Healing and wholeness are integrally connected to our discipleship. We must emphasize the fact that we are both soul and body. Our embodiedness requires us to take seriously the matters of our emotions, minds, and bodies. This means that counseling, therapy, and medication are parts of God’s good gifts to us for healing and wholeness. We can only grow in Christ at the level that we also grow in our emotional health. Deep wounds from our pasts, including from the church, have to be carefully grieved, lamented, and healed. From children to the elderly, we seek to care for the full range of needs so that flourishing can happen.
Genesis 2:7; Luke 24:39; 2 Corinthians 4:16; Romans 1:20; John 11:35
22 Jan 2026
Guiding Principle 8
Trust is earned through godly transparency. Trust cannot be forced or rushed, but it must be naturally earned through godly transparency. Every covenant partner has a right to know the sufficient details needed to make informed and conscientious decisions. Everything from the finances to the leadership decisions will be made humbly and through collaborative processes. Titus 1:5-9; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; 1 Timothy 5:1-8, 22; 1 John 4:1; Acts 14:21-23; 2 Corinthians 8:16-21; Acts 6:1-6
9 Jan 2026
Guiding Principle 7
The local church is a household with rights, privileges, responsibilities, and obligations. There is no task that is insignificant in this household, and we seek to dignify, encourage, and thank forms of service no matter how small they may be. Sometimes, life in this household is the equivalent of deep cleaning a bathroom. Other times, it’s like having your birthday celebrated with your family. Furthermore, the responsibilities of this household are intended to be carried together in community in healthy and sustainable ways.
Ephesians 2:19-22, 4:11-13; 1 Corinthians 12:12-26; Romans 12:3-8
9 Jan 2026
Guiding Principle 6
The global and universal body of Christ finds expression in our church. We are a part of a global body in Christ that has existed for millennia around the world. We must be mindful of the ways we are contextualizing the Christian faith to ensure that we are not baptizing our cultures and ways as “normal” or more holy than others. To the best of our ability, we must incorporate the voices of the global and universal body of Christ in our worship and liturgy. We must reject any cultural practices that may create a barrier for someone to know Jesus. To the best of our ability, we must embrace and treasure the cultures and backgrounds God leads to our doors. Genesis 22:15-18; Revelation 7:9; Galatians 3:16, 26-29; Acts 11:19-30, 13:1-3
11 Nov 2025
Guiding Principle 5
The Christian life is patterned after Jesus' special care for the vulnerable and oppressed. Here and now, we live the way of the cross, not glory. Those who have any power and influence must be willing to let it go for the sake of the most vulnerable and oppressed. We must imitate Jesus who has a special care for delivering the marginalized out of harm and into flourishing. This encompasses our politics, economics, families, relationships, and personal piety.
1 Peter 4:12-19; Matthew 16:24-27; Matthew 20:25-28; Galatians 5:19-26; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
19 Sept 2025
Guiding Principle 4
The church is where Jesus’ upside-down kingdom finds its expression in the world. Jesus’ kingdom upends the world’s hierarchies and power structures and redefines our understanding of equity. Both women and men are intentionally sought out and trained as co-laborers in Christ. Racialized minorities are intentionally sought out and trained as leaders for the sake of mutual submission between people groups.Luke 14:15 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_BMqYywcWs&t=855s)-24; Galatians 3:28 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_BMqYywcWs&t=208s); Ephesians 2:11 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_BMqYywcWs&t=131s)-22
7 Jul 2025
Guiding Principle 3
The church is Jesus’ hands and feet for worship, mercy, and justice. The life of the church is not a Sunday-only life. The life of the church is both gathered and scattered, seeking to unite worship with mercy and justice wherever we find ourselves on a daily basis. True worship includes individually and corporately addressing the issues of mercy and justice for the vulnerable of our day, including racial justice, poverty alleviation, and advocating for the oppressed. James 1:27; Isaiah 1:17; Micah 6:8; Acts 2:42-47
7 Jul 2025
Guiding Principle 2
Discipleship is costly and requires life-to-life commitment and intention. We believe that discipleship is more than taking in information, but it is a transformation that happens when the Holy Spirit brings connections between disciples of Christ. This requires creating space and time to be in relationship with people in daily, trivial things in life. This looks like imitating one another as we imitate Christ, seeking mentors and mentees, training up younger generations, and learning from older generations. Life-to-life discipleship is slow and messy, but it is the fertile soil where the Holy Spirit works to make lasting change. Acts 5:42; Matthew 11:28-30; John 15:9-17
7 Jul 2025
Guiding Principle 1
Jesus’ Great Commission and Greatest Commandment are two sides of the same coin. We love the Lord by loving our neighbors. We cannot make disciples without loving our neighbors and their neighborhoods too. We cannot shortcut Christian ethics for the sake of evangelism. The ends do not justify the means, but rather, we are defined by the means we pursue.
Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 12:28-31
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