Growing together at All Saints happens through a serious commitment to discipleship, hospitality, and community.
Discipleship
Being a disciple means you're a follower, an apprentice to a master. At All Saints we desire to be good followers and apprentices to THE master, Jesus Christ. In so doing we:
Build our faith and practice on the word of God.
Tailor different aspects of teaching to the appropriate needs of people.
Pray as individuals and as a church.
Encourage and support one another as stewards of the abilities, opportunities and resources He has given us.
Encourage the practice of the classical spiritual disciplines.
Encourage personal discipleship and mentoring.
Teach, train and equip people to do the work of ministry.
Develop new generations of leaders for society, academia and the church.
Hospitality
By hospitality we don’t just mean a warm welcome, interesting conversation, or cozy entertaining in your home with your best dinner set. We mean the ancient practice of making room for others and welcoming the stranger into our lives. By so doing we:
Place a high value on the giving and receiving of welcome and hospitality.
Encourage open eyes and open hearts.
Understand that hospitality is about giving and receiving genuine service, kindness, and love.
Enjoy playing together, laughing together and talking in depth together – and welcome others into the fun!
Maintain openness to God's hospitality through the sacraments. In the early church, Christian welcome was centered on the sharing of meals, which was from the very beginning also the central act of worship – the communion of bread and wine. At All Saints Church the words of invitation at the end the Eucharist liturgy are, "You are welcome to the table." The Lord's Supper is the center of our weekly worship, so these words are a constant reminder that we come to the table with empty hands to encounter and receive grace from God who in his hospitality delivers and nurtures his people. And by so doing, we seek to be hospitable people who open our lives to God and to one another in deep, authentic, and transparent ways.
Community
Community is such an easy word to say but far more diffcult to create. At All Saints Church we seek earnestly to be connected with one another in significant ways. To achieve our vision for community we:
Endorse the significance of Christian friendships and small groupsas vital ways to live as Christians. We encourage authentic friendship and spiritual accountability with one another as members and attenders of All Saints Church. Small groups are central to our spiritual growth, pastoral care, evangelism and service.
Encourage all to be involved in ministry. God has given spiritual gifts to all His children so that we might serve one another and our community. “All Saints Church” is not just a name; it reflects our commitment to the ministry of all members and regular attenders.
Foster participation in Ministry Teams. Our ministry activities are raised up through the vision, passion, gifts and abilities that God gives to the people of our church. A particular ministry develops when God gathers and builds a Ministry Team to lead and develop that ministry.
Urge members to be trained as leaders and to develop new leaders. Those who are gifted and called to leadership within the body are called to submit to the authority of Christ, to serve the people of the church, to equip others for ministry, to shepherd the flock of God and to multiply their efforts through mentoring.
Champion the value and importance of family. We seek to minister well to all people in all stages of life and we rejoice in being a multigenerational family – children and youth, single adults, married couples, families and older adults. Nevertheless we uphold the importance of the family and its strategic place in Christian discipleship and mission. We seek a vibrant ministry to husbands and wives as well as to men and women. We seek a vibrant, dynamic ministry to teens and children in a way that affirms and strengthens the role of parents.