Tuesday, May 21, 2013

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Our Vision


OUR KINGDOM VISION:

Cherokee Presbytery is called to be a holy expression of God’s intention for the world, so together we can follow Christ into the future with confidence, hope and joy.  As such, Cherokee Presbytery is one model of a missional church which equips its members as missionaries sent by God to live and proclaim His Kingdom in the world.

OUR MISSION:

With God’s help, Cherokee Presbytery shall obey its call to God’s mission through:

  1. Being a Christ-centered worshipping community of faith,
  2. Living and proclaiming God’s Kingdom in the world,
  3. Supporting one another as ambassadors sent by God to change the world,
  4. Listening to God and one another,
  5. Mutually supporting, respecting, and being accountable to one another, and
  6. Supporting united mission efforts.

OUR CORE VALUES:

  1. Cherokee Presbytery is one church with a branch wherever there is a congregation;
  2. Cherokee Presbytery is united in mission within and beyond its own bounds;
  3. Cherokee Presbytery congregations cooperate and collaborate in shared ministries;
  4. Just as Jesus came to serve and not be served, Cherokee Presbytery has servant leadership;
  5. Cherokee Presbytery strives for consensus decision-making; and
  6. Cherokee Presbytery practices spiritual discernment prior to engaging in parliamentary procedures on matters of importance.

A MISHMASH OF JESUS FOLLOWERS:

We’re a mishmash of Jesus Followers affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA), an evangelical, ecumenical and reformed denomination of approximately 2.3 million members, more than 10,000 congregations and 14,000 ordained and active ministers.

Presbyterians trace their history to the 16th century and the Protestant Reformation. Our heritage, and much of what we believe, began with John Calvin (1509-1564), whose writings crystallized much of the Reformed thinking that came before him.

Evangelical. Ecumenical. Reformed.

“Evangelical” means we believe that what the New Testament says about Christ and His Kingdom can change lives and change the world.

“Ecumenical” means that we not only put up with other Christians, we need them.

“Reformed” refers to a particular stream within Christianity that emphasizes our need to continually reshape and reform ourselves according to the Scriptures, especially the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.

THEOLOGICAL DECLARATION:

Cherokee Presbytery, in union with her congregations and the wider Presbyterian Church(USA) confesses her faith when she bears a present witness to God’s grace in Jesus Christ. (1)  Realizing that all organizations are marked by human sin and error, this witness is, nonetheless presented as a holy expression of God’s will for the world, a call to unity in that expression, and obedience to the Lordship of Christ in all times and places.

We confess our own need for God’s continuing redemption of our lives as a community and as individuals. (2)  Throughout history, God’s people have found their way only haltingly as they have moved toward the Kingdom.  Seeking to find God’s will, we have consistently marred it with our own agendas and desires.  This has resulted in a blurred vision of God’s grace and an inconsistent witness to God’s work in the world. (3)

Nonetheless, we are called out and empowered by the Spirit of God to be a holy expression of God’s intention for the world. (4) (5) Trusting in God’s grace, we seek to discern God’s intention through prayer, outreach, worship, education, and reformation. (6)  Rejoicing in God’s presence, we seek to meet God where God is already at work, affirming our Historic Principles and the Great Ends of the Church. (7)  Confident of God’s Providence, we boldly continue to express God’s love and intention, knowing that the One Who has called us will surely equip us for the work to which we are called.

We are called to unity in demonstrating this expression.  From Biblical times, God has worked in individuals, but also in communities.  God has called together those whom God has chosen, first in Israel and now in the New Israel, the Church. (8) (9)  The unity of the Church is not seen in unanimity of agreement on all questions, rather in the recognition of our common bond in service to Christ.  This unity functions to bind us together in spite of disagreements which may arise so that our Lord may be glorified in all, by all. (10)

The future of the Church and the world are solely in the hands of God. (11)  Assured of God’s ultimate redemption of all creation, we gladly join hearts and hands with each other as the Church Reformed, Always Being Reformed. (12)  Celebrating the journey of faith as God’s Children, we approach the time to come with confidence, joy and hope.

Glory be to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

– Submitted by the Cherokee Presbytery Vision Team and adopted by the body August 26, 2008.