Mission, Vision, & Values
Mission:
Lead ourselves and others into transformative encounters with God.
Biblically and historically the Church has grown by one method: Someone experiences a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ and invites others to do the same. At Alive Church, we are passionate about introducing others to Jesus because we have experienced firsthand the hope, healing, and transformation that comes from a relationship with God.
Vision:
To see a people enthralled by God, equipped for their callings, and empowered to advance the Kingdom of Heaven in Oak Lawn and around the world.
Enthralled by God: Those who encounter God personally, find themselves enthralled with his beauty, goodness, and love. This is both the starting point of the walk of faith and the catalyst for more encounters with God that deepen our relationship with him and lead to inward healing and transformation.
Equipped for their Callings: As believers grow closer to God, we find that our lives and character are growing in resemblance to Jesus Christ. We soon discover the universal callings of every believer (such as the call to grow in character and integrity, the call to participate in the body of Christ, and the call to make disciples) as well as the unique gifts and passions God has given us to establish his heavenly Kingdom here on earth. Our role as the Church is to facilitate the encounters with God that lead to these discoveries and equip one another to fulfill our universal and individual callings.
Empowered to Advance the Kingdom: As we discover and begin to live into our callings, we are sent out to invite others into divine encounters with God, utilizing the gifts and passions God has given us to provide a compelling witness to the reality and goodness of God. Those who heed the invitation become enthralled by God themselves and the cycle begins again.
Core Values:
Foundational Value
Dependence on God
Dependence on God is the hinge on which our mission, vision, and values hang. Recognition of our need for God does not end at conversion—it only begins there. We seek to continuously recognize our complete and utter dependence on God and reflect that dependence in everything we do. This means we will be a people of prayer and will strive to make prayer the starting point, foundation, and fuel behind all of our endeavors. We seek to listen attentively to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and strive to obey him in all things. Our dependence on God also means that we rely whole-heartedly on the Scriptures as the authoritative and holy word of God and endeavor to anchor all of our beliefs, practices, and teachings in Biblical truth. In the spirit of 1 Corinthians 3:7, we recognize that, although we must plant and water the seed of the Gospel, only God can give the growth. As we rely on God, we trust that he will be the one to bring spiritual life and transformation to Oak Lawn. We see a growing dependence on God as the mechanism that leads to spiritual maturity and multiplication.
Leadership Values
Accountability
No one is exempt from the need for deep relationships wherein confession and accountability are the norm. The need for accountability does not decrease with the amount of decision-making power and leadership responsibilities a person possesses, but rather increases. We will strive to model transparency and accountability from the leadership down.
Righteousness Over “Results”
The unfortunate reality is that the church in America has a tarnished reputation. We believe that one of the reasons for this is a failure to embrace God’s Kingdom values over and above the values of our culture. God values the unseen, inward dispositions of the heart more than any worldly metric of success. We will strive to earnestly seek God and do what is right, trusting that when we do this, God will provide for us. This value also reflects our desire to continuously focus our spiritual formation and discipleship efforts on inward transformation rather than mere external obedience.
Humility
Humility must begin with those at the highest levels of leadership in the church, just as Christ modeled humility and servant leadership in his earthly ministry. We hope to cultivate a culture that emphasizes humility, teachability, and selflessness at all levels of leadership.
Authenticity
The world is longing for relationships with people who are willing to put down their masks and initiate raw, vulnerable connections with those around them. Because we feel secure in our worth in Christ, we are freed to show others our authentic selves and invite them to do the same without fear of judgment or ridicule. We believe that authenticity and transparency pave the way for true spiritual growth to take place by inviting God and others to truly get to know us—warts and all—in order to help us grow and thrive.
Mission Values
Hospitality
God is the ultimate example of hospitality. We aim to follow in his example and make it top priority that every person who encounters an Alive Church member feels welcomed, desired, and seen. These are three of the main qualities that mark the ministry of Christ, and we believe that genuine, intentional hospitality is paramount to facilitating an encounter with God.
Beauty
God is beautiful and the world is in desperate need of the depth and beauty only God can offer. We believe that people are drawn into an encounter with God when they glimpse the profound beauty of Jesus Christ. Therefore, we seek to cultivate depth and beauty in all that we do and say and help people draw the connection between all that is truly good and beautiful in this world and the good and beautiful God who created them.
Unity in Diversity
The Kingdom of Heaven is a place where unity and diversity meet. As ambassadors of the Kingdom of Heaven, we aim to reflect this spiritual reality here on Earth. United in our love for Christ and recognizing him alone as the Lord of our lives, we strive to create a space where everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, age, socioeconomic status, political beliefs, or any other worldly division feels like they truly belong and learns to live in harmony with people who are different from them.
Priesthood of All Believers
All believers are called to be priests and ministers of reconciliation. The role of church leadership, therefore, is not to act as the sole ministers and leaders of a congregation, but to shepherd the congregation into healing and wholeness and to equip them to take up the mantel of priesthood and exercise their gifts in ministry to one another and to those outside of the church.
Multiplication
As advancement through discipleship happens we are told to, "Go!" A disciple has not been made until they have discipled, evangelized, and multiplied the church. Members-as-ministers, or “the priesthood of all believers," is a concept we take seriously and will be intentional in making disciples who are ministers. Practically, this will look like discerning each person's spiritual gifts and calling and facilitating their use to directly multiply the Kingdom of God