Values
We are currently developing our values, which are a work-in-progress, but the following are very important to us:
Gospel
The gospel changes everything. The gospel is “the power of God” that changes everybody: skeptics, free thinkers, irreligious, atheist, religious and even followers of Jesus. The gospel is the solution not only for our spiritual problems but all personal problems and all societal problems. We are committed to bringing everything we do into line with the gospel.
Creation & City
The gospel changes our attitude toward all of creation and the city. God really cares about his creation: he blesses it, calls it good, and delights in it. In Scripture we see a trajectory from garden to city. Humanity is most fully alive in God’s image cares for God’s creation as his co-creators. However, we have fractured the peaceful wholeness that God intended for all creation through our sin—our rejection of God and refusal to trust him. We are invited to participate with God in the renewal and reconciliation of all things, anticipating a new creation. We seek to cultivate and renew creation to get glimpses of the garden-city to come. Therefore we must seek to care for both nature and city.
Movement
The gospel continually breaks out. The kingdom of God is gradually but inexorably growing. Therefore, we will emphasize leadership development and empowerment in order to encourage Christians to initiate and lead team-based ministries. We will not control everything from a centralized bureaucracy. Second, we will network and partner with a great variety of churches and ministries in the city to see the gospel spread. We are not “turf-conscious” but kingdom-conscious. Third, we will aim to plant churches with the same gospel-based core values into every neighborhood and people group of the city. It will take, not a church, but a movement, to transform the city.
Story
Stories shape our lives. As a community we look back at our stories and retell how God intersects within them: in the joy, in the tears. We find our place in the story of salvation that God has been weaving throughout history, and we play our unique part as the story continues to unfold.
Belonging, Believing, Behaving
The gospel meets people where they’re at. We recognize that everyone is on a journey, which reminds us of the importance of creating a space that allows people who are not yet believers to belong to a community. As they move towards believing, our hope is that the community and the Spirit will transform them internally to have a heart that behaves in the beautiful ethics of God.
Renewal, Restoration, Reconciliation
Again, the gospel changes everything. Jesus said, “For the son of man came to seek and save that which was lost.” Our attachment to compulsive behaviors, thoughts or attitudes is one proof that we are lost. These attachments negatively effect the way we relate to God and others. God wants to break these attachments and bring wholeness and holiness into these places. We value creating space where we learn to recognize what has been lost, and join with Christ as he transforms and restores us. The gospel reconciles us to God and is our source of being reconciled to others.