tells us the second reason Jesus chose his disciples was so that “he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons.” (Mark 3:14-15) In other words, he not only chose them for relationship but also for mission.
In John 20:21, Jesus says, “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” Through the Church, Jesus’ mission and ministry on earth continues. We agree with Ed Stetzer when he says, “The church of God doesn’t have a mission as much as the mission of God has a church.”
God calls people together for a purpose — his purpose. We believe that God has brought us together to serve his mission in ways that wouldn’t be possible if we were on our own. Confluence churches work together to:
Strengthen existing churches
Plant healthy churches
Train and equip leaders
Partner with our global family
Global Partners
Confluence churches also have growing relationships with churches all over the world. Through these partnerships, we are serving Christians in other nations and benefitting from what God is doing among global believers. Currently, we’re working closely with churches in Turkey, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Kenya, and Mexico. Additionally, Confluence is part of an international family of churches called Newfrontiers with connections in more than 1500 churches in over 80 nations worldwide.