Vision

A church that exists for its own sake is not a church, but a club. Our foundation must be rooted in grateful love for God and selfless love for our fellow man to such a degree that we are never fully able to achieve it, a "humble hypocrisy" if you will. Thus...

Mission

So how do we live that out day-to-day? Our Mission anchors this extraordinary vision in ordinary life. Everything we do as a church is in pursuit of these three rhythms:

Enjoy God

Though infinite & unfathomable, the Creator of the Universe has made Himself known as our adoring Father, invited us into Life with Him through the Holy Spirit, and adopted us as His broken-but-beloved children through His Son, Jesus. Yet to know God means far more than merely knowing about Him. Thus, we find our greatest good and our truest selves by accepting the Divine Host’s invitation to know, glorify, and enjoy Him through the Body of Christ (the church).

Love Courageously

The story of scripture is that of a Father relentlessly pursuing children who have, time and again, rejected Him. Knowing this, God rewires our hearts to beat for the good of those who we otherwise wouldn’t like, understand, or identify with. Christ’s life, death and resurrection is a revolution that calls us to love just as courageously. We fail (often), yet grow in sacrificial love for others the more we apprehend his sacrificial love for us.

Cultivate Beauty

God made this world and declared it “very good.” He then charged humanity with cultivating that raw goodness into something more. Sin frustrates our efforts, but Jesus redeems all that we cannot. Through art, science, design, parenting, plumbing, innovation, vocation, non-profits, friendships, community, family & every other vocation and facet of human flourishing, we seek to cultivate beauty for the life of our community.

Values

Our Values "clothe" our vision in an ethos that concretely describes our church family, leadership, and heart for our broader community. They cause our pulse to quicken, make sacrifice a joy rather than a burden, and remind us of the breadth and depth of God’s loves for us. Thus, we aspire to become a church defined by:
 

IMAGO DEI
Every human being, regardless of race, class, or creed is made in the image of God. Every person has intrinsic dignity, value and worth that cannot be taken away or diminished by anyone (including ourselves). Thus, we work to see our fellow man with “Gospel eyes,” choosing to see them as Christ sees them (fellow broken reflections of His glory), which fundamentally changes how (and how much) we love - each other, as well as our neighbors.

HOSPITALITY
God is the Divine Host who has called His people to “welcome one another as Christ has welcomed (us)” (Rom 15:7). This is far more than having people in our home for a meal. It is a lifestyle of generous and selfless love — for each other and for our neighbors. We worship a God who died for His enemies (us), and that reality fundamentally reorients our hearts and lives around the needs of others.

TRUTH WITH LOVE
Truth without Love is merely abuse. Love without Truth is merely neglect. In an age where everything is polarized by social & cable media, God’s people are called to speak truth in such a way that glorifies God and blesses our neighbor. This requires us to be humbled by our un-deservedness, confident in God’s faithfulness, & eagerly committed to listening to those we most disagree with.

SHALOM
Ultimately, we long for renewal & the restoration of justice, wholeness & peace between all people, places & things. This “peace” is far more than the cessation of hostility or the absence of conflict, it is human flourishing in every sphere of life. This will only come about as we fully realize that God did not create a mission for His church, he created the church for His redemptive mission.

GOSPEL
This is the value from which all other values are derived & have meaning. The unconditional love of God, demonstrated & accomplished through Christ’s life, death & resurrection, is the driving force for our love for God and our neighbor. For more, see our Beliefs page.