Vision and Value

Vision and Values

We envision ourselves as missionaries at the intersections of daily life, sharing our love for Jesus and spreading the good news through our actions and our words. We envision building a sense of community among and beyond the people who attend worship or small groups or other events at Saint James.

As the word "vision" implies, this is a statement of what we see ourselves becoming, not what we already are. We see and hope through faith that this will become a reality in our everyday living. We hold this vision of ourselves in tension with who we are currently. We measure our ministry at Saint James by this vision, asking ourselves if we really are living like "missionaries," if and how we are "sharing our love for Jesus," and just how is what we know and experience of Jesus "good news?"

We are beginning to regularly ask of every ministry, "What does this ministry have to do with the vision?" If the ministry has little or nothing to do with the vision, then we will not begin or continue the ministry under the umbrella of Saint James ministries. We want to invest ourselves wholly and holy in becoming who Jesus is calling us to be. That is the hope for our future; Jesus is the hope for our future.

Authenticity. Being real. We believe in being who we are, not who we think we're supposed to be. We have real struggles to be followers of Jesus. We do not pretend to live perfect lives or to have arrived in some perfect faith world. We are not afraid to share our struggles with each other.

Integrity. Wholeness. We believe each person is called to bring their whole selves into relationship with Jesus. All parts of our lives are part of us; hence they are also part of our relationships, including and especially with God. We believe all the parts of us make up who we are as individuals. We are not one person at work, another at home, another in worship. We believe in bringing together all these pieces of our lives into one whole.

Transparency. We believe that one of our goals in following Jesus is to become so "clear" that others see Jesus through us.