Vision, Mission, Values and Practices

Our vision

A cell church, simple and passionate, that lives the love of Christ and makes it known throughout the world.

Our mission

To bring the Gospel to every person, making them disciples of Jesus.

Our ministry

We are a community of disciples of Christ that exists to minister to God, to the saints and to the world.

Our faith and our values

Our statement of faith sets out the principles and values that guide what we believe and how we live as a church.

1. God

We believe in the existence of one eternal, personal, intelligent and spiritual God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

2. Creation

We believe in the sovereignty and wisdom of God in the creation and sustaining of the universe, in providence, in revelation and in redemption.

3. Jesus Christ

We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son, coexistent with the Father; in His human incarnation; in His virgin birth; in His sinless life; in His divine miracles; and in His redeeming sacrifice.

We also believe in His bodily resurrection and ascension, in His mediation before God and in His personal, visible second coming in power and glory.

4. The Holy Spirit

We believe in the Holy Spirit, in His personality, deity and work. He brings about the conversion and regeneration of the sinner and gives power to bear witness to the Gospel and to exercise spiritual gifts.

5. The Bible

We believe in the divine and full inspiration of the Holy Scriptures and in their supreme authority as the only and sufficient rule of faith and conduct. We believe that there is no error or deceit in anything the Bible declares.

6. Humanity

We believe that human beings were created by God in His image, that they sinned in Adam and fell from their original state of holiness through voluntary transgression.

Therefore, they are now sinners by nature and by choice, and are under the condemnation of God.

7. Salvation

We believe in the salvation and justification of the sinner through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, received by faith in Him as a grace of God, regardless of human merit, good works or ceremonies.

8. The Church

We believe that the Church is the universal and spiritual body of Christ, of which He is the head, with the mission of preaching the Gospel throughout the whole world.

In its local expression, the Church is a living body, a fellowship of believers gathered for edification, worship and the proclamation of the Gospel.

We also believe that Christ gave His Church two permanent ordinances: Baptism and the Lord's Supper.

9. The Great Commission

We believe that it is the duty of every local church and every Christian to strive to make disciples of all nations and to proclaim God's great salvation to every creature.

10. Christian service

We believe that it is the duty of every Christian to serve God through good stewardship, to promote peace among all people and cooperation among churches and fellow believers, with a view to fulfilling the great purposes of the Kingdom of God.

11. Eternity

We believe in the immortality of the soul, in the bodily resurrection of all the dead, in the final judgment of the world by the Lord Jesus Christ, in the eternal blessedness of believers and in the eternal condemnation of unbelievers.

12. The end times

We believe in the revival promised by God and that the whole earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord. As a result, all enemies will be under the feet of the Church, the last one to be defeated being death. After that, we will be with the Lord forever.

Our practices

The Zoe Network was founded in 2018, in the city of Laranjeiras do Sul, Paraná (Brazil), by Pastor Cesinha Sitta, to support and provide covering to its partner churches in Brazil and abroad.

Our journey is marked by discipleship, evangelism, worship, service, relationships and the teaching of the Word of God.

All churches connected to the Zoe Network share five fundamental pillars.

1. A network of cell churches

The cell is the basic and fundamental structure of our churches.

Just as cells contribute to the growth and renewal of a living organism, small groups promote the growth and edification of the community. Each cell expresses the identity of the church and shares its vision and purpose.

Its role is to care for people, strengthen community life and multiply, contributing to the healthy growth of the church.

Cells promote:

• Evangelism: sharing the message of Jesus.
• Pastoral care: walking alongside and caring for people.
• Fellowship: building relationships and sharing life.
• Prayer: seeking God and interceding for one another.
• Teaching of the Word: knowing and practising biblical principles.

We do not see the cell as just another ministry. Everyone who wishes to become a member needs to take an active part in a cell, because we believe that every member should be discipled.

Our desire is that each person becomes part of the community and embraces with us the vision God has given us. More than an organisation, we want to be a living organism.

2. A church in the temple and in homes

Cells and celebration services are part of the way we live as a church.

From the beginning of the Early Church, Christians gathered both in public places and in homes:

“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.”

Acts 2:46

“Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming that Jesus is the Christ.”

Acts 5:42

The life of the church was marked by the apostles' teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, prayer and signs and wonders.

We understand this to be a biblical and effective model for fulfilling the mission of the Church.

In the cells, we experience the daily life of the community through relationships, care and discipleship. In public services, we gather the church to celebrate our God together.

3. A church that serves through social action

Every church connected to the Zoe Network runs a social action project.

We believe we have been called to minister to the Lord, to the saints and to the world. That is why we seek to contribute to society through the preaching of the Gospel and through actions that express the love of Christ.

