FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH(DISCIPLES OF CHRIST) MISSION STATEMENT  & CORE VALUES

Mission Statement:
SEEK + DISCIPLE + SERVE

Since its founding in 1832, First Christian has aimed at fulfilling the mission Jesus left with the original Disciples: make Disciples! Jesus said: "go and make disciples in all nations, baptizing and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you, and I am with you always!. (Matthew 28:19-20)
Our mission is STILL this Great Commission empowered by the Great Commandment: "love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength and your neighbor as yourself!" (Mt 22:36/ John 13:34).

+ SEEK.We actively engage in caring relationships that create a bridge God's Spirit may use in connecting others with God. We seek to radiate the spiritual energy of our devotion to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. With His love in our hearts, we seek out spiritual seekers. This does not require spiritual perfection on our part, only a willingness to be authentic. Our personal faith is not private; rather, we encourage people to ask questions, seek answers, and invite experiences of prayer, worship and conversation that lead to a loving relationship to God through Jesus Christ.

+ DISCIPLE. We provide the spiritual support, encouragement, instruction, fellowship, nurture and challenge for believers to mature in their faith. This requires handing our lives over to God so we more fully reflect Christ's love, purpose and devotion. (Philippians 2:5-11/ Romans 12:2) As Disciples, we believe God expects us to use our intellect to enhance and mature our faith. Our emotion is also essential in expressing our enthusiasm and engagement in faith.

+ SERVE.We honor the Servant Spirit of our Lord (John 13:3-17/ Mark 10:45) by extending Christ's loving hands, arms and heart. We practice service as a way of life. If there is something good going on in our community, we want to be in on it. If there is a need in the world community, we offer whatever resources are necessary to meet that need in Jesus' name. Our aim is need-meeting ministry. We are not interested in endlessly meeting to organize; we want to mobilize! It is amazing what can be done for the kingdom if you don't care who gets the credit!

CORE VALUES OF THE CONGREGATION

The core values of First Christian are the basic, non-negotiable, essential and vital ways we go about fulfilling our mission: SEEK + DISCIPLE + SERVE! As the core of an apple contains the basic DNA that makes an apple "apple", so these core values are the DNA that makes First Christian Church who we are! We confess we do not perfectly model these core values, yet we aspire to them. (Philippians 3: 12-14) We hold them up before each other, and make ourselves mutually accountable, because we are highly resolved and in deep agreement around these matters.

1) We live by a grace relationship to God thru Jesus Christ.

Our connection to God is sustained, not by grit and good works, or driven by the guilt of other's expectations- but by grace. "Shoulds and oughts" give way to the liberty of loving God. (Eph 2:8/ II Cor 3:17) We understand grace as God's healing generosity extended to all in Christ. In this essential gospel truth, we enjoy unity. In non- essential matters, we exercise liberty to interpret Scripture and discover application thru prayer. In all things, we intend to practice charity, focused and centered on Christ.

2) We honor the Spirit's guidance thru Scripture, prayer and the sacraments.

We experience Christ's living Presence thru the Holy Spirit who guides us into all truth. (John 14:25) The sign of the Spirit among us is joy. (Acts 2:46) The Spirit's work within us powers continual spiritual transformation. (II Cor 3:18) The Spirit wants to form the character of Christ in us. (Phil 2:5) We become servants of the great Servant Spirit Christ was among us. Forming the mind of Christ in us is the Spirit's mission statement! Therefore the goal of our spirituality as Disciples is not to feel good, or feel better or even to know ourselves; but to glorify God. We honor the Spirit's guidance thru Scripture, prayer, the sacraments, faith practices, worship and community.

3) We aspire to personal authenticity and integrity as a Christian community.

During His lifetime, Jesus cultivated attitudes that led to habits of heart and mind that created a life-style thru which the glory of God shone with a simple honesty and consistency we call integrity. (Jn 17:10-23) Our main focus is building each other up in faith, encouraging and inspiring honest transparency, embracing candor with kindness, and creating an atmosphere where we have permission to be real before each other, and before God. This means honoring God within, and being faithful to the person God is forming us to be; even while we live out relationships that are at times, all-too-human! We can best be ALL God calls us to be in the company of others who keep us honest and bless us with challenges and encouragements.

4) We appreciate excellence because it honors God and inspires people.

We plan to sustain a worshipping community on the corner of Ann and Broadway that enthusiastically carries out its mission, generation after generation until the Lord returns. We're here for the long haul, and choose to take the long view- which includes 'doing the right thing' as well as 'doing things right'.

We don't want to sacrifice this larger vision for the sake of details. However, excellence in details can be an expression of our glorifying God. We are called to appreciate excellence in all we're about, because it honors God and inspires people. (Colossians 3:23) This excellence must be defined by each new generation of leadership, yet involves offering up our absolute best to God. (Phil 4:8ff) We affirm, appreciate and enjoy excellence, because it delights the heart of God!

5) We are dedicated to loving attitudes and relationships in church life.

Because it is possible to believe all the right things for all the wrong reasons, we need charity as the guiding principle for our life together. Love is the greatest spiritual gift. (I Cor 13) Practicing Christ-like love requires us to deal with the shadowy side of sin within: to name sin and speak a timely word of limitation to attitudes or behaviors detrimental to our corporate public witness. (Gal 6:1/James 5:19&20)

In our highly permissive culture, the church cannot survive an "anything goes" philosophy with no appropriate sense of boundaries. We develop trust relationships where delicate matters can be addressed in an atmosphere of mutual grace. While we "judge not," we also bear accountability that calls for mutual responsibility. (Matt 18:15-20) Guidance needs to be offered gently, in the humble realization any of us, at any time, for any reason, can fall captive to sin. This does not mean we back off offering counsel, but does determine the spirit and attitude with which it is offered- no matter how it may be received! We make love our aim. When we mess up, we "fess" up, restore one another and get back on track. (Gal 5:2)

6) We believe every Christian is uniquely gifted for world ministry.

According to Acts 2:38, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit thru our baptism. We are united with Christ, identified with His life, death, burial and resurrection victory. (Ro 6:3&4) Thus rooted in Christ, we are called to live fruitful, faithful lives. (Gal 5:22) I Cor 12-14 tells us all Christians are blessed with at least one gift for ministry! We accept responsibility for discovering our gift, affirming gifts in others, and exercising them for the common good. We believe in this spiritual gifting so strongly we have re-shaped our organizational life to organically reflect the power of gifts as a call to service. Gifts are job descriptions for ministry and empowerment for achieving the mission.

7) We minister to lost / hurting people because they matter to God and to us.

We recognize the building at Ann and Broadway is merely a mission post for the real mission- which is "out there"-beyond the four walls. We gather for worship, learning, growth and fellowship; then disperse to serve as the hands and heart of Christ. We do not come to the church-house to do the work of the church, because God's work is "out there". A world of human hurts call for a concrete, in-person, up-close compassionate response. We are honored to be Christ's healing, reconciling presence in the world. The least, the last, the lost-in-the-shuffle needs of the poor/needy await our ministry attention. This is why we are constantly measuring our ministries by their capacity to turn outward in ways that make a difference. Our world is full of lost souls, as we know by our own experience of "Amazing Grace." Because this world still belongs to a burden-sharing, loving, caring God; First Christian Church will never be out of good work to do! ONE word sets our direction these days: out! out! outward!