Biblical Priority: Exalt God

1. We value God’s Word, the Bible, as solely authoritative and sufficient in all matters of belief and behavior for every believer’s walk with God and for the ministry of the church (Ps. 1:1-3; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 1 Pet. 2:2).

The Word of God provides the bedrock foundation for all that we seek to do at IBF Church. It is our desire that every value, activity, and program would find its basis in the truths of Scripture. Many churches have built their ministries and identities around pragmatic or cultural values. While we want to be sensitive to the diverse cultures at IBF, we believe that God’s Word transcends all cultures, challenging all peoples to a new way of life.

What this looks like at IBF:

We are committed to Expository Preaching on Sunday mornings—preaching that presents the meaning of the Scriptures in its original context and applies it to our lives today.
Our Sunday School Classes and Youth Group teach through biblical curriculum—systematically teaching through books of the Bible.
All of our other teaching ministries are committed to faithfully teaching God’s Word.
We counsel people based on the Word of God, not modern pragmatism, psychology, or experience.

2. We value personal and corporate worship of God which engages both our thoughts and godly passions (John 4:23-24; Ps. 16:11; 1 Tim. 4:13; 2 Tim. 4:1-4).

Worshipping God is neither a completely personal matter nor a solely corporate/public matter. We believe that each individual Christian should worship and commune with God all week long. Our corporate worship as a body on Sunday flows out of our personal worship all week long. We believe that a healthy church is made up of Christians who do worship God individually, but who value the unique experience and blessing of regular corporate worship.

What this looks like at IBF:
On Sunday mornings, we worship the Lord through: the reading and preaching of the Word of God, prayer, fellowship, corporate singing, giving, serving, and the celebration of communion/the Lord’s Supper.
During our corporate singing, we seek to include a blend of traditional hymns and contemporary songs that are rich in biblical truth and evoke godly affections.
We celebrate the Lord’s Supper approximately once a month.

3. We value prayer as an essential element in all our efforts in ministry and worship (Acts 2:42; Eph. 6:18-20; Phil. 4:6; Col. 4:2; 1 Thes. 5:16-18).

We believe that we will not be able to accomplish anything as church apart from dependence on the Lord through prayer. We believe that a biblical view of prayer includes various aspects such as confession, praise and thanksgiving, and petition. Thus, all our individual ministries are committed to prayer.

What this looks like at IBF:

We pray regularly throughout our Sunday services.
The elders and staff pray regularly for the body of IBF.
Urgent prayer requests are passed on to the body through various means including email and SMS.

4. We value a multi-cultural church body that appreciates and honors our cultural differences while being united as one in Christ (Rev. 5:9-10; Matt. 28:19-20; Gal. 3:28; Eph. 4:3).

IBF Church is truly an international church with members and attenders from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds. We are united around a love for God and His Word, recognizing that the God’s word is the final authority over all cultural preferences and experiences. We have the distinction of doing our preaching and teaching in English. We celebrate our cultural differences as a foretaste of the multi-cultural experience that will be ours in heaven. At the same time, it is our desire that our differences would never serve as barriers between those of various cultures and we are all happy to lay down our cultural preferences for the sake of our brothers and sisters. We seek to be sensitive to the different cultures for the sake of unity, while still remaining biblical in all we do. All of this is possible because we recognize that we are all one in Christ, having been adopted in the family of God together, cleansed by the blood of Christ, and united for the purpose of glorifying God together.

What this looks like at IBF:

Our preaching is done in English, but the content and wording is not tailored to any one specific ethnic group.
We encourage everyone to enjoy fellowship with people of all ethnicities (not just their own) on Sundays.
Our ministries are staffed by people from various ethnic backgrounds.
Biblical Priority: Edify the Saints

5. We value membership in the local church (Heb. 10:24-25, Acts 14:23, 20:17, 1 Pet. 5:1-3, Heb. 13:17).

Salvation makes every Christian a member of the body of Christ and universal church with baptism being an outward symbol to show this. In addition to membership in the universal church, membership in a local church body is implied throughout the New Testament as well. Membership in a local church allows the Christian to carry out the commitments and service called for in the Word of God. New Testament Christianity was very corporate and community-focused, not merely individual. The epistles were written specific churches (or groups of churches) not just lone Christians in general. Different churches were well defined units with individual leadership, and those leaders were called to shepherd a specific “flock” or local church (not just Christians in general). In light of these truths, we value every Christian being a baptized, formal member of a local church and we desire every regular attender of IBF to commit to membership.

