Vision and Values following the Merger

Vision

As the two congregations of Our Savior Lutheran Church and Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church merged in February 2022, we came up with a shared vision and a list of core values.

Burning with the Spirit of Christ in us we are called to serve our neighbors. In following Jesus’s teaching and example, we at Our Savior Lutheran Church will feed souls through worship, word and witness while feeding our neighbor with our hands and actions.

Core Values

  1. Be Accessible: One of the most amazing things about Jesus was how accessible he was to the people he encountered. He didn’t keep to himself, or only hangout with the mover and shakers in society. Jesus’ hung out the regular people like you and I. The scriptures tell of Jesus eating with 5,000 (Luke 9:10-17), hanging out with tax collectors and sinners (Mark 2:13-17), and opening the doors to all who would listen (Matthew 22:1-14). At OSLC we try and be accessible in all that we do. From how you are greeted when you arrive on Sunday morning, to the way we worship, and how we teach and preach it is geared towards your growth as a disciple of Jesus Christ.   

  2. Be Faithful to God’s Word: There are many fads which seem to come and go these days. Placing our faith in any one of them can be misleading and dangerous. At OSLC we know what the prophet Isaiah said is true, the Word of God stands forever (Isaiah 40:8), and so our community strides to be faithful to God’s Word. Are we perfect? No, as a matter of fact we are far from it, and that’s why we value it so much (Romans 3:23-24). However, we are committed to to being faith to God’s Word knowing understanding it takes time, and applying it to our lives takes patience.   

  3. Be Responsive to God’s Call: Disciples are followers of Jesus. They are men and women, girls and boys who have heard God’s commission and respond to it (Matthew 28:16-20). At OSLC we think it’s important to not just know what we believe, but also to respond to God’s call (James 4:14-26).  

  4. Be Open to and Inconvenienced by the Holy Spirit: When God sent the Holy Spirit it was to help us remember all that Jesus said (John 14:26). It was to be a continual reminder to Christ’s disciples of where God is calling. This is not easy. Often where God call is not where we want to God. Think about Moses for a moment. When God called him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt his first response wasn’t “of course!”, rather he asked God “Why me?” (Exodus 3:11).  At OSLC we strive to be open to the Holy Spirit.

  5. Trusting Relationships: The primary metaphor for the church in the New Testament is the body of Christ. The church isn’t an individual, it’s a group of people who come together and form the church. That’s why Paul stresses building one another up in the community (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Key to this is the formation of trusting relationships. At OSLC we know there are a lot of people who do not attend church, or join a church community, because trust has been broken. We don’t want that to be a barrier, so we work hard at building trusting relationships.    

More About Us

You can read about the ways we share, serve, grow, connect, and celebrate in our congregation with our 2021-2022 Narrative Budget Presentation here.

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