Statement of Culture
With Christ Comes Change
We believe that you will become more like Christ when you abide in Christ and embody the way of Jesus. We will be people who are open to make changes in our lives as we learn and train to be like Christ. We will not be afraid to shed the old and take on new life.
Biblical Literacy and Scripture Informs Life
We will make understanding scripture a priority. We hold tightly to the authority of scripture and will be people who are working to understand context and themes in the Library of Scripture.
If You Go Slow, You Learn More
We believe in an unhurried life where we value the slow process of formation and transformation. We believe that when we live and learn slowly we have more time to allow things to sink in, our practices are more rhythmic, and we live at a more sustainable pace.
We Are Not “Every Other Church”
We are a unique worshiping body and we value this. We value traditions, practices, liturgical rhythms, and sacraments but we hold these traditions with loose hands. We consult the traditions of 2000 years of church history and millennia of Jewish faith tradition before that, the Spirit inspired scriptures, our experiences in the God created world, the example and practices of Jesus, and what makes sense in our community of following after Jesus. We will do some things that every other church does, but there are things we don’t do, won’t do, or do differently because it doesn’t make sense in our context or for our community.
Family Over “Church”
We believe the health of our community should never be put on the altar of “church”. If participation at church, the physical building of the Chapel or the requirements or demands of this place and or community, makes you think you’ve “won” at “church” but that same participation causes you to “lose” at home, The Chapel has failed and that is a loss. Therefore we as a community of faith will always value people over programs, relationships over rituals, beholding God over holding on to a building, and abiding in Jesus over activities about Jesus.
Leadership Goes First
You cannot lead someone in a direction you yourself are not going or have not gone. Therefore, we do not expect any of our community to journey in discipleship to Jesus in a direction that we have not gone or are not already going towards. To be in any position of leadership in The Chapel or helping to lead your family or community, you must go first.
Bring Excellence and Offer Grace
We believe we are called to bring our best to God, to our faith, and to our community. We also know that life is hard, we are human, and our best can vary from day to day. With that, we expect everyone to strive to bring their absolute excellence (or at least their best in that moment) in their participation in The Chapel and their pursuit of Jesus. We know that things sometimes crumble outside of our control so we have a heavy dose of grace for everyone all the time, (including ourselves) and we believe that like Jesus, we are called to fill in any gaps with trust, grace, and forgiveness. It is okay to not be okay, but we try our best to bring our best.
Fight for Unity
We fully recognize that there are differences in opinion, theological nuances, and a variety of ways we as followers of Jesus interpret scripture and try to be faithful. This undoubtedly could and does cause divisions within the body of Christ. Some of these differences are considered “controversial topics” that divide families, dismantle churches, and cause us to be hateful as we “eat our own” in an effort to be more holy and
righteous. While other faithful followers of Jesus may not see those same topics controversial or divisive in any way. With that, we will always work to find where we unite, where we have common ground, what we are working for together over what divides us. This will inevitably call for us to be humble, to listen and learn, to follow the prompting of the Spirit, the ways and teachings of Jesus, and the love of God the father. We have no interest in being passive or avoiding difficult conversations, but we will not seek out division, we will not assume the worst about people, and we will not assume that we are right. We believe we have much more in common because of our beliefs in the essentials, than we have that is
in conflict. Therefore, we will fight for unity so that all who choose to follow the ways of Jesus are changed and formed in his likeness. With Christ, comes change.