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Jesus taught that our words, attitudes and actions flow from our hearts. Information and aspirations alone cannot change us. Lasting change, therefore, must flow from hearts that are redeemed by his grace and ruled by his Holy Spirit. Every practice and relationship we pursue together seeks to expose, diagnose, heal and empower our hearts for progressive transformation into the image of Christ.

The heart of scripture is the Gospel of free grace that unites us to God through the person and work of Jesus Christ. We experience this Gospel not in corporate worship alone, but throughout the culture of the church; the shared practices and dispositions that make us instruments of God’s grace to each other. Leaders serve to equip and empower each and every “body part” to fulfill his or her indispensible role in our common calling. As sinners living in a broken world, we expect redemptive friction, and we commit to apply the Gospel through the ongoing work of forgiveness and reconciliation.

The Gospel that reconciles us to God also makes us agents of reconciliation with each other. Facing the heart of our city, we work to break down every barrier that has divided us, especially along the lines of race, class and culture. Powerful forces tempt us to grow inward only, becoming insular and incomprehensible to outsiders. Therefore we fight to practice habits of intentional hospitality that remove stumbling blocks and build bridges in the everyday relationships of life.

We believe local places are not just the setting for God’s kingdom, but one of the key dimensions in which the kingdom is made manifest. Living in a culture of widespread alienation and impersonal communication, we fight to live, work and play together, face-to-face, as much as possible. We expect God to produce lasting redemptive change in the social, cultural, political and educational institutions of our area, as well as the built environment.

Every local church is only one partial manifestation of Christ’s universal, global Kingdom. We do not expect our church to meet every possible need, so we celebrate God’s work through other churches and ministries throughout our city. This posture liberates us to focus on our geographical area and to develop the particular gifts and resources God has entrusted to us. It also empowers us to build mutually supporting partnerships with other ministries, rather than duplicating their efforts.