For the past two weeks I have been sharing our core values at Community Lutheran Church.

Some might think, “Big deal. More words for the website.”

Others might be wondering, “What about those other words we use? Words like: Real People, Inclusive God, Radical Grace and Inspired Growth.” Are those going away?

Yet a few more might be thinking, “What do we even need core values for?”

What I have been sharing with you is way more than words on a website! And no, what we believe about ourselves, and God has not changed. We still believe that we are REAL PEOPLE who follow an INCLUSIVE GOD who gives RADICAL GRACE and puts us on a path of INSPIRED GROWTH. 

We literally spent time defining ourselves. We can now state who we are without ambiguity. 

We are and we strive to be:

Loving
Caring
Compassionate
Joyful
Friendly
Fun

These are benchmarks for us! We can do a heart check at any time! Just ask yourself the question, “Am I being…” and fill in the blank with any or all of those words above. 

We all need self-evaluation occasionally… even me.

However, the most exciting thing for me in all the data the congregation provided me was that you told me very specifically what INSPIRED GROWTH looks like at Community Lutheran Church. I didn’t ask for that, but you offered it up anyway! 

So far we have talked about the importance of:

Embracing WELCOME

Community in WORSHIP

Seek to LEARN

And there are two more we will cover in worship this weekend! (I don’t want to let the proverbial cat out of the bag!)

Each one of these practices will help us mature as Christians which in turn will help us grow as a church. 

Soon, our staff will gather to talk about each of these practices and define them even more. 

We now have a roadmap that tells us where (and who) we are and we have clear directions towards our destination! 

A person may plot out their course, but it is the Lord who directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9

It is an exciting time to be at CLC!

Show up this weekend and discover our last two practices that will complete our pathway of growth!

God bless,
Pr. Ben