Our Values
What We Treasure at Liberty Church
Values motivate us. We pursue what we treasure. Values undergird our
decisions and reveal our core beliefs. In this document we attempt
to define our three core values. This is not a complete list of all the
things that we treasure, nor does it include those things that are part
of our mission and vision. Hopefully you too will find that what we list
below are core values in your life.
Family
More than anything else, the church is a family. Every true Christian is
born-again and has a Heavenly Father. Reconciliation to
Him is the single most wonderful aspect of salvation. This means that
all those in a local church are brothers and sisters. This means that
relationships are based on covenant and a commitment to remain faithful
to one another through the good times and the bad. This means we love
and respect one another despite our failures and flaws. Our emphasis on
family also means we value family life - marriage, children and all that
is included. Those who are single are highly esteemed, too, and are an
integral and important part of the family of God. Not only that, but we
choose to open our hearts to those who have been denied the privilege
and joy of family life - widows, orphans, the divorced, the fatherless
and motherless, and any others whose connection to family has been
severed or none existent. Our commitment to family helps guide us in
setting priorities and establishing ministries.
Truth
Jesus is the Truth. To be committed to Him is to be
committed to truth. The love of the truth is one of the marks of a true
believer.
God's Word is truth and has the power to set us free. Part of our mission is
to teach people about the glorious good news of our salvation through
Christ. Unless we personally value truth, we will not pursue it with all
our hearts. Our commitment to truth means we choose it above the lies
and deception that want to rule our lives, and a large part of our
ministry revolves around helping people be delivered from deception and
sin. It means we choose to repent when we discover our beliefs or
behavior are in opposition to God's truth. We rely on
the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to each believer as promised in the New
Covenant. Our commitment to truth shapes our ministry and priorities.
Teaching must always be in the forefront of what we do, and our
relationships must foster honesty and transparency if we are to live the
truth. Our commitment to truth also naturally produces a commitment to
Christlike character.
Character
When truth becomes internalized and part of how we live our lives, we
have Christlike character. The purpose of the gospel is not only to
deliver us from the punishment of sin, but to set us free from its power
to rule our lives. The Holy Spirit is actively working
to transform us from the inside out into Christ's image. Because we
value godly character, we make that a high priority of discipleship. We
are not content merely to believe the truth. We must come to the place
where we live it. We want every person to highly prize and pursue such
an integration of God's Word into our lives. Character is more highly
esteemed than gifts and callings. One day, gifts will no longer be
necessary and our earthly ministry callings will be a thing of the past,
but our character stays with us for eternity. In ministry and kingdom
business, we can only go as far as our character will allow us. A faulty
foundation of character will cause a great fall if it's not corrected.
Therefore we will attempt to shape our priorities and ministries in such
a way to always emphasize and encourage the development of godly
character.