Learn, Reflect, and Pray on What Our Shared Values Mean to Members Personally

As United Methodists, each of us is connected through our baptism to live out God’s call in our lives, families, churches, and communities. In the coming year, we are engaging in Vital Change together to better cultivate world transforming disciples and progress toward our goal of vitality.

Vitality is strongly related to living our shared values which arise from the hopes voiced by United Methodists across the area; they are rooted in Scripture and a part of our Wesleyan heritage.

Love in Action
Practicing God’s love and grace, we build real, transformative relationships in our communities. Ours is not ministry “from a distance,” but ministry “up close and personal”— we are the hands and feet of Christ in the world, serving those in need.

Strength through Connection
Rooted in the United Methodist tradition of connection, we are united, uplifting one another, and holding each other accountable with love. We build strong bonds with one another and across our global church to do as much good as we can, because we truly are better together.

Unity with Diversity
As God’s beloved community, we each bring our unique stories and strengths to all that we do, united in purpose and committed to equity, inclusion, antiracism/anti-oppression and justice for all.

Partnering with Purpose
Intentional and strategic partnerships with other churches, people, and organizations enable us to share and cross-pollinate ideas, resources, and energy so that we can thrive, bear more fruit, and live according to God’s call.

Freedom to Try
We prioritize empowering leaders and members to dream big, try new things, and learn from failure. We give permission for creativity and boldness and are committed to staying open to new ways of sharing God’s love with all people.

Journal or join in conversation with others in church about the following questions:

1. Which value(s) do you most naturally embody or identify with? What testimony do you have to share about how this value is at work in your life?
2. Which value do you struggle with the most?
3. What would be different in your life – at home, with friends, at work, at church, in the community – if you lived these values 24/7? What would you have to do to live all the values?

Pray for God to:

• Open your mind and create a clean and willing heart for vital change.
• Help you to see how you can live these values.
• Help you to make needed changes so that you embody the values in the way that God wants you to embody them.
• Guide you as you seek to share these values with others in ways that are transformational, not transactional.

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This was originally published as a part of a resource kit.