The Alliance of Renewal Churches
http://www.allianceofrenewalchurches.org/
The vision of the ARC
To see churches and leaders live on the radical edge with God, kicking at the darkness until it bleeds daylight so that the least, the last, and the lost are touched by the love of God, and the people of God live into their destiny as world changers.
Why does ARC exist?
We believe God raised up the Alliance of Renewal Churches (ARC) for a strategic purpose in perilous times: to create an alliance of like-minded leaders and churches free to foster real relationships, engage in honest dialogue, and experience authentic transformation so that we settle for nothing less than doing the works and proclaiming the words of Jesus. We believe the Lord has given us a mandate to have a healthy disregard for the impossible. As we proclaim and demonstrate the kingdom of God through the power of the Holy Spirit people will be saved, healed, set free, and empowered to live fully into their God-given destiny. The ARC is a network of kingdom friendships and strategic relationships among leaders and congregations who:
- are under the lordship of Jesus Christ and are radically dependent on the Holy Spirit
- are kingdom-driven
- embrace a convergence of the evangelical, charismatic, and sacramental streams of the Christian faith
- are united by shared mission and vision
- appreciate a shared Lutheran heritage
ARC non-negotiables
The Lordship of Christ
We are committed to operating under the headship of Jesus Christ as Lord of the Church, and to discovering and doing his will.
The Bible: God's Word
We believe the Word of God is without error. It works with the Spirit to equip and empower Christians for every good work.
Prayer
Everything Jesus said and did was birthed out of and bathed in prayer. The ARC itself was birthed out of prayer. We are committed to continually bathe all we say and do in prayer.
Radical Dependence on the Empowering Presence of the Holy Spirit
In the ARC the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit are celebrated, not simply tolerated. We endeavor to foster a radical dependence upon the Holy Spirit in the lives of leaders and congregations.
Revelatory Decision-Making
We choose to make decisions based on hearing God's voice. We believe we hear him through his Word, prayer, fellow believers, circumstances, and the Person of the Holy Spirit.
The Empowering Grace of God
God's empowering grace enables Christians to live responsibly, victoriously, and in real and authentic relationship with one another.
A Safe Place for the Dangerous Kind
We will be a safe place where people can live authentically as they are transformed by the outrageous love, empowering grace, and truth of God. We are committed to equipping and coaching people who are willing to be dangerous for the kingdom of God and a real threat to the dark dominion of the enemy. We will be dangerous for God's kingdom as we invite him to do whatever he needs to do in us so that he can do whatever he wants to do through us; daring in what we ask of God and risk-taking in what we attempt for him.
Ministry to Forgotten Ones
We will not say we are doing the ministry of Jesus unless it includes ministry to and with the "forgotten ones." The commands Jesus gives are simple and uncomplicated: Feed the poor. Clothe the naked. Heal the sick. Cast out demons. The ministry of Jesus touched the poor and the homeless, the outcast and abandoned, the disenfranchised and the marginalized. So will the ministry of the ARC. As we take kingdom ministry to the streets, we recognize that we need the forgotten ones as much as they need us.
Revolution not Religion
Revolutionaries respond to the presence and principles of God whenever and wherever possible, without regard to historical or societal inhibitions. The ARC encourages leaders and congregations not to allow that which once blessed them now to bind them.
Intentional Leadership Development
We are committed to developing and mentoring leaders through a variety of strategies and approaches. We will believe in emerging leaders before they believe themselves and will call out of them that which God has placed within them.
The ARC is like. . .
When proclaiming the kingdom, Jesus often began by saying, "The kingdom of God is like. . ." Therefore, when answering the question, "What is the ARC?" we like to follow our Lord's example and begin by saying:
"The ARC is like a band of brothers and sisters."
• A band of brothers and sisters who help each other stay focused on the mission at hand
• A band of brothers and sisters who will stand shoulder-to-shoulder, giving courage to one another as we engage in the great cosmic conflict of our age-because courage has a relational component to it and together we are a force to be reckoned with
• A band of brothers and sisters who can pick us up and carry us through seasons of life that are challenging, discouraging, and painful
• A band of brothers and sisters who will not let us settle for anything less than all God has for us.
"The ARC is like a family of destiny."
• A family sharing our passion for Jesus and the advancement of his kingdom in our world
• A family committed to walking with each other as followers of Jesus who are "closer than a brother"
• A family that is larger than our local family
• A family that extravagantly loves its pastors and leaders
"The ARC is like a fresh wind of freedom."
• Free to foster real relationships
• Free to engage in honest dialogue
• Free to experience authentic transformation
• Free from hierarchical and bureaucratic encumbrances
• Free to walk in unity, not uniformity
• Free to discover and live out God's kingdom assignment for our lives
• Free to hear and follow God's voice
• Free to "do the stuff"
"The ARC is like coming home."
There are leaders and churches that have been in a far country and want to come home, who want to be celebrated, not tolerated, for being fully evangelical, Spirit-empowered, and sacramental.