Mission and Values Statement
As a community of Christ’s disciples of all ages, we, as a faith family, engage in ministry that strives to respond to God’s love by giving to others.
CARING
We value treating all living things and our planet with compassion and respect. As Christ has welcomed us, we provide care and help when and where it is needed, with love, hope, faith, and without judgment.
SHARING
We value sharing the Gospel and the Word of God through worship and education. We attempt to live our lives according to Christ’s teachings and to be an example of Christian love to others through our words and actions. We also value sharing the tradition of our Lutheran beliefs and identity which are rooted in being made right with God through the gift of God’s grace.
GROWING
We value striving to enrich lives and being a place of holistic growth. We are empowered, hopeful, devoted followers of Christ, committed to offering love and support with outstretched arms. Growing means committing the time and effort to pursue a process of becoming Christ-like. In today’s world, growth towards wholeness requires being adaptive, resilient, and open to changing interpretations.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN THAT
ZION IS A LUTHERAN CHURCH?
It means Zion is a faith community that preaches, teaches and strives to live out a spirituality that’s flavored with Lutheran thinking about God, faith and daily living. This spirituality shapes how we see ourselves in relation to God and how we engage with the world. We inherited it from Martin Luther, a 16th century pastor, teacher and theologian – but it’s by no means out-of-date!For us Lutherans it’s always a question of grace, God’s grace. We sum up how we understand our relationship with God using these words: “justified by grace through faith on account of Christ.”
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justified – made right with God
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by grace – as free and loving gift from God
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through faith – in response to the calling of the Holy Spirit through the gospel
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on account of Christ – because of what Christ has done, not because of anything we’ve done or ever could do.
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Here are some other Lutheran ideas:
The God who self-revealed on the cross is with us in the midst of the messiness of our daily lives.
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That’s our comfort and strength!
We’re at the same time always saints and always sinners.
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Whew! Isn’t that honest?
Our righteousness is passive.
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We don’t (and can’t) climb our way up to God through good works.
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God comes down to us and rescues us through Jesus.
Faith is not belief in doctrines; faith is clinging with trust to the promises of God.
What does this mean for how we live? It means that since we don’t have to do anything to earn our salvation we are free to love and serve our neighbors! In thankful response to God’s love we spend our time discovering:
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What will reflect God’s grace in our lives
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What we can do for our neighbors that will make God happy
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Where and how we can love the people God loves