Sabbath

We rest from our work and celebrate our new life in Jesus Christ for one full day each week. The biblical rule of Sabbath is rooted in the principles of recreation and restoration. This rhythm may include other annual or bi-annual retreating rhythms in order to intentionally reflect upon our relationship with God, ourselves, and with others. Jesus’ followers rest with Him, even as they work with Him and for His glory.

Feasting and Fasting

God created everything invisible and visible. Therefore, Jesus’ followers seek to put every physical thing to the good use God intends. This includes faithful use and care of our bodies.

So as part of our worship, we both feast in God-honoring celebration of his good gifts, and fast as an expression of our dependence on him. Though feasting and fasting is often associated with food, it also extends to our drinking or abstaining, our sexual expression or restraint, and all that we do with our eyes and ears and hands.

Relational Discipleship

We meet with other people, becoming friends and helping each other to live as disciples of Jesus Christ. We pursue people across different ages and life stages: those older and wiser,  peers at the same/similar stage of life, and a younger person - either in the faith, by age, or both.

Confession of sin and related accountability relationships are included here, as are the simple pleasures of shared meals, outings, and hobbies with other Christians.

“One-Anothering”

The Biblical bedrock of relationships among Christians are the 55 “one another” commandments of the New Testament. These are what inform our understanding of godly, healthy, thriving community in the church. They transform us into a community that is not focused on ourselves, but those who God has divinely placed around us.

An essential part of “one-anothering” is knowing your spiritual gifts and putting them into practice. The church is referred to as one body with many members (1 Corinthians 12-14) which thrives when each member play his/her part.

Mission

God is a missional God. And Jesus has established his church to carry this mission of God in the world. So we pursue rhythms of both showing and telling the good news of the gospel with those who don’t currently know and trust Jesus. 

This includes the essential Christian practice of evangelism, but much more. There’s a wide range of venues in which mission can occur - locally in neighborhoods, workplaces and schools and globally through partnerships and direct international mission work.

Generosity

We share what we have with others, and we seek to live simply. This includes the discipline of giving regularly, sacrificially, and generously to the local church. It also transcends that discipline by seeking to live with less, saving the difference, and use it to love God and love others around the entire world. Generosity encompasses not only our money, but our homes, our time, truly all that God has entrusted to us.

Service

We seek out opportunities to help people and institutions, including our own local church. Our time and talents, in addition to our treasures, come into view in our efforts to serve both the church and the world. Our service nurtures God’s will in the world, and it delivers people from hardship and suffering. We ask God to open our eyes to the needs of those near us, and we bring needs to the attention of others in the church who can serve better than we can. As we say in our in-covenant class, “we hold one another accountable to dream and act in ways that are a blessing to our neighbors.”

If after reading this you have no where to begin, please reach out. A leader from our church would love to sit down with you to discuss and help you think through what this might look like in your life.