Our Culture
/ DEFINING COMMITMENTS
Our animating center is Life in Christ.
We abide in Christ primarily through Word, Spirit, and Sacrament.
The Great Tradition (historic Christian orthodoxy) is our best way of understanding the Bible.
The Anglican Way is how we walk out our orthodoxy.
/ CORE VALUES
Union with Christ: The Christian life is a life of union with Christ. His life in us is the animating center of our life together (Jn 15:4-5).
Simplicity: We lean into the simple, ancient rhythms of the Church gathered around God’s word and sacrament (Acts 2:42). We are not trying to be novel; we are trying to live ordinary life in Christ together: A life of worship, formation, community, and mission.
Liturgical and Lively: We seek to wed the liturgical riches of our Anglican heritage with a warm vibrancy of faith resulting in worship that is rooted and joyful, reverent and expressive, beautiful and lively (Jn 4:24).
The Gospel that Heals: The gospel of Jesus forms us into a reconciled and reconciling community (2 Cor 5:18), bringing brothers and sisters in Christ from various ethnic, religious, political, and socioeconomic backgrounds into one family of God.
Feasting and the Table: We emphasize communing at Christ’s table where we experience so much of what we value: hospitality, nourishment, grace, rest, and delight in the gifts of God (Jn 6:35-51). We are sent from His table to feast at friend’s tables and serve at neighborhood “tables” (anywhere we can love and bless our neighbors).
Children: We delight in the presence of children in our midst. Children and youth are not the future of the church, they are the church (Mt 19:14). We are committed to being a safe, caring, and formative church for kids and their families.
Loving the Poor: Following Christ’s example and teaching, we look for ways (both organic and programmatic) to lovingly engage with the spiritually and economically poor and marginalized (Lk 4:18-21).
Kingdom > Country > Party: The American church needs a renewed paradigm for political discipleship wherein we turn our eyes from the donkey or the elephant and look to the lamb (Credit: Pastor Ken Robertson, IAC, Colorado Springs for this paradigm).
Success is Maturing in Christ: Our primary goal is not growth in attendance or giving, rather it is growth in Christlikeness. Though this is hard to measure, the key indicator is that individuals + our church staff and culture demonstrate a long-term trend towards more fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Col 1:28, Gal 5:22-23a).