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In many ways they are like finger prints. Everybody has them and everyone’s prints look pretty similar at first glance, yet each person’s prints are unique; in fact, so unique that you can identify a person by their prints.
Values are similar. Every church has values that should be common to all: that Jesus is Lord, that we have love for one another, that we gather together, share in mission and worship, and hold to the centrality of the Bible. Yet, each church also has values that makes them individually distinctive.
During our Sunday services over the coming weeks we will explore some of the values important to us as Hobart Baptist Church. The exploration will be part of our Strategic Plan: to develop a list of values that best describes us. Some are obvious and a structure is already in place, but others are aspirational expressing a desire of what we hope to become. Together this exploration will help us appreciate why we do the things we do, why we make the decisions we make and what makes us distinct.
At our last church meeting the following set of values were proposed; over the coming weeks we will look at each of them:
- We value life by celebrating God and his abundant gifts, and sharing the good news with others.
- We value growing by encouraging each other to a deeper spirituality and having a wider influence.
- We value each other by putting God and others first, and agreeing it not all about ’me’.
- We value our heritage by being faithful stewards of all we have received.
- We value our future by seeking to empower each other and by raising leaders for tomorrow.
- We value our city by giving thanks for its beauty, praying for its welfare and serving its people.
- We value grace by forgiving others, living a life of repentance and seeking justice.
I trust this series will help Hobart Baptist Church understand the values we hold, and enable us to be the church God wants us to be.
Stephen L Baxter
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