Just a few generations ago, the hearth was the center of every home. A fireplace was located in the middle of the home, bringing warmth to everyone in the house. Food was prepared in the heart of the home, and only a few feet away, sat a long table, at which every member of the family (as well as friends!) shared a meal, stories, laughs, and their lives.

Today, the center of the home is no longer a table, but a TV (or several smartphones). Screens occupy the center of our homes and dominate all of American life. Our churches sadly are often no different.

In our worship, we want to allow the Table to regain center stage. Worship is not a performance carried out on a stage by the “professional” Christians meant for us to observe; worship is something in which we are all active participants. Every Sunday, we have a seat at the Table of the King of Kings, and He calls us not just servants, but friends and family.

At Resurrection, we believe that the same gospel that saves us, is the same gospel that sanctifies us, and it is the same gospel that sends us. 

To fulfill our vision, we have 3 core values explained by our 9 core commitments.

1. Beauty: Because we are made in the image of the Creator God (Gen. 1:26-28), beauty is central to our identity (Exod. 28:2; Ps. 96:9; Rev. 21:5). Through our sacramental worship and the ministry of Rez Arts, we are committed to engaging the arts, building community among artists, and creating a space for artists to share their spiritual gifts within the local church.

2. Liturgy: A Holy and Gracious God deserves Holy and Gospel-Centered worship. As fallen creatures who have rebelled against God, the desires of our hearts are disordered (Jer. 17:9; Mark 7:20-23); we need our hearts to be put back into the proper order. We are committed to the God-centered, historically-rooted worship of the Book of Common Prayer, which saturates our lives with Holy Scripture and reforms the desires of our hearts to love God above all else.

3. Humility: Our common life together begins with an acknowledgment that we all are sinners (Rom. 3:23), lost and broken by the Fall, and therefore, we all need the grace that only comes through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus (Rom. 6:23). We are committed to Resurrection being a home for those nobody in the world or no other church want.

REFORMING HEARTS:

JESUS SAVES US.

1. Personal Discovery: Resurrection is a safe space for the skeptic to ask questions, in order to discover who Jesus is (1 Pet. 3:15; John 20:19-31). We acknowledge that we are all on a journey, and none of us have all the answers. We are committed to an open-minded curiosity, and we will give others the most charitable interpretation of their beliefs (2 Tim. 224-26).

2. Theological Orthodoxy: We are committed to an ever-deepening conviction in the truth of the gospel (John 8:31-32; John 14:6; Jude 3). We will not shy away from the hard truths of Scripture, but we will clearly stand for the truth of the gospel and oppose any false ideas that oppose it.

3. Biblical Maturity: We are committed to a daily growing in the compassion of biblical maturity (1 Pet. 2:2). Every Christian is a preacher of the gospel, and the mission of the Church is not to make customers but disciples (Matt. 28:20). Through our Bible Studies, Summer Fellows Program, and other ministries, we will seek to develop leaders among every member of our church by equipping them with biblical literacy and training them in Christ-like integrity, so that they may also teach others 2 Tim. 2:2; Heb. 5:12. 

1. Hospitality: We are committed to our church not being merely an event to attend, but a community to which we belong. The word hospitality means “making an outsider and insider.” As opposed to “xenophobia” or the “fear of strangers,” hospitality in the Bible literally means “the love of the stranger” (philozenia: Rom. 12:13; Heb. 13:2). We will welcome others as Christ has welcomed us (Rom. 15:7).

2. Generosity: Through our Community Groups, we are committed to being a home for the lonely and the hurting. Discipleship happens life-on-life, and it is not possible apart from community (1 Tim. 1:2). Generosity encompasses not only our money or possessions, but our whole lives and – more importantly – our relationships. We will serve one another generously, and we will invite others into our mess, so that they can see the authenticity of our faith lived out in daily life (John 13:1-15; James 5:16).

3. Festivity: We are committed to embodying a spirit of joy across every area of ministry (John 15:11; Gal. 5:22-23). It is significant that Jesus did much of his ministry in others’ homes around a table (Luke 7:36; 10:38; 14:1). To celebrate the joy of our salvation together, we share a potluck after worship every Feast Day of the Church’s liturgical calendar.