While we could label these our core values, we embrace them as "community tensions" that enable us to be a thoughtful people in an increasingly complex, shape-shifting world. Nevertheless, we begin and end with the God of Scripture, who reveals himself as the original and ultimate tension, existing as one and many, unity and diversity, and the supreme being who holds together seemingly opposed realities in his character and nature. Since God discloses himself in his world, we also experience his creation through tensions. For example, this is his world…and ours. Christ is truly divine...and truly human. Life can feel beautiful…and broken. In short, tensions abound and as those who bear the image of our creator in his creation, we sustain them in our life with God, one another, and the peoples and places to which we’ve been sent. Therefore, as sacred commitments to God and people, we uphold the following tensions:
- A High View of Text & Context – as the incarnate word of God, Christ is both truly divine and human. Likewise, as the written word of God, Scripture also exhibits truly divine and truly human qualities via God's engagement with human communities, languages, and cultures over thousands of years. Therefore, as we preach, teach, pray, serve, and lead, our way of life must hold our authoritative text in one hand and pressing contexts (theological, historical, literary, sociological, biographical, etc.) in the other.
- A High View of Openness & Critique – in our increasingly digital and polarized world, contemporary worldviews often lack thorough, nuanced understanding. Therefore, we must build knowledge and skills through interdisciplinary learning and intra/intercommunity dialogue. Only then will we mature to recognize the strengths of others' perspectives as well as the limitations of our own. Over time, we hope this decreases the likelihood of us becoming the next echo chamber and instead, puts our community on a path towards Christlike, Spirit-filled wisdom in our relationships and responsibilities.
- A High View of Health & Growth – in Scripture, communities and leaders who stand before God are also advocates who stand on behalf of underserved people groups. In this way, the faithfulness to God's covenant and fruitfulness in his mission are two sides of the same coin. However, where God's people were once faithless and fruitless, Christ and his followers launched a dynamic and expansive movement that prioritized those on the margins. Therefore, in Christ and by his Spirit, we must connect with, coach, and care for people by utilizing methods to grow quantitatively and qualitatively, increasing in both our number and advocacy.
