As a non-denominational church family "joined in God's pursuit of restoring lives," we deeply believe that in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God began His work of restoring all things and making all things new. In other words, all things and all people can be redeemed and restored because of what God has done in Jesus Christ. Not only can this reality profoundly shape our lives as community learning to live joyfully with God in the here and now, but it can make His Kingdom tangible to all. To be this kind of community--a missional church--we arrange our lives around the following guiding values:
Our Values
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Gracious hospitality
Hospitality is at the heart of Christian imagination because we believe in a triune God (God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirit). In Himself God demonstrates faithful and hospitable community. In the gospel we see God making room for us to share in His life through Jesus Christ. Therefore it becomes the heart of Christian worship and mission. By practicing hospitality we break down cultural and social barriers and find surprising friendships as we learn to set aside differences or embrace them, and “welcome one another just as Christ has welcomed” us. In gracious hospitality we seek to be present with others as gracious hosts. Our missional communities, shared meals, and Sunday worship liturgy is shaped by the practice of gracious hospitality as it orients our lives in God’s love, and postures our hearts for mission.
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Mission
Whereas in gracious hospitality we invite others to join us in our life with God, in mission we go where others are and join what the Spirit is already doing among them. Mission is a way of seeing people, being genuinely interested in them, and wanting their lives to be made whole. But unlike Jesus, most of us have homes, jobs, and families. Therefore we must be intentional and habitual as we bear witness to God's kingdom and step out as every day people living in every day places to meet those who want God’s peace. In mission we are sent to be present and this requires missional rhythms that teach us to be attentive to God's work among the places we live, work and play.
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proximity
Our American culture tempts us to keep to ourselves in isolation or keep others at a comfortable distance. Consequently, we live among people in close proximity but lack neighborliness. We have come to realize that for our lives to flourish we must live in close community as good neighbors to all who live among us. God has demonstrated this to us by taking on flesh in Jesus Christ, living among us, and gathering us into one community of faith. As the first disciples learned by following Jesus, proximity creates greater space in our lives for gracious hospitality, meaningful community, and mission.
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Listening
If we are to embrace any of our values we must learn to listen to God, to one another, and to our neighborhoods and city. If we are to join Him in what He is doing and bear witness to His presence with our lips and lives, we must turn one ear up to God and one ear out to others. To embrace a posture of listening is to embrace a life of prayer and wise discernment.
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Honesty
In meaningful community and an awareness of our common need for God, we can eventually take the risk of exposing our hearts. We believe that “admitting our sin” is not the first step in a one-time transaction for salvation, but a life-long practice of opening oneself to God for healing. Because being honest is more important than being right, we seek to practice this kind of vulnerability in our life together as God's children.
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Mutual Submission
Disagreement is an opportunity to set apart Jesus as Lord. Because His Spirit lives within each believer, we “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” As a community of faith we turn one ear up to God as we turn one ear out to each other; as pastors, we practice shared leadership; as a church, we practice communal discernment. We are not a corporation or a well-managed club. We are the wounded-but-healed, scarred-but-beautiful body of Christ. And each person in our faith community is important.
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Restorative Justice
In Jesus as King, God is restoring all of creation making right all that has been made wrong due to the reign of sin and death with all its violence and fear. As we live and bear witness to God's kingdom, we find ourselves in the midst of ugly powers, systems of greed, and political posturing. God's kingdom doesn't always align with these powers. Therefore, to promote peace and restoration we must sometimes humbly confront these broken systems and set ourselves to make right what has been made wrong. We believe that the gospel has the power to liberate and restore all in light of the reign of King Jesus.
