Our Beginnings
In 2016, several families from a local Seventh-day Adventist Church who were meeting as a small Bible study group felt called to plant a church that would be deeply rooted in community, discipleship, and relevance for the city of Saskatoon.
In May 2017, after months of prayer, study, and planning, their proposal was approved by the Manitoba-Saskatchewan Conference. New Perspective Community (commonly called NP) began meeting at Riverside Christian School soon after, becoming an Adventist Company in June 2018, and receiving full Church status in November 2019.
In January 2024, the church voted to purchase our current church facility. That May, our congregation officially embraced a new name—The Avenue Church.
From a living room gathering to a vibrant church family with a permanent home, we praise God for how he has faithfully guided our community forward.
Our Culture
Rooted in the hopeful Adventist message of Christ’s saving grace, we seek to bridge the gap between church and community by speaking in culturally relevant language and expressing ministry in ways that connect with everyday life.
Our worship services are simple, meaningful, and welcoming, focusing on two essentials: praise through music and a message from one of our pastors or presenters. We believe children belong in worship and that parents should feel at ease, even when things get lively. We do are best to accommodate every age.
Sharing a weekly potluck meal is a cherished part of our rhythm as well, helping us build real friendships and community around the table.
Most Sabbaths follow a familiar pattern of study groups and worship, but within our seven-week cycle we sometimes gather to express worship in fresh and creative ways. Learn more about our worship service formats here.
Our Guiding Statements
MISSION: To be an inclusive faith community founded on the transformational love of Christ and the grace He has freely given us, journeying through life together, and discipling all generations into God’s kingdom today.
VISION: Love God, Love All. Serve God, Serve All.
VALUES: We value Christ-centeredness, scripture, prayer, worship, service, family, belonging, life transformation, community, discipleship, creativity, small groups, relevance, leadership, and excellence.
What Our Core Values Mean to Us
Values bring clarity, perception and understanding to the things that matter most. They guide how we achieve our mission, influencing major leadership decisions as well as everyday ministry plans. They even help us navigate staffing and budget issues. In short, they keep us focused on the unique call God has given us as a local community of faith.
Christ-Centeredness
We believe that nothing we do or say has value without Jesus. Jesus is the joy of our present and the hope for our future. We exist to know Jesus and make Him known to all. We honour Jesus as Creator, Saviour and Lord as we preach Jesus, worship Jesus and serve Jesus. Romans 11:36; 1 Corinthians 1:4-9; Colossians 3:11; John 15:5 and Colossians 2:6-8.
Scripture
We believe that the Scripture is more than God’s informative tool of His will, it is the Divine Transformative Instrument for shaping humans to a Christlike character. We encourage searching the Scriptures and proclaiming the Everlasting Gospel to others. James 1:22; Hebrews 4:12 and 2 Timothy 3:14-17.
Prayer
We believe that it is a great privilege to connect directly with God through prayer. Having this intimate moment with the Lord is what makes our relationship with Him intensify and grow each day. He has promised us that His eyes are open and His ears are attentive to our prayers. We encourage each person to develop a spirit of dependency on God by seeking Him individually and as a community. 1 John 5:14; 2 Chronicles 7:14, 15 and Philippians 4:6, 7.
Worship
We believe that worship is our personal response to God’s grace. We seek to help people discover a life of worship. One that engages both the heart and mind, as we celebrate who God is and what He does for us. Romans 12:1-2; Isaiah 12; John 4:24 and Psalm 30:4.
Service
We believe that the highest calling of any follower of Christ is to be a servant. We are most Christ-like when we serve, placing the needs of others before our own. The Avenue Church is a place to serve people and serve God. That’s what we are about. Matthew 20:28; Galatians 5:13, 14 and 1 Peter 4:10.
Family
We believe that from the beginning, God intended for families to provide the foundation for a strong society. We seek to provide ministry to the whole family, regardless of what form that family may take, focusing on families and integrating them into ministry. Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Ephesians 6:1-4 and Titus 2:1-3.
Belonging
We believe that each person belongs to God because He has loved, created, and sustained every human being. Regardless of race, religion, or lifestyle everybody belongs to God. We seek to live out this truth providing an inclusive and safe environment of acceptance and belonging for everyone. Psalm 100:3; Matthew 10:40 and Romans 15:7.
Life Transformation
We believe that God meets us all where we are as individuals and communities, but we also know that He loves us too much to let us stay the same. We seek to create a community of healing that sets us free from destructive habits and helps each person to reflect the life and image of Christ. Romans 12:2; Psalm 51:10 and 2 Corinthians 5:17.
Community
We believe that God created us to live out and experience fellowship through selfless relationships with Him and one another. We seek to establish a transformational community where authentic relationships are cultivated through love, respect, acceptance, honour, loyalty, transparency, self-giving, honesty, optimism, fun and accountability. Acts 2:42-47; Hebrews 10:24-25 and Psalm 133:1.
Discipleship
We believe that God desires to restore His image in each person. Through an authentic and intentional relationship with God and each other, we can reflect the character and values of Jesus. We seek to invite others to join us in this lifelong journey of discipleship. Matthew 28:19, 29; Luke 6:40, 9:23 and Galatians 4:19.
Creativity
We believe that creativity is part of the very nature and character of God. We were made in the image of a creative God. We seek to reflect the creativity of God through innovation, flexibility, adaptability and creativity. Genesis 1:1, 27; Exodus 35:31, 32 and Ephesians 2:10.
Small Groups
We believe that God has designed us to live in relationships where we are loved and accepted. We identify small groups as an effective vehicle to provide meaningful care for one another. The small group experience includes living out our faith in community, learning to love God and one another, investigating God’s Word, and ultimately experiencing real and deep fellowship. Acts 2:42-47; Matthew 18:20 and Mark 12:28-31.
Relevance
We believe that Jesus becoming man bridged the gap between Himself and humanity. Jesus entered our world, our culture, a community, and even a family. He was fully immersed in a first-century Jewish culture, encompassing language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts, but He still embodied the Gospel Message. We seek to live out an incarnational ministry, immersing ourselves into local culture and ‘becoming Jesus’ to our culture, closing the gap between culture and community of faith. As a culturally-relevant community, our language, forms, and style of ministry must resonate with our culture, while at the same time never compromising the timeless Gospel message. John 1:1, 14; Philippians 2:5-11; 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 and Romans 12:1, 2.
Leadership
We believe that all believers have equal access to God and are called to serve. Men, women and children are ministers of the grace of God. Each person has been given gifts, talents and abilities to be discovered, developed, and deployed. We seek to mature and release every person into their destiny and potential so that the community is fully supplied and functioning effectively. 1 Peter 2:9; Ephesians 4:11-13; 1 Corinthians 12:7,12.
Excellence
We believe that excellence reflects God. Excellence is doing the best with what God has given us. He wants His people to abound or excel in both who they are and what they do. We seek the highest quality in every area of life and ministry to the glory of God. Ecclesiastes 9:10; Matthews 23:37, 38 and Philippians 1:9, 10.