People, Because People are the Point
People matter most to God. As a result, our mission to reach more people for Christ, and make disciples who make disciples, is the most important mission on the planet.
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Taking It Personally
We’re all contributors, not consumers. So every person who calls MorningStar “home” is responsible to leverage his/her gifts, passion, personal style and resources to help us carry out our mission. With no apologies, it’s a “we before me/ service before self” type of ownership in our church...being fully engaged and all in.
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Compassion as Our Compass
In our efforts to reach people for Jesus, we also take our cues from Jesus. The Son of God was the servant of all, and His astonishing heart of compassion was constantly on display. So as we become aware of the needs of others...whether in our church family, amongst our neighbors, or around the world...this is what shapes and guides us. Few things are more compelling to a skeptical world, nor more complementary to the power of the Holy Spirit, than a local church that’s driven by compassion, a burning desire to meet practical needs in their community.
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Keeping it Real
Everybody’s got “stuff” so we can take off the mask. We can be real about who we are but also about what needs to happen in our lives, as a result. We understand God loves us just like we are, but He also loves us too much to leave us that way. So we intend to both love AND live like Christ — freely dispensing grace (to each other), and together pursuing holiness.
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Doing Life Together
We’re better together, because we were made for community and life-giving relationships. But our heartbeat is that those relationships always reflect a rich diversity that crosses all racial, ethnic and socioeconomic divides, and spans all ages and life-stages. Everyone is welcome in this family, so we keep Jesus at the center while celebrating our differences, fighting for unity, being quick to encourage and forgive, and as far as it depends on each of us, living at peace with everyone.
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Growing Up
For us, being part of church isn’t simply about belonging. It’s also about becoming...growing to be more like Jesus every day and in every way. And because we understand everything can’t be solved with a Sunday sermon, we maintain that you can’t grow to maximum spiritual capacity with minimal spiritual connectedness. In other words, if you want to grow in your faith you have to get in a group. The nutshell? We celebrate on Sundays but we grow in groups.
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A Priority of Integrity
Integrity needs to be normal for us, something no one ever has to question. So whether it’s being the same people in private that we are in public, or staying doctrinally pure and true to God’s Word, or leading with the highest of character, we insist on this. Integrity must always be part of our identity, because we can’t put a price tag on it.
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Swinging for the Fence
The quest for excellence in all things (doing the best we can with whatever we have) is non-negotiable. “Good enough” is never good enough if we’re doing it for God. So we’ll constantly raise the bar, and never be afraid to experiment and even take huge risks. We believe it honors God when we dream one size too big, and we refuse to insult Him by dreaming too small.
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Doing the Math
We can’t afford to be content with maintenance when we’re called to multiply. This is what the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) is all about, so we believe all Christ-followers are called to be disciple-makers. In truth, we believe a disciple isn’t fully mature until he/she begins to multiply — to reproduce — and is discipling others.
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Powering Up
We celebrate talent, creativity and hard work as some of God’s greatest gifts. But we also realize nothing will ever replace the guidance and strength of the Holy Spirit.