A clearly articulated set of values create a foundation for any church or organization for the development of a more focused mission and provide tracks on which ministries and programs can operate. At Fort McMurray Alliance we’re having some good discussion on values at a leadership level, and have asked the church family as a whole to weigh in on the discussion. After prayerful deliberation we’re looking to solidify our values statements in the near future.
A message I gave on September 9th gave a brief overview of ten values I’m suggesting as a starting point for these discussions. You can listen to that message here. These are statements that when they emerge in their final form will provide a base for creating a more focused mission statement and will provide a set of values that will be foundational to all that we do as a church.
To help keep the conversation going here are the ten statements that we are discussing. And you’re welcome to join the conversation. You can comment here or message me at Facebook or through the church webpage.
Some thoughts that have come my way that we will be prayerfully considering is whether we need to be more articulate about our understanding that the Gospel involves both words and deeds or is the first value sufficient. Another area of discussion is whether we need to go beyond just talking about apprenticing leaders to multiplying leaders, ministries, sites and even churches. So lot’s to give prayerful consideration to.
Here goes … the ten values we are considering as a starting point for the ongoing discussion:
1. We believe that the essence of the Christian faith is to love God with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength and to love our neighbours as ourselves. (Mark 12:29-31; Matthew 22:37-40; Micah 6:8)
2. We believe in audacious faith to effectively serve our city and world with the transforming power of the Gospel. For the good of our city and world we will pray fervently, set impossible goals, take bold steps of faith, and watch God move. (Hebrews 11:6, Ephesians 3:20-21; Matthew 7:7-11)
3. We believe that the local church is the hope of the city and the world. This means placing a priority on reaching people apart from Christ and leading them into the adventure of Spirit empowered living as agents of God’s transforming love. Hence we are a community who live beyond ourselves, for the sake of those who live apart from Christ. (Matthew 28:18-20, Matthew 6:10, Matthew 25:31-40; Romans 1:16; Romans 10:14-15; 2 Corinthians 5:11)
4. We believe that anointed biblical teaching with passionate corporate worship are synergistic catalysts for transformation in the lives of individuals and the church. This means we place a high value on all aspects on our corporate gatherings seeking to create an environment that facilitates a transformational divine/human encounter. (Hebrews 4:12; II Timothy 3:16; Acts 2:37; Acts 20:32; Acts 2:42)
5. We believe that God calls us to wisely leverage culture for sake of reaching people apart from him. Where culture is in conflict with biblical values, we will clearly but gracefully serve as agents of change. (1 Corinthians 9:19-23; 1 Chronicles 12:32; Acts 17:22-23)
6. We believe that the church is never more than one generation away from extinction, that each generation must choose for themselves whether they will follow Christ. We also understand we are in an era of unprecedented church dropout among the emerging generations. This means that we will put a priority on seeing the next generation transformed into devoted missional Christ followers, including effective ministry to families with children as well as young adults be they single or not. (John 1:12; Romans 10:9-13; Joshua 24:15)
7. We believe that true biblical community is inter-generational, multi-ethnic and economically diverse. This does not preclude strategically focusing resources on certain people groups and ages for the sake of effective missional advance. (Galatians 3:26-29; Romans 10:12)
8. We believe that loving authentic relationships play a critical role in our care for one-another as well as in our holistic growth as devoted missional Christ followers. We will seek to cultivate environments that will encourage the natural development of such relationships, including service teams, mid-sized community groups, small groups, spiritual friendships and mentoring relationships. (Luke 6:13; Matthew 17:1; Acts 2:46; Acts 20:20; Romans 16:3-5)
9. We believe that devoted missional Christ followers are generous with their time, talents and financial resources. This means we will encourage a balanced but sacrificial approach to stewarding our resources for the sake of building an effective local church with high impact in the city and influence around the world. (Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 12:4-7; Luke 6:38; 2 Corinthians 9:6-8)
10. We believe that churches should be led by those with leadership gifts, who empower people for ministry. This means we will raise up leaders and empower them to lead dynamic teams within the mission, vision and values of the church. Leadership formation will include the apprenticing of leaders in all ministry areas. (Romans 12:8; Ephesians 4:11-12)
