Our Shared Values [DIRECTIONS]
We as a Mars Hill community have committed together to pursue a holistic, scriptural way of life that is summed up in six shared values, which we call the Directions.
The Directions support our mission to join the God of the oppressed. We encourage you to explore all six of the Directions and hope that this will lead you to join in Covenant with the Mars Hill community.
Roots
We affirm the central truths of historic orthodox Christian faith, seeing ourselves
in a long line of generations taking part in the endless conversation between God
and people. We believe the Bible to be the voices of many who have come before
us, inspired by God to pass along their poems, stories, accounts, and letters of
response and relationship with each other and the living God. To know where
we're going, we have to know where we've been.
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Journey
We have great confidence that God will restore all of creation under the authority
of Christ. We believe that every church has to ask the question: "What does it
look like for us to live out that future reality today?" We are constantly exploring,
questioning, and wrestling with new and creative ways to live out and communicate
the teachings of Jesus. Because we see faith as a journey, change is
assumed, innovation is expected, and rebirth is welcomed.
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Wholeness
We believe that God wants to bring about a new humanity by redeeming every
part of us. We embrace the salvation Jesus offers as the only hope for the healing
of our relationships with God, each other, ourselves, and creation. We believe
that all of life is spiritual, and that all of our fears, failures, and brokenness can
be restored and made whole. We value the inner journey, because we want to be
fully integrated people-mind, body, and soul, emotions and experiences all
offered together to God.
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Community
We value the image of God in all people, everywhere. We believe that we were
created to live deeply with one another, carrying each other's burdens, sharing
our possessions, to pray for and confess our sins to each other, to suffer and
celebrate together. It's in these honest, loving relationships that God transforms
us and truth becomes a reality. The way of Jesus cannot be lived alone.
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Serving
We believe that Jesus is God in human form and that the church is God's ongoing
presence in the world. Led by the Spirit of God, we are passionate about relieving
suffering and fighting injustice, joining the God of the oppressed in living out the
transforming message of the resurrected Jesus. Jesus calls his church to be a
compelling force for good in the world, and we believe that the church is at its
best when it serves, sacrifices, and loves, caring about the things God cares
about. We were created to live for something larger than ourselves.
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Celebration
We take great joy in partnering with God to change the world, embracing the
truth that all of life is sacred, hope is real and tomorrow can be better than
today. We celebrate the divine in the daily, pursuing lives of hope, gratitude, and
worship. God invites everyone everywhere into this way of life, and we believe it
is the best possible way to live.
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