OUR CORE VALUES SUMMARIZED

We treasure all that God is and treasure all that God treasures. God seems to treasure relationships most of all: relationships with his children, among his children, and with those who are not yet his children. It’s all about relationships. And so, we pursue Real Faith, live as Real Family, and seek to become Real Friends.

We pursue Real Faith. You might say that we are a people who have lost our religion. Or, you might say that we are pilgrims who are discovering what it means to dance with Jesus. We are not interested in Christianity, in the sense of an organized religion. Religiosity, with its abuses of power, its systematic legalism, and its dry formality, holds little for a real faith. But we gladly receive the grace of God offered by the blood of Christ, and we are learning what it means to be in vital relationship with the One who seeks us out. And so we glorify God by serving the Lord, believing that every act is a spiritual act of worship.

We live as Real Family. All believers are brothers and sisters, living in the same household with one Father. So we look to the family as a model for our relationships with one another. We live without formal titles, we are simple and organic in our structure, we are generous individuals who are committed to radical hospitality, we live together in community, striving to be as wide as the Kingdom of God itself. As a group, we have limited programs, and no formal membership.

We seek to become Real Friends. Our relationships with God and with one another in turn affect our relationships with our neighbors. This results in strong neighborly relationships in which we strive to become persons of peace who seek justice and righteousness in our society and bring beauty into the city. We practice what might be called respectful evangelism that is non-manipulative and honed to the needs of each individual. We declare that we are not afraid of the city; the city is where many people live, and that means that God loves the city.

From these three core values grow 13 guiding principles. Calling; Organic; Hospitality; Life-to-Life; Diversity; Relationships; Lifestyle; Intergenerational; Cooperation; A Body; Repentance; Urban; Counter-Cultural; Creativity and Beauty.