The Gospel
The gospel proclaims that Jesus saves sinners from sin, and the gospel is more than that. Ultimately the gospel is about proclaiming Jesus as King and following Him as He brings complete healing and flourishing for His kingdom to come to this earth, both now through His church, and more fully when He returns to physically reign here on earth.
Accessibility
While our church tradition and liturgy is ancient and rooted in history, it is also modern and accessible to all people. The pattern of our worship and faith can be practiced by people of all ages including those with mental or physical challenges. Worship is more about being still and letting God come to us rather than doing repetitive man-centered actions to seek God’s approval in order to get to Him.
Mystery
While God is accessible, He cannot be fully explained. We live with Him by faith and lean on the truths of the creeds of our faith. St. Paul is more of a creedal church than a doctrinal church.
Rootedness
Our sacred faith is rooted in history, in Christ, and in Ellis County.
Physical Presence
While God is spiritual, He is also physically present in real and tangible ways as He seeks to bring His kingdom to this earth each day.
Vulnerability
We seek to be people who do not ignore our weaknesses and acknowledge how fragile we are and our faith is at times.
Emotional Honesty
We seek to name our feelings and not ignore them. We hope to push through them in prayer to God, knowing that He knows us, and wants us to poor our hearts out to Him.
Wholeness
God provides complete healing through the tough things of humanity so that His church can flourish both now and forever. He does this in ways that do not look like the success of the world, but show the glory of God.
Integrated Imagination
Enlightenment and entertainment do not take place in separate places of the body at separate times. Both of these things happen at the same time. We are not brains on a stick and most of what directs our desires and passions takes place in our imagination. We don’t seek to get information from God to apply to only to our spiritual lives leaving other parts of our lives for less important things. We seek to have a integrated imagination that leaves a whole life with God. Our imagination and our intellect are not in opposition to each other. They work together just like faith and science.
Story
The liturgical church calendar, liturgy, and creeds that we engage with all proclaim the story of Jesus. His story arch shapes our lives to grow in maturity with Him. Story can form more than just the knowledge of our minds. Story can form our hearts and actions in ways that continue to proclaim the story of Jesus to those around us as we live out our lives each day.
Beauty
All of creation represents God and His beauty. We value art and creativity that proclaim the glory of God in the world. We also seek to honor God by protecting and being good stewards of His creation.
Music
Music is a part of the way we worship within our sacred and active liturgy. We believe the liturgy rightly frames music in ways that keeps it from being over emphasized or provoking personal choices of style preferences. God is the only audience of worship.
Inclusivity
We seek to accept all people in worship of God and in caring for one another and the world.
Kindness
We hope to be warm and welcoming to all people with the compassion and empathy of Jesus Christ.
Spiritual Formation
Formation starts inside each of us as individuals who seek to grow in the development of God’s kingdom virtues and actions from the inside out to all of those around us.
Spiritual Disciplines
Formation happens in us and to others as we are faithful to exercise spiritual disciplines of faith. We seek to live in God’s reality for our lives instead of our ego or other personal dreams. We do this by pressing into the pains and joys of life to more fully accept our broken humanity and receive a life of complete peace with God, as His redeemed children.
Incarnate Life
Once we fully accept who we really are we can allow for space where God can live more fully in and through us to show His heart and abundant life to those around us.