Social action is a way of showing our faith and an important evangelism strategy. We want to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, meeting needs and contributing to social transformation.

References: James 2:14–17; Matthew 5:13–14.

Most of our projects arise from the needs we identify around us. The relationships built in the cells help us understand people's circumstances and find opportunities to serve.

Initiatives carried out by our communities include:

• Sport and education: sports schools, ballet, martial arts, tutoring and projects in schools.
• Support for families: food donations and help for people in vulnerable situations.
• Culture and training: music, arts, drama and vocational courses.
• Care and support: psychological support, counselling and support for bereaved families.
• Service to the community: providing spaces for vaccination, health care and community meetings.

Each church develops its initiatives according to its local reality, seeking to care for the poor, the needy, the widow and the orphan.

References: James 1:27; 1 John 3:17.

We long to see people come to know Christ and have their stories transformed. Social projects are tools to improve people's lives as we express our love for Jesus by serving others.

4. A church that perseveres in prayer

Every church connected to the Zoe Network should cultivate a strong prayer project.

To pray is to talk with God and relate to Him every day, in a simple and committed way. More than a church activity, prayer should be part of our way of life.

We believe that prayer is fundamental to everything we do. Throughout Christian history, it has accompanied revivals, transformed lives and the advance of the Gospel.

Jesus taught about the importance of prayer and left us His own example of a life devoted to communion with the Father.

References: Matthew 6:5–15; Matthew 14:23.

His example left its mark on the disciples, who asked Him:

“Lord, teach us to pray.”

Luke 11:1

The churches of the Zoe Network are charismatic: they value the move of the Holy Spirit and long to see a multitude of disciples of Jesus grow.

We encourage every member to cultivate prayer, fasting and a devotional life. To that end, many communities hold prayer rooms, Tabernacles of David, vigils, watchtowers and other settings devoted to seeking the Lord.

Our desire is for every person to develop a constant life of prayer and communion with God.

5. A church that raises up new leaders

Every church connected to the Zoe Network runs a project for training new leaders.

We believe that discipleship is a strategy left to us by Jesus. It was through this process that He called, walked alongside and trained the apostles who would become the leaders of the Early Church.

For us, to disciple is to build a personal and committed relationship in which a more mature disciple helps others to draw closer to Jesus and bear fruit.

This process involves teaching, mentoring and relationships that foster Christian maturity and preparation to do the will of God.

School of Leaders

The School of Leaders offers biblical foundations to establish the decision for Christ and to promote growth in the Christian life.

The training is organised in three modules, each lasting about three months:

• House on the Rock: the basic foundations of faith and the Christian life.
• Abide and Bear Fruit: understanding God's purpose and applying it to life.
• The Potter's House: shaping and maturing Christian character.

On completing the school, students are encouraged to take part in the Re-Encounter with God, which is part of the leadership training journey.

After the Re-Encounter and an evaluation by their cell leader, the disciple is ready to lead a cell.

Our training journey

1. Evangelistic cell: care and pastoral support.
2. Encounter with God: help in the decision for Christ.
3. School of Leaders: training and equipping.
4. Re-Encounter with God: care for emotional issues, seeking to undo what holds back the journey.
5. Discipleship cell: mentoring to live out God's purpose.

Guidelines of the Zoe Network

Alcoholic drinks

The Zoe Network advises its members to abstain from drinking alcohol.

We recognise the harm alcohol can cause to individuals, families and society, including violence, conflict, separation, illness and accidents.

This stance of abstinence also has precedent in Christian history, such as the position taken by John Wesley and the Methodist movement in the face of the problems linked to alcohol consumption.

We understand that every Christian is called to exercise their priesthood, living in consecration to God. In light of this commitment, we advise our members to give up drinking alcohol, including socially or in moderation.

Our position expresses our commitment to life, to the care of families and to consecration to the Lord.

Family and marriage

We believe that the family is God's design and was born in His heart.

We do not believe in perfect families, but in the biblical promise of blessed families. We believe that a blessed family is part of God's plan for humanity.

We understand marriage as a divine and holy institution. According to our biblical understanding, it is the union of a man and a woman who consecrate their relationship to God in order to live by the principles of His Word and build a family.

“That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.”

Genesis 2:24

Gifts of the Holy Spirit

We believe in the operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, as presented in 1 Corinthians 12, 13 and 14 and manifested in the Early Church throughout the book of Acts.

We believe in divine healing, as witnessed in the ministry of Jesus and in the life of the Early Church.

References: Matthew 8:16–17; Mark 16:17–18; Acts 4:30; Romans 8:11; 1 Corinthians 12:9; James 5:14.

We believe in the prophetic and supernatural move of the Holy Spirit and encourage the whole church to learn about it and grow deeper in this practice.