What this looks like at IBF:

Baptism is celebrated on a regular basis for new Christians and Christians who have not already been baptized.
Membership classes offered regularly and as needed.
New members are regularly affirmed before the whole body.
Associate membership is offered to those residing in Malawi only temporarily, providing that they are a member of a local church in their home country.

6. We value every member growing in holiness and Christ-like maturity by the power of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 3:18; Gal. 5:16; 1 Pet. 1:2).

The Christian life is meant to be one of continual spiritual growth. This includes an ever-increasing holiness in the life the believer and a pattern of consistently maturing to be more and more like Jesus Christ in all aspects of life. The only way that this can happen is through the power of the Holy Spirit at work in the life of the believer.

What this looks like at IBF:

Our sermons are bathed in prayer for the Holy Spirit to be at work and always contain an emphasis on how to apply the Word of God
Our Care Croups meet to discuss sermon application and to provide regular accountability and prayer for spiritual growth.
Our various ministries in the church seek to teach age-appropriate application of the Word as it applies to various stages and situations in life.
We are committed to the biblical practice of church discipline to seek to restore a sinning brother or sister back into fellowship and true holiness.

7. We value equipping the body in order to develop biblical knowledge, character, and actions that imitate Christ in order that every member can faithfully serve in the body of Christ according to their spiritual giftedness (Col. 1:28, Rom. 12:9-13; 1 Pet. 4:10-11; 1 Cor. 12:7; Eph. 4:11-13).

We are committed to the concept of what the Scriptures call “equipping” or “building up” of the body of Christ. This refer to the spiritual growth and maturity of the whole church which prepares everyone in the body to serve one another and reach out to the world around us. Our equipping focuses on three areas: a knowledge of the Word of God, Christ-like character, and actions of ministry or service. Because all members of the body of Christ are called to serve, we seek to equip everyone at IBF. The Scriptures compare the church to a body in which every part needs to fulfil its God-given role. There are no unnecessary or non-functional parts in the body of Christ. God did not design any body part to simply consume the resources of the body without contributing in any way. In order to facilitate this service, God has granted every Christian spiritual gifts and various natural talents to use in the power of the Spirit to serve the body.

What this looks like at IBF:

Preaching of the Word on Sunday mornings
Adult and Children Sunday School classes
Care Groups
Future Men’s and women’s ministry
Biblically qualified deacons who serve the church in a variety of ways.
Formal ministry teams and opportunities such as: Sunday School, Youth Group, Hospitality Team, Worship Team
Other ministry opportunities such as: set up, website, bulletin creation, prison ministry, building committee, church directory
Informal service such as words of encouragement, acts of service, etc.

8. We value Christ-centered relationships, especially through the regular gathering of small groups focused on God’s Word, fellowship, prayer, and sacrificial love (John 13:34; Eph. 5:1-2; 1 Thes. 5:11; Heb. 10:23-25; Jam. 5:16).

God had designed the Christian life to be lived in the context of relationships and community. Our Sunday worship services are just a starting point for Christian fellowship, thus we seek to provide additional opportunities in other settings for these God-honoring relationships to take place. Smaller group time and one-on-one time allows the opportunity for Christians to fellowship, minister to one another, use our spiritual gifts, pray together and demonstrate genuine, sacrificial love.

What this looks like at IBF:

One of the key ministries that aims at growing such relationships is our Care Groups. These small groups meet weekly to discuss the sermon, have fellowship, accountability, and prayer for one another.
Other ministries also focus on small group time, often based on similar ages or life situations. These include: Youth Group, Sunday School Classes, Men’s and Women’s Ministry
Additionally, we have other events such as our annual church camp, annual Christmas parties, and various church potlucks/luncheons which all for fellowship in smaller groups.
We seek to start this initially with new visitors by greeting them warmly and following up with them personally.

