Pastor Steve's Core Values

In support of a two-part sermon series for the good folks at Fort Collins First United Methodist Church (July 29th and August 5, 2012), I am sharing the 7 values that ground me and gently pull me back to the center when I stray from being the person God has called me to be.  I offer these not as a boast but as a statement of confession - that I need reminding of the high calling and privilege it is to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.  I pray you are challenged to think through and wrestle with putting into words the values that serve as God's "bungee cord" around your waist that pulls you back when you've gone too far astray.

Core Value #1 – My relationship with God in Jesus Christ is at the center

of all I am and do.  And, I am committed to the proclamation of Jesus as being Immanuel, “God-with-us”, the fullness of God’s revelation to humanity, but in a way that is accepting of others’ faith commitments.

Core Value #2 – In accordance with several key NT passages (e.g., John 1:1&14, 5:39; Col 1:15-20; and Heb 1:1-3b, 4:12-13) and our United Methodist Book of Discipline (cf. the section dealing with “Our Doctrinal Heritage”), I recognize, celebrate, and affirm Jesus as being the pre-existent and eternal Christ, the Word and Wisdom of God.   This means that Scripture is not to be confused with the Word of God but, rather, is to be seen as a vital medium through which the Word of God speaks.  So understood, I embrace Scripture as the foundation of my identity, yet remain open to a fresh word from God for my life and ministry through my study of Scripture, the collective voice of the church (tradition), reason, and my experience of God in my life with vibrant prayer being central to this experience.

Core Value #3 – I am called by God to be a pastor to His people and His church.  It is not my ministry God has “awarded” me with; it is God’s ministry He has entrusted me with.  Therefore, I am a steward, a shepherd, not an owner.  I have no reason to grasp for anything, but trust God for everything.

Core Value #4 – I treat myself and others around me with grace because I know I have been dealt with graciously by God.

Core Value #5 – Integrity – being on the inside all I present myself to be on the outside – honesty, and trustworthiness are crucial to an authentic Christian witness, personal wholeness, and safe and effective ministry.

Core Value #6 – Anxiety is destructive of my relationships and spiritual life, reflecting the need to refocus on “God-at-the-center”.  I am committed to seeking after the Shalom Adonai: an inner contentment and sense of wholeness; health of body, mind, and spirit; the peace of Christ.

Core Value #7 – I believe in having balance in my life: adequate time for work, play, and the cultivation and nurture of the significant relationships in my life beginning with my family.  I am committed to having my calendar reflect this value. 

“I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection!  But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be.”           – Philippians 3:12 [NLT]