If you dig down deep, these five attributes constitute the core of what makes us Mt Vernon Church. It’s what we breathe, it’s who we are, it’s how we operate. These five strands make up the DNA that defines why we do what we do the way we do it.
Jesus said his followers would be known for how they loved. So we’re all-in on doing whatever it takes to be the most loving people in our community. We create environments where people can feel welcome and bump into Jesus. We’re a group of misfits and rejects who bumped into Jesus and found out he loves us anyway.
We don’t get anywhere trying to do life on our own. Following Jesus is less about how deep we go alone and more about how deeply connected we are with one another. We want to be in position to meet each other’s needs and to have people ready to protect our blind side. Christianity is a team sport, so grab your gear and let’s go.
Love always leads to action. It’s possible to do something and not love. But it’s impossible to love and not do something. Jesus came to serve and he is the one we follow. The more you serve, the more Christlike you become. Spiritual maturity is far less about how much you know and far more about how well you love.
This world is suffocating from a lack of hope, so don’t keep it to yourself. Your relationship with God is personal, but it’s not supposed to be private. Jesus isn’t just the friend of sinners – he’s ONLY the friend of sinners. We don’t reach out because we think we’re better, but because we know we’re better off than we used to be.
When everyone else runs away from the mess, we run towards it. We’re the spiritual first responders. The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. We accept everybody, even if we can’t endorse their view. None of us are perfect, but we’re not defined by our mistakes. We weren’t very acceptable when we met Jesus, but his acceptance changed us.
Sound doctrine is an essential part of our DNA. In the book of Titus, Paul commands we must “teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine” (2:1). Multiple times in the book of 1 Timothy, Paul urges, “watch your life and doctrine closely” (4:16) and, “command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer” (1:3). It’s obvious God cares about sound doctrine, so we do too.
LifeGroups (typically 8-16 people) meet in convenient locations throughout our community so people can grow in their faith, have fun, and meet some great new friends. If you’re serious about moving forward in your spiritual growth, then it is absolutely vital that you connect with a group of people who both will accept you for who you are AND encourage you to become all that God intends for you to be.
