Life presents way too many opportunities for us to do everything. That’s why we turn to our values for making decisions and trimming down the options. Rather than being written in a single meeting, our values surfaced over several years. Over and over, we asked ourselves, How do we do things around here? What standards do we use for making decisions? When we evaluate potential leaders, what traits do we look for? The following list is our attempt to answer those questions. We feel most like ourselves when we are…

rooted

/spiritual/biblical/orthodox/

We find deep spiritual roots in the story of restoration portrayed in the Bible. Within historic Christian faith, we are discovering our path of healing and rescue. Being faithful to Christian orthodoxy requires more than mindlessly swallowing outdated teachings. It is in the thinking, wrestling, and applying that we become more human.

safe

/low-pressure/inspiring/respectful/

Far too many people experience religion as a set of rules to be obeyed or rejected. For us faith is an invitation to grow into the people we were made to be. The first rule of Continuum Church is that you don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to do. We make every effort to tap into the intrinsic “want to” rather than the external “have to.” Respect is the key to connection.

open

/flexible/progressive/developing/

Being humble requires openness to other people and their ideas. We try to avoid being rigid on one hand and naive on the other. This requires “third way” solutions that integrate what seem like black-and-white, either/or options. Genuine flexibility reminds us not to throw out the baby with the bath water––regardless of who the parents are.

interactive

/team-based/engaging/dynamic/

If we’re not careful, church can become a one-way delivery system rather than a community. That’s why our three environments are designed to be interactive. When we gather on Sundays, we trade the sermon for a discussion. Our groups meet in homes where people can really get to know each other. And our outreach initiatives increase the connection between neighbors.

cooperative

/partnering/joining/collaborative

As Christians, we tend to limit God’s redemptive mission to our charitable projects. Instead we are learning to recognize how God has already been working in and through people before we ever show up. Rather than swooping in to save the day, we volunteer in our community by partnering with individuals and organizations already in the fight.

motivated

/encouraging/enthusiastic/selfless/

We battle apathy and cynicism by encouraging each other to step up to the plate and serve others sacrificially. We look for potential leaders who can get the job done with enthusiastic selflessness: “can do” people who “bring it.” Equipping each other to use our God-given gifts and talents requires building functional systems that run quietly in the background.

experimental

/creative/innovative/imaginative/

Fear of failure is the primary barrier to creativity. But discovering good ideas actually requires generating many ideas––including clunkers. Giving each other permission to take chances, to make rough prototypes, and to get quick feedback provides a much faster and concrete route to innovation than endless “what if” sessions. Everything is an experiment.