August 30th, 2009 ---- by Erik

Often when i think about planting a church i think about values. What will be the core values of a community i plant? What will be our heart?

I think that the things or the thing you decide to be at the core of your community says a lot about you and what you hope to be as a community. So this is important!
And most churches know this and have central on their website, “Core Values” or something a long those line.

So what are the values of your community?
What should be the central value of a Jesus following community?
I have some ideas but i would love to hear what you think.

Here are a couple links ::

Mars Hill articulates there core values in a unique way.  They call them directions. I like what they are saying and i feel like they include some often left out parts.

Here is a video of a man who is planting a community or an organization (i was confused) articulating the core value he and his wife have.

I really like what he is saying and where his heart is at. I’m not sure i agree with this being the single core of a Jesus following community but definitely a part.
What do you think?
(and can anyone help me understand why he’s climbing a rock?)

And here is a link to the Apostles Creed.
Maybe enough said!

So yea, let’s talk values! Core! Directions! Priorities!
Whatever you want to call them, let’s talk em’.

Grace and peace
Erik

3 Responses to “The most important thing…”

  1. Brett Smith Says:
    August 31st, 2009 at 12:10 am

    honestly, I think he is climbing the rock simply because he can. I would if I could. The thing I’m not so sure about is why he disappears into the rock at the end, almost as if he had never been climbing it in the first place, like it was just a mirage. Maybe he did that also because he can.
    I get the idea of new church planting, as well as irresistible love and what not, I guess, but while there are no doubt things wrong with what takes place in already established churches and communities? Have we just, as pastors and church leaders simply overlooked the gifts, abilities and capacities of the communities that have been established? Those communities often just need to be lead and discipled into a more generous doctrine of God – one person at a time. That’s the part of the work that will never be done no matter how good we are at developing mission statements and core values. You are right, the apostles creed may be enough said, now let’s get busy pastoring people to that experience of faith in their own lives.

  2. Erick Ewaskowitz Says:
    August 31st, 2009 at 6:49 pm

    I’m not really into the idea of core “values” anymore. Its really just a matter of semantics for me but I think too often churches core values are just some things they publish in their bulletin and their website. In thinking about planting a church I want to develop some core practices. In other words, we’re not just asking, “what is it that’s most important to us as a community” but also, “how do we embody this or live this out?” I love the idea of the Apostles Creed as a theological position or a statement of beliefs but how does a community live that out? That’s what I’m after. Alan Hirsch has some stuff to say about this in his book, “The Forgotten Ways.” I highly recommend it!

    Brett, I think planting new churches isn’t just a matter of responding to the junk in established churches, its about reaching more people for Jesus. It doesn’t matter how big existing churches get, the majority of our communities are unchurched and as many churches are dying we need some new births. We’re always one generation away from not existing!

  3. Erik Says:
    September 1st, 2009 at 4:31 am

    Good conversation guys! I really like some of the things that are being said, i have a few thoughts.

    #1. Church planting is not really a new fad or something. It’s kinda always been happening and in our culture / generation, maybe more then some past the plant reaches many people that established churches will not. This is why i really like the idea of raising leader to raise up communities (another post for another day). This is being talked about a lot these days; “reproducing churches” and things like that. I often don’t like the motivation that seems to be behind a lot of this (###) but there is something to it.

    And i TOTALLY agree that established churches need to disciple Jesus followers into a more generous perspective on God (great way to say it) but one of the products of that kind of discipleship might be new churches. Just an idea.

    I don’t know the prefect size of a church, 10 – 100 – 1,000, or 10,000 but it seems like at some point it would make sense for a growing community to birth other healthy growing communities. Instead of just growing their own thing. Probably another conversation for another day.

    #2. Core Value. Erick, i am with you for the most part. I think the mission statement and core values deal is WAY over rated. We often begin there, like we wouldn’t be able to follow God without these things written down or something. But the idea of articulating the values of a community is helpful because (in my opinion) you are figuring out how to live these things out in all the gatherings, groups and lives that are facilitated and fostered in the community.

    I think the Apostles Creed might be enough because i think it’s WAY more than a theological statement. It’s WAY more than just something we “believe”. I think the Apostles Creed could easily be the framework from which we live.

    Seriously :: Think about it ::
    Let’s live out the Trinity!
    Let’s live out the death and resurrection or Christ!
    Let’s live out forgiveness of sins!
    Let’s live out LIFE!

    Of course we embody these things, teaching them with our lives. And preach on these things, teaching them with our words. But maybe those things that need to be our core values or our core practices are alive and well in the Apostles Creed.

    Just a thought.

    What you guys think?

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