Values
Discipleship to Jesus is not only informative; it is transformative! When a disciple is fully trained, he will become like his master (Luke 6:40) The church should embody the values of God’s kingdom that are distinct (and often opposed) to how the surrounding culture and empire operate (through power, consumerism, competitiveness, nationalism and coercion.) These values are derived purely from scripture are simply expressions the person and teachings of Jesus found in scripture and can be summed up as loving God and loving others (Mark 12:31)
The object of our faith is not simply a set of believes but rather the person and work of Jesus Christ
Jesus uniquely reveals the full character of God
Jesus' identity, teachings + example frame everything we do
Jesus reveals what it means to be fully human
We seek to help people untangle Jesus from the harm experienced in the church
Jesus never added burdens on people, He alleviated them
Jesus valued mercy over religious observance and healed those wounded by heartless religion
We create space for people to heal
We allow people to process at their own pace
We make room for questions and doubts
We value the process of unlearning/relearning as part of discipleship
We resist all fear-based motivations for following Christ
God’s strength is made manifest in weakness
We are honest about our struggles and doubts
We do not hide our suffering
We believe in the power of lament
We humanize the de-humanized
We listen to and make room for those on the margins
We believe the gospel reverses the social ordering of our world so that those that are “least” are to be considered the “greatest”
We cultivate a community of belonging
We value participation, belonging, and engagement, so questions, dialogue and discussion are welcome.
We value long-term health and spiritual growth over immediate results or metrics
We foster a culture of hospitality, where we sit with each other and listen to each other as siblings
We allow people to belong before they believe, knowing that growth takes time and patience
We resist the litmus tests and theological boundaries so commonly attached to participation in evangelical churches
We prioritize caring for and making every effort to meet the physical,emotional, and practical needs in our community