To be Gospel-focused in thought, program, teaching, and in life.
This is the core value that drives and encompasses all core values; it is our paradigm for life. Our team firmly believes that the Gospel is the only true hope for restoration in a "fallen" world. We are given new life because Jesus' life was sacrificed in our place. We find acceptance in the Father, because Jesus, who had all the favor of the Father, was forsaken on the cross by the Father. When we trust in the Person and Work of Jesus, and trust that He received everything we deserved, so that we could receive everything that Jesus deserved, we are free from the penalty (the wages of sin is death), power (sin still wreaks havoc in our lives, but we can actually be free from it), and pollution (we are free from its guilt and debt) of sin. The Gospel-centered life is the only hope of social restoration (class-class, person-person relationships, since status no longer has power over us as it once used to), economic restoration (rich-poor relationships, since money no longer has power over us as it once did), environmental restoration (personal responsibility for living out the "reverse of the curse" of sin in the world around us), gender restoration (male-female relationships, since we are no longer driven to dominate other people), work restoration (work-rest relationships, since work no longer defines us), etc. This leads to a life of worship of the Father, humility before the cross, boldness in light of grace, and ministry to others in the community.
To be biblical counselors, in relationship and in self-counsel.
This is our paradigm for ministry. Our team firmly believes that any type of healing must begin at the heart-level. We act, speak, and think the way we do because of core values, beliefs, motivations, and drives that we cling to in our hearts. We must counsel ourselves, and minister to others, with the heart in mind. As sinners and sufferers, we must constantly engage with an active God, who is working dynamically in our hearts, to transform us, replacing our sinful "idols" with the Person and Work of Christ, so as to transform us into the likeness of His Son. This counsel is done actively in the Word of God, and steers free from legalism or liberalism so that our transformation is a lasting change that is organically attached to the Father's love.
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To be team-based in community and close relationships.
Team-oriented ministry: We believe that the Gospel calls us to be in union with Christ, which naturally drives to be in union with the Body of Christ, the church. The Gospel calls us to be in community with one another. Some ministries are managed via top-down ("genius with a thousand helpers") approach; other ministries claim to be a "grass-roots" organization (bottom-up). We, believe in the power of a true, organic, inter-dependent team: as a team, we are not co-dependent, nor independent, personalities, we can express our individual gifts in connection with our life in the "body" so that works of service can be performed with excellence, passion, humility, love, and power. As a team, we submit to one another's decisions, trust one another's expertise, and succeed and fail together, trusting that the collective wisdom of many is always better than wisdom of one. This adds to greater confidence in making decisions, greater support, fuller wisdom, and a truer understanding of Jesus' work to sanctify His people through relationships.
To be innovators, in thought, program, teaching, and in life.
We believe that, through the Gospel, the Lord had restored Christians as "image-bearers". Thus,
we do not labor because we must; we find joy and satisfaction in our act of "creation" themselves. Our work no longer defines us, since we do not labor to earn God's favor; as a result, there is tremendous freedom in taking creative risks, taking on creative challenges, and problem-solving. In addition, there is joy in knowing that our failures do not define us, either; we can live humbly and boldly to "create" in our work and "rest" in our work. As a result, our team is blessed with tremendous creative talent, to build, restore, and perform works of service in pleasant,
surprising ways.
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PIONEERS FOR CHRIST
SOCIAL
