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MISSION
God has a mission for His Church worldwide, and a specific mission for Nativity. In prayer, we believe we have His direction as to why our parish exists, and have crafted a Mission Statement which defines His purpose for us.
We have been called together by God
to be and to make faithful followers of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This mission delineates all we do, and focuses our parish structures, our planning, our organizing, our activities, as well as our personal lives.
VISION
What does our mission look like in practice? What would it look like if the people of Nativity were fulfilling the mission which God has given us? In prayer, we believe God has given us a picture, in art and in words, of what we are to become and do as faithful followers who make faithful followers.
As we pursue our Mission,
we place ourselves in the hands of God:
connecting in small groups and ministry teams,
engaging in daily Bible reading and prayer,
worshipping and resting weekly,
offering our time, gifts and treasure,
as we
Reach the lost,
Teach the found,
Care for one another,
and Celebrate our life together.
All to the glory of God,
and the building up of His Kingdom.
The Vision centers on God enabling us to become faithful followers who offer ourselves to God the Master Potter that He might shape and mold us according to His excellent plan and will. We do this as we adopt a model of abundant life, consisting of daily Bible reading and prayer, weekly corporate worship in the context of a restful Sabbath, regular connection with others in a flock centered on our Good Shepherd, and perpetually yielding ourselves and our possessions to God in His cleansing fire. From this center, pictured as a cross, comes our mission of making faithful followers, in four specific ways as a parish community.
GOALS
As we pursue our mission and pray that our vision becomes reality, each year we identify some key steps we need to take in order to “get there”. Our goals for the current year follow:
A. Increase our sense of connection as the Body of Christ in parish, diocese, and world
B. Promote Nativity Vision of being and making faithful followers
C. Increase our impact for God’s Kingdom in our local communities
D. Promote and honor families in our planning and activities
E. Refine and implement Long-Range Plan
As a result of all the above, and through the grace of God, we believe that the parish will grow by at least 10% in participation, attendance, and finances.
VALUES
How do we go about pursuing our mission and vision? What are the important things we believe in, and the critical ways that we believe we are to treat one another and others? Our stated values point the way.
As we pursue our mission, realize our vision, and pursue our goals, we value:
1. God the Holy Trinity as the center of all we do and are.
2. Biblical faith, mediated through sacred tradition and sanctified reason.
3. Earnest prayer, seeking the Holy Spirit’s Presence, Power and Guidance in all things.
4. Blended worship, uniting Anglican, evangelical, catholic, and charismatic streams of renewal with the contemporary arts.
6. The priesthood of all believers, male and female, youth and adult, all utilizing the gifts of the Spirit for the common good.
7. Leadership and servanthood, by which the church is guided and the Lord is served.
8. Team ministry, doing God’s work together with other members of the Body of Christ.
9. Commitment to excellence, by which our excellent God may be glorified in all we undertake.
10. Risk-taking, led by the Holy Spirit for the greater glory of God, willing to pay the price of change.
11. The Tithe, the minimum standard of giving to God’s work.
12. Mutual respect, expressed in acceptance of all and in encouraging Christ likeness in all.
13. Growth in numbers and in godliness, by which we can build up God’s Kingdom.
14. Compassionate Love for God and for all, by which others will know that we are His.
15. Unity with others in Christ, by which others will know Jesus as Son of God.
16. The Transforming and Reconciling work of our Lord Jesus Christ, working in us and through us to the world in which we live.
See our complete “Transforming and Reconciling” statement...
~ Church of the Nativity - Being and Making Faithful Followers of Jesus ~
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