Values
Life Church - Values
People often think the most distinctive or important part of Life Church is the structure or model. Categorically speaking, it is not. The most important part of our church are the values — the DNA — that will be the foundation of godly leaders who shepherd godly churches.
Below are the 5 values Life Church passionately pursues and guards.
1. Devoted Worshipers
We want to be people who are devoted to worshiping Jesus. We want to carve out time daily to be alone for prayer and Bible reading. We make time to join with others to pray and study His Word. We regularly celebrate the Lord's Supper and cannot stop thanking Him for His mercy. These are not obligations we try to squeeze in, but rather, cravings we cannot live without. We do not require gifted communicators or musicians; we just love to worship Jesus even in the most basic setting. It is the Object of worship that makes worship exciting to us.
2. Loving Families
The body of believers is supposed to be closer to us than our own families (Matt. 12:46; Luke 14:26). Jesus said, "all people will know you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35). He also prayed that his disciples would be so "perfectly one" that the world may believe that the Father sent Jesus (John 17:20-23).
We want to be people who love each other deeply and show this by our sacrifice. We seek a bond that surpasses that of our natural families and is only possible because of our common fellowship with Jesus. We share our possessions and our lives with each other. We seek to obey all of the "one another" commands in Scripture. Christ wants us to be known for our love and He claimed our unity would cause others to believe in Him. Our goal is not merely to get along but to love each other to the extent that Christ loved us and to be united to the extent that the Father is one with the Son.
3. Equipped Disciple-Makers
We want our people to become fully trained for greater works of service. We believe all believers are called to be disciple-makers. No one should come as a consumer but instead, come as a servant. The Holy Spirit has given each of us a gift to be used for building up the body and we want our leaders to teach us how to lead and help to help us develop in character through their modeling and teaching. Our goal is that each one of us becomes like Christ and develops the ability to lead others to Him, make disciples and plant churches.
4. Spirit-Filled Missionaries
We want to be people with supernatural character and focused on sharing the gospel with neighbors and coworkers. We want to be people who are not focused on survival or higher standards of living but devoted to the mission. For some, this will mean going to foreign countries to share Christ where He has not been heard. For others, this means supporting those who have gone. For everyone, it means sharing the gospel regularly.
5. Suffering Sojourners
We want to be people who are eagerly awaiting the return of Jesus Christ. We are willing and wanting to suffer because we believe in heavenly rewards. When you read the Scriptures, it is undeniably clear Christians are supposed to expect, lean into and embrace suffering with joy. This calling to willingly walk into suffering for the sake of the Gospel is a call for all believers; not just for leaders or those serving in missions in persecuted areas of the world (Matthew 16:24; Matthew 10:21; 2 Timothy 1:8, 3:12; Philippians 1:29). Far from seeking comfort, we thrive on any hardship we get to endure for His Name. Our focus is not on what we can see but on the unseen world. We refuse to become citizens on this earth. We live as aliens and strangers on the earth, waiting for a better city.
6. Radical Generosity (Giving)
Radical Generosity is central to our values. Giving to others is paramount to the plan of God. Radical Generosity starts with bringing people together. Corporate executives, entrepreneurs, leaders in their industries, mothers, fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers, sons and daughters all sharing. They come from diverse backgrounds, races and ethnicities. They are young and not so young. They share a belief. They understand that the system is broken. They chose action. For some, that means dedicating their intelligence, skills, drive and ability to grow helping others. To some it is creating or leading businesses that effect spiritual, social or global change. Others use their capital to support those endeavors without the expectation of repayment. Their return comes when they see that capital create not just a level playing field, but an entirely new field where the people of God can flourish.
Along the way, these people give. They give encouragement, capital, insight, time, instruction, their networks and their buying power. They give permission for other followers of Christ to innovate on their terms, to run a business, run a household, to be themselves rather than having to try to fit in and to dream big. They give liberally, radically and generously because they understand that in giving, they are part of something bigger than themselves; something that is changing the world. They give because being part of that movement is too important of an opportunity to let it pass. It's a leap of faith, the obvious path, and always, it is our daughter's, and our son's, futures.