Christ's Mission
We value God’s mission,* not personal ego, always asking how our work serves the body of Christ and brings glory to God, not ourselves.** We value courage, rooted in Scripture, speaking truthfully and lovingly even when it’s hard. We encourage forward-moving, hope-filled action, focusing on what we can influence by God’s grace rather than dwelling on what we can’t do.***
*Mark 1:15; Luke 19:10; John 3:16-17, **Ps. 115:1, ***Rom. 12:18, 14: 19; Heb. 12: 14.
God's Word
We value the reliance on the Word of God for faith and life. The Word of God is living and active. God’s Word spoke into the void, and life and all creation came to be. God’s Word spoke to a valley of dry bones, and a living army was raised for the Lord’s service. God’s Word, spoken into the heart of believer and non-believer, brings transformation.
Genesis 1; Ezekiel 37:1-14; Romans 1:16-17; Romans 10:17
The Church
We value the reliance on the Word of God for faith and life. The Word of God is living and active. God’s Word spoke into the void, and life and all creation came to be. God’s Word spoke to a valley of dry bones, and a living army was raised for the Lord’s service. God’s Word, spoken into the heart of believer and non-believer, brings transformation.
Genesis 1; Ezekiel 37:1-14; Romans 1:16-17; Romans 10:17
Vulnerability and Trust
We value God’s mission,* not personal ego, always asking how our work serves the body of Christ and brings glory to God, not ourselves.** We value courage, rooted in Scripture, speaking truthfully and lovingly even when it’s hard. We encourage forward-moving, hope-filled action, focusing on what we can influence by God’s grace rather than dwelling on what we can’t do.***
*Mark 1:15; Luke 19:10; John 3:16-17, **Ps. 115:1, ***Rom. 12:18, 14: 19; Heb. 12: 14.
Genesis 1; Ezekiel 37:1-14; Romans 1:16-17; Romans 10:17
Unity
Because we are united in Christ and our identity is rooted in Him. * We value shared vision over personal preferences, make every effort to preserve unity not uniformity), give space for reflection, and recognize that clarity often comes with time. **
* Ps. 133:1; John 17:23; Rom. 6:5; 1 Cor. 12:12; Eph. 4:3, ** 1 Cor. 1:10; Phil. 2:1-4, 3:15; Col. 2:2-3, 3:14
Accountability
Because Christ is the one and only gracious head of the church, * we value high accountability and low control, submitting not to one another’s authority but to the teachings and authority of Jesus. **
*Eph. 1:22, 4:15; Col. 1:18, 2: 10, **Matt. 20:25-28; 2 Cor. 1:24,
Missional Leadership
We value decentralized, open-source, networked thinking that embraces shared leadership and broad participation over hierarchical control. We value a culture of empowerment that matches needs with resources* and shared language that supports clear communication and strengthens our missional identity. **
*Acts 2:42-47, 4:32; 1 Cor. 10:17, ** Col. 4:6; 1 Peter 3:15-16
Commitment
We value personal responsibility and active commitment to bringing our communities, ministries, and churches into the fellowship. We value faithful living of the vision as engaged members of the body and owning the future together.
Matt. 9:38; Acts 20:35; 1 Cor. 3:9, 4:12, 15:10; Eph. 2:10, 4:11-16; Col. 3:23
Creativity
Because our God is a creative God* we value the posture of curiosity, innovation, and open-mindedness, especially when exploring new or unfamiliar ideas.** We value risk taking and entrepreneurial thinking that is guided by all these values and measures that invite continuous improvement.***
*Gen. 1:1, 28; Ps. 51:10, 104:30; Rom. 8:20-21; 2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 2:10; Col. 1:15-16, ** Gen. 2:19; 1 Tim. 4:4; James 1:18; Rev. 21:5, .***Acts 15:25-26; Phil. 2:29-30; Col. 1:10-11
Collaboration
The collaborative process is strengthened when it includes people with diverse perspectives and life experiences. We value including believers, both men and women, from “all nations,” coming from diverse cultural, economic, and social backgrounds, in our leadership. This value is demonstrated when we ensure all voices sharing our theology and our values are heard, and all perspectives are considered equally.
Gal. 3:28; Eph. 4:15; Acts 2:17-18; 1 Cor. 12