OUR HEARTBEAT (RIVERSIDE CORE VALUES)
The
Gospel
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The Gospel The Gospel is
our all-encompassing value, from which all others are derived. The Gospel
is the good news that through Jesus, the love and power of God have entered
history to renew the world. When we rely on Jesus’ work and record (rather
than our own) for our relationship to God, His power fills us and breaks us
free from religion (the distortion that says we can’t be acceptable unless
we perform) and from irreligion (the distortion that says we can be happy
without following Jesus).
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We will
encourage both Christians and non-Christians to believe and embrace the
Gospel, because both need it equally.
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We will aim
to be a “sinner safe” people who are a haven for anyone who has failed.
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We will not
minimize our own sin but will treat it as the monster that it is, and will
look with hope to Jesus alone as healer of sinners and giver of
repentance.
The heart
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Whereas religion tries
(unsuccessfully) to change people from the outside-in through
behavior-modification, the Gospel changes people from the inside-out through
heart-transformation. Jesus gives us a new identity, freeing us from
self-righteousness and from self-condemnation. He releases us from
burdens, anxieties and distortions created by things (even good things) that
once ruled our lives.
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We will treat sin as
primarily a heart and belief issue, and only secondarily a behavior
issue. Behavior always follows belief.
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We will encourage
repentance by demonstrating that Jesus satisfies more than any other
thing.
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We will be patient with
those who remain in process.
Love for God’s
design
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The Gospel frees us to
live the way our Creator designed us to live. When the Gospel renews our
hearts, we begin to see God’s “superb design” (His commands) as liberating
not oppressive. The Gospel, when it becomes the basis for our identity,
makes living under God’s rule joyful and second-nature (vs. something we
have to "work at").
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We will assume
obedience comes naturally once people receive God’s love at the heart
level.
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We will teach and
demonstrate that God’s commands are beautiful and liberating, not
oppressive.
Life Together
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The Gospel frees us to
have relationships in non-destructive, life-giving ways. It causes classes
of people to love one another who could not get along without its healing
power. It causes us to embrace and learn from generations, people-groups,
ethnicities and ideologies different than our own. It fosters honesty in
relationships by creating a “sinner safe” environment. It builds personal
accountability, freeing us to correct each other lovingly (because we value
each other’s welfare), and to receive correction graciously (because it
helps us grow).
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We will embrace all
people regardless of race, socioeconomic condition, ideology, age, etc.
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We will treat all
people with dignity and respect, rejecting none and accepting all.
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We will relate to each
other in an honest, grace-centered, loving fashion.
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In conflict, we will
pursue reconciliation and refuse to divide or separate.
Participation
and contribution
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Because we are a family
in the Gospel, every person has a contribution to make to the health and
well-being of the church and the fulfillment of its Mission. We are eager
to see every person fulfilled in the purposeful and most meaningful use of
their time, resources, and abilities.
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We will assume our
Mission can only be accomplished when each person shares and embraces our
Mission and Core Values as his/her own.
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We will assume each
person has a unique, God-given set of skills and resources that, once
discovered and unleashed, becomes vital to the fulfillment of our Mission.
An outward face
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Because the Gospel is such
good news, our enjoyment of it will not be complete unless we are putting it
on display all the time. We find joy in inviting every type of person to
faith in Jesus, and in pursuing authentic friendships with people who do not
go to church, without agendas and whether they share our beliefs or not.
The Gospel compels us to create an atmosphere that is inviting and
accessible to non-Christians, and to treat their doubts and objections with
sensitivity, dignity, and respect. The Gospel compels us to creatively move
out into our community with the love of God.
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Non-Christians are wanted, welcomed, and respected, with any questions,
objections, struggles, and doubts they might have.
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We will
expect that non-Christians will be “looking on and listening in” wherever
we are as a body or as individuals. There will be no “in house” moments.
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In daily
life, we will love our neighbors. In worship services and other
church-related activities, we will be determinedly conscious of and
welcoming to non-Christians, seeking for comprehensibility at all times.
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In short,
the Gospel makes us a community where Christians say, “This is the
place to bring my non-Christian friends. This is what I want
them to hear, and this is how I want them to hear it.”
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