OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU:
You’ll never be judged, no matter who you are, or what you believe.
You can share the real you, as much or as little as you want.
Your views on science or politics don’t have to be checked at the door.
You will never be expected to hide your doubts or questions.
You won’t be forced to do something you disagree with.
Here are a few other values that guide our mission:
We value intergenerational ministry. We believe that strength in ministry is derived from having people at different stages of life working together. We value both singles and families. No matter what stage of life people are in, we want to help them grow to their fullest potential in Christ and to support them through life's transitions
We value humor, creativity and the arts.
We value irreverent reverence. We take God seriously, but we try not to take ourselves too seriously.
We value informality.
We are a thinking church. We welcome questions and doubts as a means to expand our faith.
We value the diversity of our congregation. Diversity in race, in class, in theology, in age, in life-stage and in politics. We value relationships among disciples of Jesus marked by humility, respect and integrity, regardless of differences in theology or political standing.
We value local. We want to love and support the community in which we live and work, supporting and partnering with local ministries, businesses and organizations. We value engagement—not separation—with our culture because we believe that Christ will use us as instruments to transform it. Increasingly so, we are trying to become a church for Columbus—a church that relates to the community around us, instead of fighting the community.
We value attending to the needs of the poor and oppressed.
We value relationships. Relationships are everything in the kingdom of God. We value people. Our decisions, work, and ministry are centered around relationships.
We value leadership development. We want to help others grow.
We value the relevance of our message. We want the Gospel to connect to everyday life.
We value radical generosity. With all that we are and all that we have. We value good stewardship of resources.
We value authenticity and transparency. “I’m not ok, you’re not ok, and that’s ok.”
We value being a safe place. No matter where people are in their spiritual journeys, they are welcome here.
We value the spiritual gifts and passions of our members. We let those gifts drive our decisions about leadership and ministries.
We value change, and the opportunities that it brings. We value excellence in the work that we do to build God's Kingdom. At the same time, we also value risk-taking and offering one another grace when we fail.
We value the historic faith. We strive to pull from the historic church in teaching, worship and liturgy while maintaining a fun, authentic and contextual atmosphere. We value spiritual maturity.
We value sharing our faith. We want to invite new people into a relationship with God. We value relational evangelism.
We value rest. We recognize the benefits that come from rest.
We value serving. Both in the local church and in our daily lives.
We value confrontation. We value dealing with conflict face-to-face, instead of avoiding it. We value hard conversations and difficult decisions.
Core Values
This is who we are as a community, and who the individuals are who make up our community.
We are Real, Inclusive, Diverse, Jesus-followers. This is who we are, who we want to be, and who we hope to become.
To us, this is just what it means to be a church:
Real: A place you can be yourself, good and hard and all.
Inclusive: A place where all of God’s children are welcome and valued.
Diverse: A place that celebrates the diversity of God’s children and creation.
Jesus-followers: A place that is full of people who desire to follow Jesus, maybe sometimes at a distance, maybe super close, but following Jesus all the same.
We know that we do have to say who we are, especially when we want people to know who is welcome here.
Because so many people have experienced church, at least one, where they are not welcome for whatever reason, we have to say that everyone is welcome, valued, celebrated, able to serve, lead, receive, give.