Mission
“In response to God’s compelling love and Christ’s gift of salvation, we are called to invite others to share in God’s love and salvation and serve the physical and spiritual needs of our members, our community, and our world.”
(I John 3:10; I Thessalonians 5:9;
Matthew 28:19-20; Philippians 4:19)
(I John 3:10; I Thessalonians 5:9;
Matthew 28:19-20; Philippians 4:19)
We Welcome All
We want to care for, appropriately and effectively, anyone who wants Shepherd to be their spiritual home. This Spirit-led desire feels even more poignant when we consider those who have been disenfranchised, including those in the LGBTQIA+ community, those born in other places or of a different skin color, those experiencing economic hardship, and others.
To be inclusive means to accept all people as loved by God. We recognize that all who receive Christ belong in the community of faith. We also recognize and honor the rich complexity and diversity of people God calls to our faith community, including people who disagree with this statement. Though not all may agree, we find our unity in Christ who loves each of us and all of us together.
We welcome all people into all parts of the church’s life and ministry, including ordained ministry as a Ruling Elder, Teaching Elder, or Deacon. We seek to appreciate the vital worth of each human being, and will intentionally work to provide welcome and inclusion of all people in the life of our congregation.
(Adopted by Session, October 2020. Updated June 2023)
To be inclusive means to accept all people as loved by God. We recognize that all who receive Christ belong in the community of faith. We also recognize and honor the rich complexity and diversity of people God calls to our faith community, including people who disagree with this statement. Though not all may agree, we find our unity in Christ who loves each of us and all of us together.
We welcome all people into all parts of the church’s life and ministry, including ordained ministry as a Ruling Elder, Teaching Elder, or Deacon. We seek to appreciate the vital worth of each human being, and will intentionally work to provide welcome and inclusion of all people in the life of our congregation.
(Adopted by Session, October 2020. Updated June 2023)
Vision
Shepherd of the Hill fulfills its mission by focusing on these four pillars:
WORSHIP
(Psalm 95:6-7)
Our worship is sensitive to the diverse needs of our community such that all people are led to spiritual growth and a deeper commitment to serving Christ.
FELLOWSHIP
(Hebrews 10:24-25a)
We offer a wide variety of small groups to facilitate spiritual maturity, interpersonal relationships, and service to Christ.
OUTREACH
(Mark 16:15; Micah 6:8)
Enlarging our circle of Christian community brings others into the love and salvation of God through Jesus Christ. We especially seek outreach that provides for the poor, the homeless, and the oppressed in our community and in our world.
EDUCATION
(II Timothy 3:16)
Christ centered education fosters ever deepening understanding of the love of God and the call to service for all ages.
WORSHIP
(Psalm 95:6-7)
Our worship is sensitive to the diverse needs of our community such that all people are led to spiritual growth and a deeper commitment to serving Christ.
FELLOWSHIP
(Hebrews 10:24-25a)
We offer a wide variety of small groups to facilitate spiritual maturity, interpersonal relationships, and service to Christ.
OUTREACH
(Mark 16:15; Micah 6:8)
Enlarging our circle of Christian community brings others into the love and salvation of God through Jesus Christ. We especially seek outreach that provides for the poor, the homeless, and the oppressed in our community and in our world.
EDUCATION
(II Timothy 3:16)
Christ centered education fosters ever deepening understanding of the love of God and the call to service for all ages.
Covenant of Racial Justice and Reconciliation
At Shepherd of the Hill, we say:
In our Mission Statement,
Enlarging our circle of Christian community brings others into the love and salvation of God through Jesus Christ. We especially seek outreach that provides for the poor, the homeless, and the oppressed in our community and in our world.
In our Covenant of Peace and Unity,
We will speak the truth with love, expressing ourselves with candor and humility; We will listen, endeavoring to understand each other, especially those whose views seem to differ from our own, maintaining a spirit of openness and vulnerability.
We seek to live our lives in accordance with the words of Micah 6:8:
…And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
We at Shepherd of the Hill stand with our Black, Native American, and other brothers and sisters of color who have endured generations of systemic racism. We realize that too often we as a predominantly white church and as individuals have adhered to an attitude of passivity. We have watched in silence while people of color in our community are subjugated to a racist system that dehumanizes its people and treats them as less-than.
Recognizing that this covenant is a living document, to be reviewed by Session bi-annually, we pledge to assist the church in becoming God’s intercultural community. We will work towards reconciliation and accountability in the following ways:
(Adopted by Session, April 2021)
In our Mission Statement,
Enlarging our circle of Christian community brings others into the love and salvation of God through Jesus Christ. We especially seek outreach that provides for the poor, the homeless, and the oppressed in our community and in our world.
In our Covenant of Peace and Unity,
We will speak the truth with love, expressing ourselves with candor and humility; We will listen, endeavoring to understand each other, especially those whose views seem to differ from our own, maintaining a spirit of openness and vulnerability.
We seek to live our lives in accordance with the words of Micah 6:8:
…And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
We at Shepherd of the Hill stand with our Black, Native American, and other brothers and sisters of color who have endured generations of systemic racism. We realize that too often we as a predominantly white church and as individuals have adhered to an attitude of passivity. We have watched in silence while people of color in our community are subjugated to a racist system that dehumanizes its people and treats them as less-than.
Recognizing that this covenant is a living document, to be reviewed by Session bi-annually, we pledge to assist the church in becoming God’s intercultural community. We will work towards reconciliation and accountability in the following ways:
- We confess and repent of our sins of silence and for not standing with the Black, Native American and other communities of color.
- We will not take part in a continuation of that silence that perpetuates the “status quo” of racial injustice in all its forms.
- We will compassionately listen to and care for communities of color who are working to put an end to systemic racism.
- We will continue to educate ourselves about systemic racism and not rely on people of color to shoulder the burden of teaching us.
- We will practice antiracism through informed actions in worship, Bible study, Christian education, prayer, and our daily lives.
- As we live into this statement, we will seek to support all those in communities that have been marginalized.
(Adopted by Session, April 2021)
Covenant of Peace and Unity
As followers of Jesus Christ we yearn for harmony and sometimes deny when discord is among us. But disagreements and disputes are natural and inevitable in everyday life, at work, at school, in our community and in our church. We don’t always know the best way to deal with conflict, yet we are called to participate in God’s activity by healing, reconciling, and binding up wounds. Peace and unity require action. As a community of followers of Jesus Christ at Shepherd of the Hill, we covenant together that when faced with conflict:
We will pray for each other that we may faithfully serve God, follow Jesus Christ, and be guided by the Holy Spirit;
We will seek to be guided by Scripture;
We will acknowledge that the peace and unity we seek is God’s gift to us in Christ;
We will speak the truth with love, expressing ourselves with candor and humility;
We will listen, endeavoring to understand each other, especially those whose views seem to differ from our own, maintaining a spirit of openness and vulnerability;
We will respect confidences, show faithfulness in our relationships, and trust each other’s motivations and dedication.
(Adopted by Session, April 2002)