Values

What do you value?   Why do you do whatever you do?   If you have lived for any length of years you have noticed that not every person is the same.   No family is completely alike.   No community is identical.   The same is true of churches.   There are differences, and these differences are based on what people or organizations value.   Values have to do with one's identity, the core DNA or the specific culture of a group of people.

If you ever come to our home or spend any length of time with me and my wife Jeannie, you will soon notice what we value in life, what is important to us as a couple.  You will see that things like prayer, the Bible, family, hospitality, serving, generosity, and joy are some of the core values in our lives.  Those values are the very building blocks that determine whatever we do, how we spend our time, exercise our talents, and use our resources.  The same would be true if I were to spend any length of time with you.   I will notice what you value in life.

Just as personal values speak to what is important in your life, a congregation's values speak to what is important in the life of the church.   When we look at the early church as described by the gospel writer Luke in the book of Acts, we discover a list of what was important to them.   In that list are things like teaching, fellowship, breaking of the bread, prayer, mutual sharing of possessions and goods, hospitality, and worship (see Acts 2:42-47).   In my coaching of churches, before I assist them to develop missional strategies for congregation and community impact, we first define their core biblical values.   Churches need to understand their specific culture, DNA, or who they are.   These values will form a firm foundation upon which to build your church's mission, vision, and missional strategies.  Who you are or what you deem is important to you will determine what you will do.

Organizations such as denominations also have a specific culture and DNA.   This is what differentiates one denomination from another.   What is important to one denomination might not be important to others.   This is true also of the CRCA.   If people were to spend any time among us as churches they will notice what we value as churches, what is most important to us as a denomination.   In the past couple of years CRCA leaders came together to give definition to our core values.  We did not have to dream up some new ideas but simply reflected the culture that already exists among us as an organization.   We identified five Biblical values that shape the culture of the CRCA, a contemporary, Reformed, gospel-focused denomination.   The five core values are:   (1)  Contemporary Reformed, (2) Word Based, (3) Gospel Focused, (4) Local Church Empowering, and (5) Prayerful Urgency.   When the CRCA Synod meets in May 2021 we will be asking our churches whether or not this truly reflects who we are as a denomination.   And over the coming months I will share with you how these five core values describe who we are as a denomination.

Now you might think that giving definition to our core values is really not all that important.   But let me give you four reasons why this is so important.   Some of the reasons I have already alluded to, and you could come up with more reasons, but here are four.   First, values determine ministry distinctives.   Just as no two people or churches are alike, so too no two denominations are exactly alike.   Each is unique in a number of ways.  Our values define our denomination's particular DNA.   

Second, values encourage involvement.  When people are looking for a church or a denomination they look for one that has similar values that they have.   It is like this in marriage.   Because my wife and I have similar values in life, we pull together rather than pull apart.   In my coaching role I meet pastors who have left their church because they and their church have different values.   I also meet pastors from other denominations who want to become part of the CRCA because their values align with our denomination.  If we truly want people to become part of the CRCA they need to know who we are, what is important to us.

Third, values communicate what is important.   When we think about all the things we could be doing as a denomination, we need to keep reminding ourselves what really matters.   When we clearly articulate our core Biblical values we are drawing a line in the sand and letting ourselves and others know what we stand for, what we are all about.   This is really helpful for me in my denominational role.   I can be busy with lots of things, but our core values give shape to everything I do.  It also sets the boundaries for things that I cannot do.   There are plethora of things that we can do as a denomination, but we need to keep asking whether or not these things align with our core values.

And finally, values give shape to ministry.   One of questions I am asked often is how do we move people or a church toward meaningful ministry, ministries that impact the world with the gospel in word and deed?  This where values are so important.  Suppose you want the people in your church to engage in outreach.  If evangelism is not part of their values mix, then it most likely will not happen.   Why not?   Because outreach is not important to them.   Outreach will only effectively begin in and through the local church when people are touched at the values level.   This is what Jesus meant when he said,  "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  (Matthew 6:21). 

What are your personal values?   What are the core Biblical values of your church?   Remember, what you do is determined by what is important to you.  It is all about your values!