Mission & covenant values
MISSION | What are we trying to do?
Our name. Jesus often modeled choosing a creative “third way” when only two equally un-kingdom options seemed possible. On issues ranging from love to political loyalty, from helping the needy to responding to violence, Jesus rejects both aggression and withdrawal in pursuit of the “third way” of peacemaking.
Today we see the intersection of church and culture more in need of a “third way” than ever. Many suggest we must conservatively oppose and withdraw from society or else liberally allow it to redefine our belief and practice on its own terms. Either fight the culture wars, we’re told, or surrender the core of our convictions.
But we think Jesus would—and does—choose to meaningfully and honestly engage with culture. We think Jesus’ “third way” means no one is unwillingly left out—and no one is left unchanged.
Our mission together. Our mission together is inviting people into kingdom community and joyfully following Jesus’ way through:
- Passionately expressing our worship and devotion to Jesus
- Choosing the beautiful and challenging path of covenant community
- Personally pursuing the practices of Christian transformation
- Bringing the very best of our gifts and resources to the mission of the church
- Praying and working for kingdom change in our neighbors and city
VALUES | How are we trying to do it?
Covenant partners at Third Way accept, practice, and covenant themselves to these 11 covenant values. Click here to learn more about covenant partnership at Third Way.
Covenant life. Within our community, we invite one another to lovingly encourage and exhort us to remain faithful to our covenant and to Jesus’ kingdom way of life. We commit to building authentic relationships with God and with each other, rejecting comfortable performance and facing reality in pursuit of the life and wholeness we find only in Christ. | Romans 12:1-2, Ephesians 4, Hebrews 10:19-25
Worship. We seek to worship God in spirit and in truth, not only when we gather together but in every moment of our lives. We will worship drawing on both the insights and traditions of the saints who have gone before us and the imagination, innovation, and creativity within our own community. | Psalm 95:1-7, John 4:24, Colossians 3:15-17
Stewardship. We commit to seeing ourselves not as owners of earned property, but as thankful stewards of God’s time and resources. We will live simply, share our resources with one another, and give generously to our community and those in need. We recognize God’s gift of creation and will work to live in consideration of the needs of the human family on this planet. | Genesis 1:28-30, Proverbs 31:8-9, Acts 2:44-47, James 1:27
Work, play, and rest. We recognize work as the dignified activity of helping God provide for human needs, and we commit to working to sustain our life together, avoiding work that contributes to human suffering. We will create space for play and joy, delighting in God’s good gifts. We will set aside time for rest and reflection, both individually and as a community. | Isaiah 65:21-22, Psalm 16:11, Matthew 11:28-29
Learning. Jesus is our true Teacher, the one who has called us out of darkness and into new life. We ask God to grow us in faith and maturity as we learn to walk in Jesus’ way. We commit to learning from each other and seeking to understand before being understood. We seek be a unified body within which we celebrate the diversity of our gifts from the Spirit and use them to build up the Church. | Psalm 40:6-10, I Corinthians 12, II Timothy 2:14-15, I Peter 3:15
Transformation. We commit to a disciplined spiritual life so that we may become more like Jesus. We will practice making room in our days for God to speak and act in our lives, seeking to love as God has loved us. We will ask for and give accountability, carrying each other’s burdens and rejoicing in each other’s growth. | II Corinthians 3:12-18, II Corinthians 5:16-21, I John 4
Mutual submission. We submit to Christ as Lord in all we do, and we submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. We imitate Jesus’ humility by putting others ahead of ourselves, refusing to acquiesce to the selfish ambition and individualism of our culture. Within our community, we will resolve conflicts, forgiving when we are sinned against, knowing that we too are sinners. | Matthew 18:15-20, Ephesians 5:21, Philippians 2:3
Peace. We will offer self-giving love to all people, including our enemies, as God demonstrated his love for us. We reject violence as a source of hope and security, placing our trust and modeling our behavior on God’s love and justice. We commit to following the Spirit’s leading as we partner with God to mend our world, living at peace with all people insofar as it depends on us. | Luke 6:27-36, Romans 5:8, Romans 12:18, Ephesians 6:10-12
Reconciliation. We commit to life as God’s new family, actively working for reconciliation across race, gender, nationality, class, age, and other lines that divide our world. We lament division within the Church, in our neighborhoods, and in our own relationships, and we will confess and repent when we have contributed to this disunity. We seek to be a community that welcomes all without favoritism. | Galatians 3:28, Ephesians 2:11-22, James 2:1-7
Good news. We will share the good news of Jesus with our neighbors. We believe God is reconciling the world in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them, and has committed to us this message of reconciliation. We ask God to bring through us love, healing, and restoration wherever we are called to be witnesses of Jesus’ life-changing kingdom. | Matthew 28:16-20, Luke 4:14-21, II Corinthians 5:11-21, Philippians 1:27
Blessing. As a community, we seek to be a blessing to our city. We will work to see our neighborhoods through the eyes of Jesus, to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, host the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and visit the prisoner. We will accompany our faith with action, looking forward to a day when there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, when God will dwell among us, making all things new. | Matthew 25:35-40, James 2:17, Revelation 21:1-5