We aspire to be an accepting people. All people are created in the image of God and therefore the church must be a place that loves and values others just as God does.

Key theme: Acceptance fosters unity, compassion, and patience.

The church is a place where all are accepted and received. This is Paul’s teaching to the Christians in Rome. Rather than heaping condemnation upon one another, followers of Jesus accept each other just as God has accepted them. Such acceptance unites us as a people and allows us to live in compassion and patience. Rom. 15:7, Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you...

We aspire to be a worshipping people. Because God is worthy of our worship, we seek a life that gives Him glory in all we do.

Key theme: Worship fosters healing, transformation, and holiness.

God’s people are a worshipping people. From the earliest uses of the word in Scripture, to worship God was to make some sort of sacrifice. The worshipper finds healing as God transforms our brokenness and makes us holy. In this way, we become like that which we worship; God is holy and He calls His people to be holy. Through Jesus, we continually offer a “sacrifice of praise” (Heb. 13:15) – a transformed life characterized by good works and sharing with others (Heb. 13:16).

We aspire to be a Christ-centered people. Everything about who we are and what we do is interpreted and understood in light of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Key theme: A Christ-centered life fosters a cross-shaped life.

The struggle against self-centeredness is nearly as old as human history. From the Garden of Eden to the present day, the choice before us has always been my way or God’s way. The NT teaches that Christ is to be “our life” (Col. 3:4) and life in Christ is patterned after the shape of the cross. The mantra here is, “It’s not about me.” Rather, to live is Christ. This core value grounds all others.