Ebenezer Is

Our Values

We value the gospel of Jesus Christ.

•Which includes the preaching of the Word of God, both the law and gospel. The Gospel is the principal means through which God gives salvation to repentant and believing sinners.

•Which includes an understanding that each Christian is both a sinner and a saint; sinner because our sinful nature remains a part of us, saint because God has given to us the perfection and righteousness of Jesus.

•We call people to regular gathering for worship as an essential element of our Christian lives and the proclamation of the gospel.

We value prayer as the most significant aspect of effective ministry.

•Which includes the leading of God the Holy Spirit, both individually and corporately,

•Which includes leadership that is most attuned to what God is already doing.

•Which includes a dependence on the grace and love of God and the restoring, healing and renewing work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of all people who are thereby influenced. We will seek to minister to people where they are and, with patience and love, allow the Holy Spirit to accomplish His work of grace over time.

We value the church as the body of Christ that carries out His work in the world.

•Which includes a grace-centered ministry approach in harmony with the Bible and the confessional writings of the Lutheran church.

•Which includes being witnesses for Jesus Christ and His church in ways that are effective in our diverse world today, in obedience to God’s call to make disciples of all people, and being a part of bringing people to Jesus Christ and His salvation, both here and to the utmost parts of the world.

•Which includes a loving grace-centered community where people feel welcomed, accepted, needed and loved and where they are encouraged and given opportunities to serve God and His church according to their gifts and abilities.

•Which calls for treating all people with respect and Christ-like compassion, understanding, and love.

•We value the approach to ministry that Jesus practiced by addressing people’s physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.

We value whole life stewardship and the modeling of a Christ-like lifestyle.

•Which includes all workplaces, neighborhoods and our own homes as places where we are to live out our Christian witness.

•Which includes personal authenticity and life-long learning and growth.

•Which includes lay ministry.

•Which includes valuing relationships over structure and/or organization.

We value the city, its diversity and our being connected with it.

•Which means we believe that God loves all people who live in the city and that He wants us to be involved in addressing their issues and needs.

•Which means we will seek to develop a ministry strategy that is effective in the city as was modeled in both the Old and New Testaments.

•Which means we value two-parent families, single-parent families, marriages and singleness.

•Which means we are willing to continually evaluate and confront our own ethnic and cultural prejudices and seek to break down all barriers that divide people.

•Which means we will seek to minister the Gospel of Jesus to people of all sexual orientations and seek to help them find healing, forgiveness and wholeness.

We value ministry partnerships

•Which includes the joining of people of all ages and backgrounds working together to further the Kingdom of God.

•Which includes those partnerships that can be developed between urban, suburban and rural churches.

•Which includes worldwide ministries in connection with our synodical affiliation (The Church of the Lutheran Brethren) and other Christ-centered ministries.