Conley's Core Values
Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose hope is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water, that spreads out its roots by the river. It does not fear when the heat comes, and its leaves remain green; it is not anxious when drought comes, and it continues to produce fruit.
~ Jeremiah 17: 7-8 ~
Rooted in the Word
We are Christians.
Our faith in Jesus Christ is the core of our life together. We believe that Jesus, the Son of God, paid the price for our sin and makes a way for us to be reconciled with God. This belief unites us as we gratefully accept his forgiveness and together strive to follow his leadership. We proclaim the good news that whoever believes in Jesus will not die but will have eternal life.
We are worshipers.
In worship we are brought together in community. We offer our praise and thanksgiving, our hopes and fears, and our aspirations and concerns to our loving God. We worship the Holy Trinity through the affirmation of God’s Word, prayer, songs of praise, fellowship, and the sacraments. We worship joyfully. We study, pray, sing, and share with passion, intellect, and energy. We are an Easter people, and we are glad!
We are disciples.
We understand that being a disciple of Jesus Christ is a life-long experience of growth and transformation. Therefore, we provide opportunities to help people of all ages and levels of spiritual maturity to continue their spiritual development. We are a congregation where people can search, think, question, and honestly express their growing experience of faith in an accepting and affirming atmosphere. We act out our discipleship in our everyday lives as we go out into the world to share the good news of salvation with others.
Growing in Grace
We are Family.
Our connection is based on our shared relationship with Jesus Christ, through whom we are adopted into God’s family. Like all families, we love to get together and we enthusiastically create and participate in opportunities for fellowship. We share each others’ joys, sorrows, and life events. We feel safe in sharing our concerns and opinions knowing that though we may not always agree, we will always treat each other with respect and Christian love. We are a joyful, loving, laughing congregation that experiences the grace of God in Jesus Christ in personal and positive ways.
We are stewards.
We accept our responsibility to be faithful stewards of all that God has given us. We understand that it is God’s will for us to support the church by our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness. As a congregation, we are mindful of our responsibility to spend wisely the funds and resources God has entrusted to us to further God's work on earth. We are grateful for the facilities with which we have been blessed. We maintain them properly, but without unnecessary expense, so that they will remain a gathering place for worship and ministry in our community for years to come.
We are caregivers.
We know that God has given us spiritual gifts for the building up of God's people. We pray for the Holy Spirit to be present in our lives and we strive to be open to allow the Spirit to work through us - as individual believers and as a congregation. We are attentive to our sisters and brothers in the household of faith, and we stand ready to provide spiritual and physical support through prayer, words of encouragement, the sharing of meals, visiting the lonely, and other acts of kindness. God has brought us together as one body and has called us to have equal concern for one for another. When one part of the body of Christ suffers, we all suffer with it; when one part is lifted up, we all rejoice together.
Branching Out in Love
We are ambassadors.
We believe the good news of Jesus Christ is good news for all. God is reconciling all people to their Creator through Jesus and has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are, therefore, Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We accept our call as representatives of the King of kings and Lord of lords to proclaim the Gospel with our words and actions--to boldly stand against evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.
We are workers.
God created us in Christ Jesus to do good works. Our faith is manifested in acts of kindness, grace, and peace done for the good of others and for the glory of the Lord. The prevenient grace of God - demonstrated by Christ who died for us while we were sinners - is our inspiration and our guide. We offer grace without condition and work for the good of people of all ages, nations, and races.
We are the next generation.
We thank God for the faithful ministry of those who came before us, and we enthusiastically pursue our calling to perpetuate the ministry of Conley’s Church in our generation. Founded in 1800 and incorporated in 1838, our congregation has a rich heritage that we respect and celebrate. We are determined to build upon that heritage and to glorify God in the present day just as our forebears have done for over two centuries. While we may not use the same methods as previous generations, we have the same love for one another and the same mission: to make disciples of Jesus Christ.
The Core Values of Conley's Church were developed and are maintained by representatives of the congregation serving on the Vision Team and Staff-Parish Relations Committee, and are approved by the congregation annually at Conley's Charge Conference. We believe that the Holy Spirit leads us in this endeavor through much prayer and holy conversation, and that these Core Values reflect the work that God is doing in our church.
Our desire is to be "a planting of the Lord for the display of God's splendor" (Isaiah 61:3). We pray that these Core Values will assist our congregation to stay firmly rooted in the Word of God, to grow in God's amazing grace, and to branch out in love for one another and for all people.
