Values
Here’s some of the stuff we think is really important.
1. The Bible is the foundation of our mission and values and is our guide in all matters of faith and practice. You may hear us talking about the Bible as if it held all the answers to the most important questions in life: that’s because we think it does. You may see us acting as if it were a letter written straight from God himself. That’s because we think it is. Sometimes we don’t completely agree about what the Bible means, so we talk about that. More often, we know exactly what it means, but we struggle to obey it, so we help each other with that, too.
2. Prayer is big. We don’t pray because it is a religious duty. We pray because we think talking to God actually matters. It can change the world. It’s just about the only thing that can actually change our own hearts. We pray to tell God we love Him, to thank Him because He is so amazingly good, to tell him we’re sorry when we blow it, and to ask for stuff we need. The cool thing is, He listens.
3. We seek connection with others. Life is better when lived together, and no one can go it alone. So we’re all about building friendships, forming small groups, and taking care of each other when bad stuff happens. As a church, its why we partner here and around the world with many missions agencies and with the United Methodist Church.
4. We embrace diversity. We have multiple sites, multiple languages and multiple cultural styles and traditions, because we believe God wants us to reach out to all types of people. That doesn’t leave any room for prejudice or snobbishness, so we work hard at overcoming those things. Jesus loves everyone, and we’re serious about doing the same.
5. We believe that every person has unique gifts that give them a vital role in accomplishing God’s mission, a philosophy we refer to as Every Member in Ministry (EMIM). That means we ask everyone to do their part, not just the pastors and “professional” missionaries. We look for ways to get more people involved, and we’re constantly thinking of how we can equip people to make a difference.
6. We’re on a mission. Actually, God is on a mission. We see Him actively at work in the world making everything back right that has gone wrong. Feeding hungry people, healing sick people, building houses for homeless people, standing up for people who have been treated wrong. What’s awesome is, we are the ones He is doing it through, like we’re His “hands and feet” in the world. Life lived selfishly is boring; life lived on mission is an adventure, and we don’t want to miss it.
7. Leadership is the essential thing. If no one leads, nothing gets done. Leadership used to be just for a few people, and everyone else was supposed to follow. The way we see it, anyone can lead from where they are. You can make a difference if you just take the initiative. But leadership is learned, so we look for ways to spark people’s desire to lead, and develop their leadership skills.
