These core values are a set of seven principles that guide our ministry and are central to our mission. Five of these values were articulated by Rolland and Heidi Baker and are rooted in their theological beliefs and experiences serving the poor in Mozambique. Simply Christians has adopted these core values and added two, ‘Be seen as families of ONE Body’ and ‘Be available’ to reflect our culture in the UK.
Pursue God's Presence: We emphasize a passionate relationship with God and seeking His presence. We seek to come aside and rest in His Presence. We seek to be on fire for Jesus. This is considered the foundation for all our work and is seen as the source of love, joy, and power. We believe that without this intimacy, we cannot effectively carry out our mission.
Depend on Miracles: We operate with a deep belief in God's supernatural provision and power. We are dependent on God for everything, from daily sustenance to the spiritual and physical healing of those we serve. We expect miracles to sustain our ministry and confirm the Gospel.
Go Low: We are committed to serving the most broken, humble, and lowly people. We believe that God works through the weak and despised, and our direction is always "lower still," focusing on ministering to drug addicts, alcoholics, those physically and sexually abused, the poor, orphans, and abandoned individuals.
ONE Body: Local Churches, Fellowships, House groups are seen as families who put into action the command of Jesus to love one another as He loves us. They follow Acts 2:42, scripture study, fellowship, sharing meals (including the Lord’s Supper) and prayer. We all gather as ONE Body for worship from time to time. Our unity is in obedience to Jesus in relation to the Parable of the ‘Tares and Wheat’. We judge no one in the Body or exclude them but leave that for Jesus at the end.
Be available:1 This is being available for individuals in need. We are ‘first responders’ to them. We follow the example of the Good Samaritan. We are prepared to drop what we are doing; give time and resources to each individual; go out of our way to support them. We support them directly from within our local church for as long as it takes, we befriend them, we help, we act. These people are a blessing for it is they who bring about revival in us.
Embrace Suffering: We view suffering as a valuable part of the Christian life. We believe that a willingness to suffer for the sake of righteousness is essential for learning to love and for sanctification. We "rejoice in [our] weaknesses," believing that when we are weak, we are strong through God's power.
Consider It All Joy: Despite the hardships and suffering we face, joy is considered a non-negotiable and powerful spiritual weapon. The joy of the Lord is seen as our motivation, reward, and strength, far outweighing our suffering.
1 A note on ‘Be available’.
‘Everywhere around us we see two worlds. The world of misery, the world of those who wait, the world of those trying to get out. Then the other world, the world of riches, the world of those shut up in harshness and security. Between these two worlds is a huge wall which prevents direct contact meeting, communion, sometimes there may be exchanges but never any direct contact. The comfortable throw money or things over the wall but the last thing they want is to see or touch.’ Vanier, J. (1975) Be not afraid. Dublin: Gill and Macmillan Ltd, p.1.
John Mercer
September 2025