The folks above are my friends and the people I’m blessed to pastor in this season. This week I finished writing our church plant’s core values and I thought you’d find some of our priorities thought-provoking, challenging, or encouraging:
- Love. We resonate with these simple observations about how Jesus drew crowds: He loved them, met their needs, and taught them in practical and interesting ways.[1] Elevating and starting with love does not mean that teaching truth is not in the mix. Indeed, “teaching them to observe all things that I’ve commanded” is the messy, life-long task central to the Great Commission. Further, teaching truth is an expression of love in that it can set people free (John 8:32). With love as the first priority, artist Makoto Fujimura asks, “What kind of church would we become if we simply allowed broken people to gather, and did not try to ‘fix’ them but simply to love and behold them, contemplating the shapes that broken pieces can inspire?”[2] Love and acceptance are primary and Tim Keller gives nuance to how we can better “speak the truth in love:” “Paul does not simply dismiss a culture’s aspirations; rather, he both affirms and confronts, revealing the inner contradictions in people’s understanding. This is why it is so important to enter a culture before challenging it. Our criticism of culture will have no power to persuade unless it is based on something that we can affirm in the beliefs and values of that culture.”[3]
- Mercy. “Lord, have mercy on me a sinner” is the prayer that’s at the heart of genuine Christianity. Martin Luther prayed “May a merciful God preserve me from a Christian Church in which everyone is ‘good.’ I want to be in a church of the fainthearted, the failed, the feeble, and the ailing… who believe in the forgiveness of sins.” As Jesus was called a friend of sinners (Luke 7:34), so we want to be known as that too. That is why we use this as our call to worship every week:
To all who are weary and need rest,
To all who mourn and long for comfort,
To all who feel worthless and wonder if God cares,
To all who fail and desire strength,
To all who sin and need a Savior,
This church opens wide her doors with a welcome from Jesus Christ, the Ally of his enemies, the Defender of the guilty, the Justifier of the
inexcusable, the Friend of sinners. Welcome![4]
- Connection. In welcoming others into our church, we want to connect them with the “beautiful orthodoxy” associated with historic Christianity. That is, while we reject distorted or toxic expressions of our faith (including Christian Nationalism), we strongly endorse the kind of global, mainstream evangelicalism represented by organizations like Christianity Today—especially as represented in recent podcasts like The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill. Further, we find it significant that in the book of Revelations, Jesus stands in the midst of his lampstands (churches)—errors and all (Rev. 1:13). In sync with this, we see ourselves as part of the three-branch unity of the Church: Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant.[5] In doing so, we hope to learn from our brothers and sisters in other traditions and contribute, where possible, to strengthening discipleship in the Greater Philadelphia area. Again, Tim Keller’s observations are helpful: “The reality is that different denominations tend to reach different kinds of people, and if you’re going to reach all the people of the city, you’re going to need all the different denominations.”[6] Finally, we value the kind of intergenerational (Ex. 18; Titus 2:1-8) connectional ministry that’s associated with a healthy Presbyterianism: churches led by a plurality of elders (Heb.13:17; 1 Tim. 5:17) that are connected to area presbyteries (Titus 1:5) and a national (or international) general assembly (Acts 15).
- Simplicity. The pace of our culture can be soul-killing and the church can feed into that busyness with its programs and non-essential infrastructure. Additionally, addictive consumerism and crippling debt are at the root of much of our busyness, stealing precious margin God desires us to use for love and hospitality (Rom. 13:8). Understanding this, along with the fact that the home is the primary conduit for passing on the faith, we will provide help in these areas and keep church programs and events to a minimum. Prioritizing “simple church,” we will stay laser-focused on these three S’s:
- Sunday Worship (Acts 2:46; 5:42; 20:20; Heb. 10:24-25);
- Small Groups (Rom. 16:3-5; Col. 4:15; Acts 2:42-47). Maturity requires mentoring and life change often happens best in small groups.
- Serving Out of Giftedness (John 15:8,16; Eph. 2:10; Eccl. 9:10a) and reminding people of their specialness (Psalm 139: 1-18). This latter emphasis includes regularly championing the Imago Dei; that is, the truth that all human life—from conception to natural death—is sacred and created in the image of God.
- Godspeed. This refers to a film that has inspired us on the pace of being known. It’s also a reminder that ministry flows at the speed of trust and only God can make things grow (John 15:5; Acts: 2:47b, 16:14b). Again, we want “three easy steps” to “fix” others or ourselves, but it’s only He who can bring change from the inside out (Phil. 2:13). In waiting on Him for change or even guidance, we often want the ecstasy of the “wings as eagles” or the energy to “run and not grow weary” (Isa. 40:31).[7] More often than not, however, He only gives endurance to “walk and not faint.” Moreover, His normal MO in our lives is to use suffering to produce perseverance that brings about proven character and in the end hope (Rom. 5:1-5).
[1] Rick Warren makes these observations in The Purpose-Driven Church. And one of the top needs in our day is addressing our mental health crises.
[2] Art and Faith: A Theology of Making.
[3] Center Church, 124.
[4] Adapted from the former website of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia.
[5] https://www.carpentertheologian.com/three-branch-unity-reflecting-the-heart-of-god/
[6] Tweet from 9.30.20.
[7] The preacher John Claypool is credited with this three-e alliteration.