Beliefs and Values
- We believe in God, the Eternal Spirit, who is made known to us in Jesus our brother, and to whose deeds we testify:
- God calls the worlds into being, creates humankind in the divine image, and sets before us the ways of life and death.
- God seeks in holy love to save all people from aimlessness and sin.
- God judges all humanity and all nations by that will of righteousness declared through prophets and apostles.
- In Jesus Christ, the man of Nazareth, our crucified and risen Lord, God has come to us and shared our common lot, conquering sin and death and reconciling the whole creation to its Creator.
- God bestows upon us the Holy Spirit, creating and renewing the church of Jesus Christ, binding in covenant faithful people of all ages, tongues, and races.
- God calls us into the church to accept the cost and joy of discipleship, to be servants in the service of the whole human family, to proclaim the gospel to all the world and resist the powers of evil, to share in Christ's baptism and eat at his table, to join him in his passion and victory.
- God promises to all who trust in the gospel forgiveness of sins and fullness of grace, courage in the struggle for justice and peace, the presence of the Holy Spirit in trial and rejoicing, and eternal life in that kingdom which has no end.
- Blessing and honor, glory and power be unto God.
But what about ... women?
Our pastor is a woman, and women hold half the seats on our Council.
But what about... LGBTQ folks?
There are no barriers to life and leadership at Zion. We are Open and Affirming. All means all.
But what about ... hell?
The answer to this question depends on what you mean by "hell" and who you ask. We all agree that God is love, that the Good News is good the whole way through, and that grace is the foundation for everything God does. Listen to some of Pastor Beth's teaching on this.
Best. Party. Ever.
God is Love
But what about ... abortion and pacifism and political parties and immigration and everything else people argue about?
There is nothing that will deepen your spiritual maturity like listening to someone who disagrees with you. God calls us into community with people who are different so that we all become more like Jesus. We make room for people to disagree and to change their minds ... or not. Bottom line: we love each other.
Our Core Values
Our corporate life, including our Sunday morning worship gatherings, is rooted in our core values. We are explicit about naming them when we are together so that we can live into claiming them when we are apart. This is the particular combination of attributes that makes our congregation distinctive: this is what makes us feel like us.
Christian - we specifically align ourselves with the ancient movement that claims Jesus the Christ as its inspiration, even as we appreciate the wisdom and practices that come to us from other faith traditions. We acknowledge the harm done by the Church in history and present, and we affirm the contributions of Christianity toward a better world.
Progressive - we know things change. We embrace the use of biblical scholarship, history, literature, and the sciences to enhance our faith. We reject the use of fear and shame. We claim the sacredness of both our hearts and our minds. Our minds are open to how God the Holy Spirit is still speaking new words to us for our time and place.
Inclusive - we insist that all humans are created in God's image and worthy of belonging. God celebrates who you are and so do we. We have a public commitment to cherish each person, specifically LGBTQIA folx. Together we create a safe space where we don't discriminate in membership or leadership.
Humble - we realize that smart people who love Jesus think differently about important issues. We might be wrong. We have more to learn. We're not afraid to fail.
Bold - we are not ashamed of our progressive, inclusive, Christian beliefs, and we share them openly with our words and actions.
Loving - we affirm that God is love and that we love because God first loved us. Following in the way of Jesus, we spend ourselves on behalf of our friends and our enemies.