A Dwelling Place for God

"The Fabric of a Loving Community of Faith"

In this booklet you have read about the Vision, the Mission, the Strategy, and the Pathway. You have seen a picture of congregational ministry. You have tasted a dream of what God wants Bethel to become. But all of this is just ideas, just meaningless words on paper, if there is not a set of Core Values that provide the fabric of ministry, that define the character of relationships, that shape the quality of interaction within this community.

Without a clear set of Core Values we run the risk of becoming like the Pharisees, holding to the letter of the law without the spirit of the law. Paul understood that without the core value of love all of his efforts in ministry were worthless.

The Vision describes our goal, the Mission describes our focus, the Strategy describes our plan, but the Core Values describe our character. These are not the articles of a Creed, nor are they everything that we value, but they are the key characteristics that form the fabric out of which a loving community of faith is created. They are values that we commit ourselves to and apply to every aspect of our life and ministry together.

• Grace- The free gift of God's unconditional acceptance of us is the core of the Gospel and the starting point of our relationship with God. As such, it is the cornerstone value of our community. We are first and foremost people of grace and our relationships are characterized by the same kind of unconditional acceptance that God has freely given to us. We are to become a community of grace.
• Love- Love is what moves us beyond concern for ourselves, to act out of genuine concern for others. This love is a powerful force that empowers, motivates, and heals. Jesus understood that true community is impossible without this love at its center, which is why he left the disciples with this commandment, "Love one another as I have loved you." We are to become a community of genuine love.
• Truth- Jesus described himself and his word as truth. This truth is the very source of who we are as God's people and defines the way we function in community. Unless we are willing to become honest and authentic with each other we cannot become a true community. A community without the accountability of truth, where pretending, manipulation, and deception are practiced, is like a body with cancer growing inside it. When the truth is spoken and lived out in a community of love and grace, it has the power to heal, to build up, and to set free. We are to become a community of truth.
• Joy- Many people have gotten the mistaken idea that the Christian life is mainly about pain, struggle, and suffering. While these are a real part of every life, the Bible says Jesus came "that our joy might be complete" and Jesus said he came that we might "have life and have it abundantly." If we are following Jesus on this great adventure together there will certainly be struggle and sacrifice, but joy and fulfillment is meant to characterize our life together. We are to become a community of joy.
• Trust- The Apostle Paul came to understand through his own experience that no amount of religious effort would make him right with God, only the simple, child-like response of the human heart to trust God's grace can accomplish our redemption. As this kind of trust is the primary dynamic in our relationship with God, so it is to be the basis of our relationships with each other. A church that is full of people who are suspicious, distant, and hiding from each other can never become an authentic community. It is in trusting God that we will learn to trust each other. We are to become a community of trust.
• Spirituality- Jesus lived in the constant awareness of God's presence and purpose in his life. We are to follow his example by learning to "practice the presence of God" as Brother Lawrence once put it. If we get so busy doing God's work in the church that we forget about God, the vision has died. From the mystical to the mundane, we are to open ourselves and everything that we do to the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. God's dream for us will begin to come true as we learn to allow God's Spirit to infuse everything that we do. We are to become a profoundly spiritual community.

Another way to think about our core values is to recognize that as Christ dwells in our hearts through faith, that life rooted in the love of Christ will bear the Fruit of the Spirit. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) There is a story written by Max Lucado From: When God Whispers Your Name that shows The Choice:

IT'S QUIET. It's early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming. In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met. For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day's demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I'm free to choose. And so I choose.

I choose love…
No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.

I choose joy…
I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical… the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I choose peace…
I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I choose patience…
I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I'll invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I choose kindness…
I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God had treated me.

I choose goodness…
I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.

I choose faithfulness…
Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.

I choose gentleness…
Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I choose self-control…
I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek his grace.

And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.

Reflection Questions

Back