Core Values In A Local Church
"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge..." Hosea 4:6a ESV | Where there is no clear prophetic vision, people quickly wander astray. But when you follow the revelation of the Word, heaven's bliss fills your soul." - Proverbs 29:18 TPT | “...Where your treasure is that’s where your heart will be also.” - Matthew 6:19-21 NIV | “Write down the vision and inscribe it clearly on tablets, that one who reads it may run. For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it hurries toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it delays, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay long." - Habakkuk 2:2-3 NASB2020
"A church that effectively develops, articulates, and appropriates its core values can remain clear on what it believes about itself, and focused on what God calls it to be and do." - Tony Hunt
What Is A Core Value?
Resource: https://www.google.com/amp/s/anthonyhilder.com/developing-church-core-values-statement/amp/In short, core values are principles that undergird, influence, and clarify what a church does, and how it does it. They provide boundaries and parameters around the mission, leadership and ministry philosophy, and priorities and strategy.
Core values answer the question: Who are we? What defines us? What is really important to us? What are the non-negotiables?
Core values guide our identity (who we say we are), our theology (who we say God is), and our activity (how we do what we do).
Each congregation has a set of core values that are understood by nearly everyone in the church! Every church has core values written and unwritten, spoken and unspoken, known and unknown, intentional and unintentional). Most churches do not have them written out.
Core values describe the personality and character of a congregation.
Reality Check: "Should" vs. "Are" Values
Churches can get caught between the "rock" of their ideals and aspirations and the "hard place" of custom, comfort zones, and expectations. This "between" spot makes churches vulnerable to confusion, paralysis, and conflict.
There is often a distinction between what a church claims to value and what, in fact, determines its actions. "Should" values are expressions of the church's conscience. "Are" values are expressions of the church's reality. Neither should be ignored. But, push-come-to-shove, "Are" values are a church's default. Unless they are "named" and deliberately challenged, they will continue to drive (and divide) a church regardless of its higher ideals.
"Are" values steer a church's decisions and behavior — no matter what a church claims about "Should." Unless "Are" values can be named, challenged, refuted, and replaced, they will continue to determine the actions of the church.
"Are" values usually say more about us and our comfort zones than about God and his essential business. "Are" values invariably support the status quo rather than encouraging the church to create new skins to contain the new wine of the kingdom.
Benefits of Clearly Stated Core Values
Keeps a church focused on her local mission (we often get distracted from this).
Keeps the church motivated in fulfilling the mission of the local church
Keeps and encourages unity among her members
Keeps the goals of the church clear in the minds of her members (we need reminding often of what we are all about). At times, we need to be reminded of how we should be, think and live. Core values, often repeated, educate as well as remind brethren who they are to be.
Can create passion and excitement in the local church - Much of what churches do is maintenance in nature. While maintenance is vital, missional core values create excitement in the local church. Some congregations start a building program to create excitement. But such an endeavor is expensive and temporary at best.
Can inspire members to be more and do more
Can assist in making better decisions; whatever violates your core values receives a negative vote. It’s that simple.
Helps churches and individual members reach goals
Can prevent discouragement
Determines purpose and intention
Core Values Can Serve Three Critical Purposes for a Church
In a planning process, they provide a reflective mechanism for the development of church-wide goals and objectives.
They can be used to judge whether a new ministry opportunity fits the church’s values.
And they help individual church members live out their lives as Christ-followers.
Examples of Core Values From The Soma Family Of Churches
Core Values From The Vineyard USA
Experiencing God - We believe God is to be known and experienced in a tangible interface with Him. God is to be worshipped where we express love to Him and receive love from Him. It is something that is not just cerebral but it is real and tangible; it's physical, subjective and objective, all at the same time.
Compassionate Ministry - When there's need, we ask, "How can we help?" This endless extension of compassion to the poor and the needy is to happen in the nitty gritty of the everyday life.
Culturally Relevant Mission - We join God in His mission to people today by being attuned and informed about what is going on in our culture, so that we can take the Gospel message and apply it to that reality. We help contextualize the Gospel in the best way possible so that people today can understand and embrace this Good News.
Reconciling Community - We live in a broken world and yet we bring the love of God to people and bring people together, in a ministry of reconciliation.
The Theology And The Practice Of The Kingdom Of God - This theology and practice is the reality that Jesus Christ, in His coming, inaugurated the Kingdom of God, and in His Second Coming will consummate the Kingdom of God. We live in the tension of the already and the not yet. But we know that God has intervened and kept His promise. What He said He will do He did through His Son Jesus Christ, and will culminate at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
Some Compelling "Accelerate Team" Core Values
Dependence On God
We believe that it is Jesus who builds his Church and that we are called into partnership by joining Him wherever He is already at work. Jesus authenticated His message as He healed the sick, raised the dead and set the captives free. We believe the Holy Spirit will do the same today through us as we obey His Word and rely on His empowering presence.
Adaptive Peer Learning
We cultivate a culture of creativity and continual improvement by embracing the disciplines of accountability, experimentation and evaluation. We encourage adaptation, innovation and discovery based learning at every level. Our expectation is that new ideas and contextually relevant practices will consistently emerge from the entire movement.
Ordinary People
We believe that the greatest positive change to society will come as ordinary men and women of every generation minister together in teams. By empowering others through coaching and mentoring, we strategically participate in the fulfillment of the Great Commission without creating an unhealthy dependence on us.
Servant Team Leadership
We believe that a team approach to ministry best expresses the biblical pattern of servant leadership. We can accomplish more by humbly working together than any individual ever could. In this way, God receives the glory rather than the individual. Our leadership influence is intentionally exercised “behind the scenes” and is often invisible. We serve from a posture of humility.