ChristCentral Churches
ChristCentral Churches is a family of churches served by an apostolic team led by Jeremy Simpkins. This team works with over 275 churches in more than 25 nations and is part of the wider Newfrontiers family. We carry the prophetic call that 'we can do more together than apart' and are now serving many churches and church plants in various parts of the world.
Jeremy and Ann Simpkins
Michael and Jeremy
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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 and 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 in 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 effecting regeneration and sanctification, the Holy Spirit also empowers believers for Christian witness and service. While all genuine believers are indwelt 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 indwelt 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 practised.
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 4 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.
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CCC VALUES - WHAT HOLDS US TOGETHER // [Chris Frost, 11/06/2025]
VISION
ChristCentral exists to grow multiple apostolic teams that train leaders, mobilise churches and glorify Jesus.
This is our “where” but we need a “how”: the feel of who we are corporately and individually.
What is the culture we want to see? Culture is … “The way things are done around here”. Ask a Fish in water: ‘How’s the water?” The fish answers: ‘What’s water?’
Our culture is the water we are surrounded by, so natural to us. “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” Peter Drucker
John Stott said; “Probably the greatest tragedy of the church throughout its long and checkered history has been its constant tendency to conform to the prevailing culture instead of developing a Christian counter-culture.”
Using the story of the first church in Jerusalem, highlight the 4 Distinctives or values of ChristCentral churches – what do we hope the flavour or culture of each ChristCentral church has:
1. Being Friends, Enjoying God Together
2. Building Grace-Filled Churches Empowered by Word and Spirit
3. Advancing the Kingdom, Transforming Communities
4. Reaching Nations, Making Disciples
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1. Being Friends Enjoying God Together – Acts 2:42-47
In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit descends at Pentecost, empowering the disciples to preach boldly, resulting in 3,000 people being saved. The believers form a close-knit community, sharing everything and living in unity.
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God
It's an amazing picture of friends enjoying God together, Timothy Keller imagines a neighbour meeting a new follower of Jesus:
“Ah,” the neighbor says. “I hear you are religious! Great! Religion is a good thing. Where is your temple or holy place?”
“We don’t have a temple,” replies the Christian. “Jesus is our temple.”
“No temple? But where do your priests work and do their rituals?”
“We don’t have priests to mediate the presence of God,” replies the Christian. “Jesus is our priest.”
“No priests? But where do you offer your sacrifices to acquire the favor of your God?”
“We don’t need a sacrifice,” replies the Christian. “Jesus is our sacrifice.”
“What kind of religion is this?” sputters the pagan neighbor. And the answer is, it’s no kind of religion at all.”
One way of defining the Jerusalem church was that it was a group of friends enjoying God together. This didn’t come from the latest paperback, or strategic response to surveys they had done – the Apostles had lived and breathed with Jesus, for example the last supper:
Where there was: Washing feet, Hard discussion about betrayal; John 13:25 Leaning against him, or lying on his chest., Eating a meal, teaching, prayer, hymn, walk to mount of Olives.
John 15:15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
It's at the heartbeat of the God we worship a relational God, What we see in Jerusalem is what we want to see in and among all our churches: Being Friends Enjoying God Together.
It's about being first and foremost, not doing. We want to do some stuff yes, but who we are is more important than what we do. We are a people who are in Christ who enjoy God together.
What does that mean?
Gospel analogy: Imagine trying to fly – you can't do it. But if you are on an airplane you trust the plane to get you there: Jesus has brought us to the Father so we can enjoy the journey together. Grace has come to us, we can be friends who enjoy God together. Look what Jesus has done. This is what we need and what the world needs – we think I need a new training programme, a theology degree, better circumstances; you need a bunch of people that will be with you and you with them. The world needs to see a sacrifical and loyal friendship between people that is utterly inconceivable without Jesus -
"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35
Church leadership is brutaful – brutal and beautiful: we need friends to keep us on track.
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2. Building Grace-Filled Churches Empowered by Word & Spirit – Acts 4:31-35
Miracles, like Peter healing a lame man (Acts 3), draw attention, but persecution follows as religious leaders try to silence the apostles
"After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly." (Acts 4:31)
Not just a Bible based church. Not just a Power based church. Building grace-filled Churches Empowered by Word & Spirit.
Word and Spirit – an overemphasis on the word of God and you dry up, and over emphasis on the Spirit of God and you blow up, but Word and Spirit together and you grow up.
A friend who became a Newfrontiers pastor, knew this was right for me when on a Sunday and there was a public interpreted tongue followed by a verse by verse exposition of Romans 8!
"Got it all? Well, if you have ‘got it all’, I simply ask in the Name of God, why are you as you are? If you have ‘got it all’, why are you so unlike the Apostles, why are you so unlike the New Testament Christians?" Martin Lloyd Jones
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3. Advancing the Kingdom, Transforming communities – Acts 8:4-8
The Jerusalem church faces challenges;
Like Ananias and Sapphira's deceit (Acts 5) - hypocrisy: fear of God
Disputes over food distribution (Acts 6), - division: leaders are released
Stephen, the first Christian martyr, is stoned in Acts 7, sparking a wave of persecution: scatters believers, inadvertently spreading the Gospel.
Philip, one of the early church leaders, went to Samaria and proclaimed Christ. His ministry, marked by signs and wonders, brought great joy to the city.
"When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said... So there was great joy in that city." (Acts 8:6-8).
Life doesn’t stop at the church: When were affected by the gospel were effective for the gospel. Communities get effected – sick people get healed, hungry people get fed, lonely people get connected, lost people get found by a God who loves them. People experience hope as a new kingdom breaks in.
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4. Reaching Nations, Making Disciples
Acts 9 - Paul gets converted trying to get Christians who have gone to Damascus
Acts 10 – Peter goes to Cornelius house
"Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus." Acts 11:20
Because of Jerusalem’s commitment, The church in Antioch (Acts 11) becomes a major hub for missions.
A father gave a tree to two sons in his will. One looked after the tree, the other took the trees branches and planted new trees all over the land.
As ChristCentral churches we do relationship, theology and mission together
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For further information go to:
OTHER LINKS:
Jubilee church, Teesside. England.
King's Church Kingston, England
| ChristCentral Churches |
City of Grace Church P.O. Box MA308 Ho Volta Region Ghana |