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Values give us guidance in how we carry out (1) the general purpose of the church and (2) the God-given vision and goals for our particular church. Values help us live in a consistent way. Sometimes values clash. In such a situation we need to let the more important value take a higher place in the decision(s) to be made. The most important values are those which advance our witness for Christ the most in a given situation.

OUR 10 CORE VALUES
Below are the 10 Core Values of Mercy Church and a snap shot of why they are important to us.

WE DESIRE AND COVENANT TO BE A PEOPLE WHO ARE…

1. SCRIPTURAL: The Bible is our guide for faith and within it we find the clearest revelation of God. All other experiences and authorities are subject to it. The story of God is revealed in scripture-yet Jesus is more than Holy Writings.

2. MISSIONAL: In a post-Christian America we see ourselves as missionaries. As followers of Christ we are foreigners and strangers in post-modern America sharing a hope that transcends nationalities and cultures. The unchurched population in America is the largest English-speaking mission field in the world and the fifth largest globally. 'We must dream missionary dreams. We must bleed missionary blood. We must pray missionary prayers.' Jesus gave us a "great commission."

3. SPIRITUAL WARRIORS /SUPERNATURAL: We see the world as a present day spiritual battle ground-we have 'warfare worldview'. We are to fight evil wherever we encounter it-the source of which is sin (the misuse of free will by created beings choosing against love). This means living out the love of Christ, being continually filled with the Holy Spirit, manifesting the gifts and fruit of the Spirit, and praying with passion and authority. Jesus did not explain away the pain of others-He healed them and set them free if they wanted to change.

4. PASSIONATE: If it is worth doing at all, it worth doing with passion. The love of God is the motivating passion in our lives.

5. OPEN: We will strive to make decisions and act in such a way that is visible, TRANSPARENT and accessible. God's kingdom is an upside down kingdom-we will seek to live this out in the very structure of the church. We also affirm the right of question. People have the freedom to ask questions. God is bigger than any question, so we do not need to be closed and afraid of conversation. We do not feel the need to control circumstances by controlling information. We desire order and that always comes out of a certain level of messiness. Order is WAY more important than control. Gossip abounds where information is controlled and hidden. We are a city on a hill and will not let darkness hide our deeds and information or put up walls that keep people from seeing the light. God is light.

6. REAL: How things really are is more important than how things look. We value authenticity, honesty, and accountability-all of which are necessary for true life change. We are called to be real, not religious. Often the Christian subculture has alienated non-believers by being strange. The supernatural, Jesus and His teachings are infectious-often Christians get in the way of what is real in our faith. Jesus is not a product, a principle or a program.

7. COVENANT KEEPERS: God calls us to enter into covenant relationships. Our relationship with God, with spouse, with fellow believers and with non-believers is to be based on covenant trust, faithfulness, accountability, and love. People want to know if they can trust us. If they can trust us, they can trust our testimony and perhaps our God.

8. CREATIVE: The Holy Spirit, the breath of God, the Water of Life, the Fire, the Spirit of Creation, and the Life-Giver is a creative Spirit and we seek to let the Holy Spirit create new things and new life within us and through us that we might be used to change lives and demonstrate God's love in tangible ways. Most people think that they have already heard the Gospel. And most have rejected it and are turning to other ways of spirituality. We need the creative power of the Holy Spirit to be effective-not the programs and plans of the culture or our past cultural Christianity. Jesus is not a slogan.

9. DIVERSE: God created in a wonderfully diverse way-and all healthy churches will have a diversity of personalities, talents, and gifts in operation. This is also the creative work of the Holy Spirit.

Also we are reaching out to a culture that is not Christian and often has no idea what Christianity is all about. We welcome into our church people who would not fit into a church of years past. This welcoming does not mean we agree with lifestyles that conflict with Christ-but that we welcome those who need to belong, before believing, and need to question as they seek. People experience a life-changing relationship with the Holy trinity through those who live out Christ's teachings and worship in a way that makes His Presence real over time. We will not shut out the spiritual seeker but are confident in the Love of Jesus Christ to break down the walls that divide. Jesus was a friend of sinners and yet He did not sin.

We live in a global society. So as followers of Jesus Christ we are to be like missionaries respectfully entering a foreign culture. We gently approach post-Christian America with an awareness of the majority worldview and yet with the anointing the Holy Spirit tell of the good news of Jesus and God's truth.

10. MINISTERS: We believe in the "priesthood" of all believers. Everyone who believes in Jesus Christ is commanded by Him to be a minister to those around them and in the church according to their talents, gifts, and personality. Jesus gave us the Great Commandment: Love God and love others.

…IN EVERYTHING WE DO!

CORE WORSHIP VALUES
1. Spontaneity over Efficiency
2. Order over Control
3. Ancient traditions - Post-contemporary Styles
4. All Can Play

It's dangerous, but if we are to truly be Spirit-led, we must value spontaneity and be willing to let our humanity get mixed in with God's presence. We want to have the need for the gift of discernment-instead of having no need because we control everything. Order allows freedom and creativity.

May God and humanity disturb us, make us uncomfortable, and shock us as we open our souls to the Spirit of Christ. In fact we will encourage questions, dialogue, and disagreements-and invite God's presence into the doubts of humanity-that REAL hope in Christ may emerge. God can handle authenticity-it is not offensive to Him. All growth involves some chaos. New life comes out of messiness. As Charismatics we seek to release our human desire to control things and submit to order of God.

We value the worship of the Ancient church. We seek to incorporate Eastern Orthodox, Celtic and Western Church traditions into our worship services. The goal of our worship is to glorify and love on the Holy trinity - being people of His presence. Stylistically we are all over the map. We also encourage the congregation to express the charismatic gifts of the Holy Spirit in worship and life (see 1 Cor. chs. 12-14).

Finally, we seek to incorporate many people into our worship gatherings. This is done through group singing, scripture readings, creeds, prayers (planned and spontaneous), silence and other new and old visual elements.

IN ESSENTIAL THINGS: UNITY
IN NON-ESSENTIAL: LIBERTY
IN ALL THINGS: LOVE