VISION

Sunrise Community Church exists to know Jesus and make Him known.

In Mt. 28:19, Jesus commissioned his followers to “go and make disciples of all nations”.

This command is our mission and it requires that all members of Sunrise are involved in

two main activities: ‘being a disciple of Jesus, who makes disciples of Jesus.’

CORE VALUES

Christianity in the 21st century finds itself in a situation where Biblical truths are being

challenged and re-defined by contemporary culture. At Sunrise our desire is to remain

faithful to both the unchanging text of Scripture and the ever changing context in which we

have been called to serve. So, it is our conviction that the best way for us to be both

robustly Biblical and authentically relevant is by holding fast to the following 3 core values

or theological distinctives:

1. We are: Gospel-Centred

This means that everything we do (worship, mission, community, etc) is centred on the

person and work of Jesus Christ. We do this because the gospel is not only the power

that saves us but also the power that sanctifies us! Thus, the gospel is not the first step

in a stairway of truths, rather it is more like the hub in a wheel of truth around which all

ministry finds its rightful place (1 Cor 15:1-4).

Furthermore, the gospel is essentially the ‘good news of salvation’, not by works but by

grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

So to put it simply, a ‘gospel-centred’ understanding of salvation teaches what the Bible

states so clearly, “salvation belongs to the Lord!” (Ps 3:8). In other words, God is the

sovereign author, sustainer and finisher of our salvation.

Finally, a ‘gospel-centred’ view of ministry and salvation is profoundly Christ exalting -

from beginning to end we want to give God all the glory for saving us! 

Ephesians 2:8-9,

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is

the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

2. We are: Missional

Jesus came to earth as a missionary and he said we must follow his example. The

Father sent the Son, the Son sends the Spirit and the Spirit sends the church –

therefore by its very nature, the church is called as the chosen instrument of God’s

mission in the world. The mission of the church is to be a continuation of all that Jesus

began to do and teach. Jesus was an incredible missionary. He was faithful to the

content of Scripture and he was relevant to the context of his culture.

It is our mission to do the same - we don’t want to retreat from Grand Cayman and the

world nor be above or against it. Rather, we want to engage the island and the world

with the gospel of Christ (1 Cor 9:19-23). This ‘gospel engagement’ is often counter-

cultural in its appearance and yet redemptive in its purpose.

We are working for a Christ-centered restoration of everyone and everything. This

means that in all vocations and in every circumstance, we have an opportunity to

proclaim and demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ. By this all people will know that we

are his disciples! (Jn. 13:35).

3. We are: Spirit-Empowered

We love the person and work of the Holy Spirit and cherish His activity in our lives. We

believe His primary role is to empower Christians for Christ-exalting witness and

ministry. We believe that He continues to give special spiritual gifts to believers in order

to edify the church and glorify Jesus Christ, but we don’t believe that any one particular

spiritual gift (i.e. tongues or prophecy) is essential for proving the Spirit’s indwelling

presence in a believer, or that it’s an indication of a deeper spiritual walk with God. A

genuine ‘fullness or infilling’ of the Spirit’s work in a person’s life should always lead to

Jesus being magnified and will result in a greater evidence of the fruit of the Spirit.

(Gal 5:22).

It is the privilege and responsibility of every believer to serve the church, by using their

spiritual gifts not for personal gain but “for the common good of the body”

 (1 Cor 12:7-11, 1 Pet 4:10).

Finally, because God is sovereign, we know that He can work miracles and heal the

sick in answer to our prayers. However, the final outcome or answer is not determined

by our will or efforts but rather by God’s own divine will and plan. As a church

community, we love the active presence of God in our gatherings and are totally

dependent on the power of the Spirit for personal sanctification, for spiritual illumination,

for mutual edification and for effective witness. (Acts 1:8, 1 Thess 1:4-7)