9. We value husbands, wives, and children fulfilling their biblical roles within the family and within the church (Deut. 6:4-9; Eph. 5:22-6:4; Titus 2:1-8).

The family is the core social unit found within the Scriptures. God has laid out various expectations and requirements for all members of the family (parent, child, husband, wife, etc.). Thus, fulfilling these roles leads to strength in the home and in the church. Christians need to be taught and encouraged to fulfill these various roles.

What this looks like at IBF:

Preaching sermons on specific biblical texts relating to biblical roles
Sunday school and youth group teaching on responsibilities of children/youth
Adult Sunday school classes on topics relating to marriage and parenting
Seminars on marriage and parenting
Biblical counseling in the areas of pre-marital, marriage, and family issues
Men’s and women’s ministry aimed at equipping men and women in their unique roles

10. We value the submission of IBF Church to Christ’s leadership which is carried out by a biblically qualified team of elders who shepherd the body (Acts 20:28; 1 Tim. 3:1-7; Tit. 1:5-9; 1 Pet. 5:1-3; Heb. 13:17).

Ultimately, Christ is the head of the church, which is His bride. The elders of IBF seek to do everything in submission to the authority of Christ Jesus found in His Word. We are committed to always have a unified team of elders who meet the qualifications found in the Bible. Elders are not perfect men, but they are “above reproach” and free from accusation and blame, able to be examples to the flock in their spiritual life, home life, character, and ministry. Elders shepherd and care for the body as under-shepherds of Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the Sheep.

What this looks like at IBF:

Elders are the primary providers of instruction in the word.
The elder team provides leadership and decision making for the direction and operation of the church, making all decisions in full unity.
Elders provide spiritual protection against false doctrine, loving care and comfort, exhortation, and church discipline when needed.

11. We value equipping men for eldership and pastoral ministry in the local church (Eph. 4:11-12; 1 Tim. 5:17; 2 Tim. 2:2).

God has designed the local church to be the forge in which future leaders are formed. Ultimately, this is a specific application of Value #7 about equipping the body by training pastors and elders. God has called all to service, but only some to leadership in the church. We desire to train men of all ages to be fully equipped to shepherd the flock of God and provide pastoral leadership. We recognize that some of these men will serve in a lay capacity and others will be supported by a church, yet all need sufficient training. This equipping will, Lord willing, ultimately result in ordaining men to eldership or pastoral ministry. While we do train women for various roles in the church, we do not ordain women to eldership or pastoral ministry.

What this looks like at IBF:

Training up current and future elders at IBF through formal and informal discipleship, instruction, and ministry involvement.
Providing internships for men in training who appear to be called to pastoral ministry.
Supporting and leveraging CAPA (Central African Preaching Academy) as a ministry of IBF Church to train men for ministry in a seminary setting, providing an accredited 2-year Bachelors of Divinity or 3-year Masters of Divinity.
Providing a home facility for CAPA
Council of church members that assist in overseeing CAPA
Members serving at CAPA in various practical ways
Biblical Priority: Evangelize the Lost

12. We value personal and corporate involvement in the establishment of the local church through local and global outreach to those who do not know Christ (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; Col. 4:2-4).

God has called the church to take the good news of the gospel both to those in our immediate geographic location as well as to the very ends of the earth. He has sovereignly placed IBF Church in Lilongwe, Malawi for the purpose of sharing the gospel with those living here including Malawians, other Africans, and ex-pats from across the globe. We are also committed to being a part of the great commission by sending and supporting missionaries who are sent out other parts of the world to proclaim the gospel and build the church world-wide.

What this looks like at IBF:

The body of IBF Church sharing the gospel with those in our various spheres of influence.
Regularly sharing the gospel during Sunday sermons.
Welcoming new visitors and following up with them
Equipping the body to share the gospel and their testimony through evangelism classes
Providing and encouraging specific opportunities to share the gospel in the community
Seeking to send missionaries and plant churches both locally and globally
Supporting missionaries and evangelism:
Support Brian Mtika, church planter in Mozambique
Support and involvement in the Maula Prison Ministry