What DO You Value?
The Session is pleased to announce the beginning of a journey. As a first step in that journey, the Session realized the need to identify and adopt Core Values that would serve as a compass and a guidepost to define our mission as a church. The Core Values will serve as a foundation on which we will shape a vision for our future and build a strategic plan for that vision.
The identification of those Core Values by our Session occurred through a process which involved group deliberation, self examination and a critique of our church. The Core Values were arrived at through prayer for inspiration and guidance and individual introspection. At all times the Session sought to be representative and mindful of the different constituents of our congregation, as the Session attempted to uncover the soul of our church.
The biblically based Core Values represent key defining elements of who we are as a church, they address our actions as a church, they identify the things to which we devote ourselves, they illuminate our principles and shape our ministry and culture. The hope is that the Core Values will serve as an inspirational foundation for our church family and pastoral leadership as well as a welcoming invitation to the surrounding community, stating who we are and what we hold dear.
CORE VALUES
Acknowledging our heritage as Presbyterians embracing the Theology of the Reformed Tradition, Eastminster Presbyterian Church sets forth its Core Values as follows:
We value the Lordship of Christ as head of the Church and the center of our lives. (Proverbs 3:5-6; John 11:25-26; 14:6; Galatians 2:20; Philippians 2:1-11; Colossians 2:6-7; 1:15-20; Ephesians 1:22-23; Hebrews 1:1-3; I Peter 3:15; Revelation 1:9-20; 5:6-14; 19:11-18; 22:12-16)
We value Praise and Worship where we experience God through Word & Sacraments, inspiring music, personal and corporate prayer, invitation to ministry, mission and stewardship of our lives for Jesus Christ.
(Genesis 1,2; Exodus 20:1-3; I Chronicles 16; 7f, 25; 22:17-19; II Chronicles 6:12f; Nehemiah 8:1-8; Psalms 8; 24; 34:1-3; 95; 100; 122; 123; 103; 139; 150; Isaiah 6:1-8, 40:9-31; Matthew 6:5-15; 7:7-11; John 6:48-51, 14:12-14; Acts 2:46-47, 16:25; Romans 12:1; I Corinthians 11: 2-34; 12, 13, 14; Colossians 3:16; Ephesians 5:19; I Peter 2:9-10)
We value the power of Prayer and encourage its thoughtful use in all that we do. (Psalm 34:1-7; 42, 63, 130; Luke 3:21, 5:16, 6:12, 9:19; Mark 1:35; Matthew 26: 36-44; John 17; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:24-25; I John 2:1, 5:14-15; Mark 14:36; Romans 8:14-17, 26-28; Ephesians 1:15-23, 3:14-21, 6:18; Philippians 1:3-11; II Thessalonians 3:1-5; I Timothy 2:1-4; James 5:16-18; I John 5:14-15.)
We value Bible-centered preaching and teaching in the Reformed tradition through which we experience God personally and through which the Word of God comes alive in our everyday lives. (Psalms 1, 19, 119; John 1:1-4, 14; Romans 10:14-15; Galatians 1:6-10; Ephesians 2:8-9; Colossians 2:6-8; II Timothy 4:1-5; Hebrews 4:12-13; II Peter 1:12-2:22)
We value Genuineness which encourages us to be truthful with each other and with God and enables us to share life and community at the deepest level. (Exodus 20:1-17; Deuteronomy 6:5-6; Matthew 5,6,7; Romans 12:1-2, 9-21; I Corinthians 13; Ephesians 4:17-32; II Corinthians 4:1-12, 12:1-10; Galatians 1:11-24; 2,3,4,5,6; Ephesians 2:8-9; Philippians 1:6, 2:1-11, 3:7-16; James 2:14-26, 5:7-12; I Peter 1:13-23, 3:1-11, 5:1-10; II Peter 1:3-11)
We value Mission -- God's calling us to the work of spreading the Gospel and the love of Jesus Christ by helping those in material and spiritual need. (Exodus 19:1-6, 20-23:9; Leviticus 19:9-18; Micah 6:8; Isaiah 6:1-8; Matthew 5:13-16, 28:18-20; James 2:14-17; Matthew 25:31-46)
We value Evangelism through which people are encouraged to know God's unconditional love and marvelous grace through a personal and transforming relationship with Jesus Christ. (Exodus 19:1-6; Matthew 5:13-16, 28:18-20; Mark 10:45; John 1:12-14; 6:44, 15:16, 20:21-23; Acts 16:13-14; 17:22-23; I Corinthians 9:19-21; II Corinthians 4:3-12; 5:11-21; Galatians 5; Ephesians 1:3-14, 2:1-10; I Peter 3:15; I John 5:11-12; Revelation 3:19-20)
We value Family as God's institution where Christian values are taught, nurtured and lived in everyday lives. (Deuteronomy 6; Galatians 6:1-10; Ephesians 2:11-21, 5:21-33, 6:1-4; Philippians 2:14-16; I Peter 3:1-7)
We value Fellowship where we discover Christ in the midst of the community of faith in groups large and small as we worship, witness and do ministry and mission together. (Mark 10:35-45; John 13:34-35, 15:5-8; Romans 12:9-21, 14-15; I Corinthians 1:10-2:5, 3,8,9,12-13; II Corinthians 12:11-21; Galatians 6:1-10; Ephesians 4:16; Philippians 1:3-8, 2:1-11; James 3:1-12, 4:1-12; I John 1:1-4; Revelation 3:20)
We value Caring as we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to serve each other, the community and the world. (Leviticus 19:9-18; Psalm 23, 121; Acts 2:42-47; Philippians 1:3-11, 2:1-11, 4:10-20; Philemon; James 1:19-2:13; I Peter 3:9-11)
We value the Theology of the Reformed Tradition and the polity of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A., as set out in its Constitution, which consists of the Book of Confessions and the Book of Order. (Exocus 18:13-26; Psalm 100; Acts 2:38-39, 15:1-32, 16:4-5; Matthew 5:23-24, 18:15-18; 11:28-30, 28:18-20; Luke 18:15-18; John 11:25-26; 13:12-17, 34-35, 14:6, 21:15-17; I Corinthians 11:17-19, 15:1-11; Galatians 1:6-16; Ephesians 1:3-22, 4:11-12; Philippians 2:1-11; I Timorthy 5:17-19; II Timothy 4:1-8; Titus 1:5-9; Revelation 1:10-20, 5:8-9, 7:9, 22:12-13)
