Our Vision and Values

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Asbury's Vision and Core Values

On June 24, 2000, Asbury's VisionTeam created a vision statement to guide the 50-year-old congregation’s life for the next two to three decades:

Asbury is an inclusive community modeling Christ, encouraging spiritual growth and social justice, and serving as a catalyst and resource for all people.

It is consistent with our mission statement:

a place for all people to become disciples of Jesus Christ

Asbury's Core Values:

being intentionally inclusive
nurturing souls
exercising bold, courageous leadership
putting Christ's love into action
encouraging people to use their unique gifts in ministry

Something to Believe In

A Message from Rev. Jeff Procter-Murphy, Asbury's Pastor Since 1993

Do you believe in Jesus? In his wonderful little book, Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, Marcus Borg points out that the word 'believe' did not originally mean giving mental assent to a set of doctrines or teachings; in both Latin and Greek its roots mean 'to give one's heart to.' "Believing in Jesus does not mean believing doctrines about him," Borg writes. "Rather, it means to give one's heart, one's self at its deepest level" to God in Christ.

That is why we at Asbury (and United Methodists in general) are short on dogma and doctrine, and long on love. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, said, "If thine heart is as my heart, take my hand." Wesley was not especially concerned with dogma. His ultimate concern was for every Christian to experience and practice the love of God in Christ. So our questions for membership at Asbury are simply these:

Will you love God with your whole heart?

Will you love your neighbor as generously as you love yourself?

Will you accept Jesus as your Savior and live as a disciple of Christ?

Will you live your life with generosity and hope?

Asbury is a richly diverse congregation. This diversity extends to matters of faith and theology. Marcus Borg writes, "The Christian life is not primarily about believing the right things or being good. The Christian life is about being in relationship with God which transforms us into more and more compassionate beings, 'into the likeness of Christ.'" At Asbury, we are more concerned that the Christian life is grounded in relationship - with God and one another - than whether everybody agrees on what to believe in. Unlike other traditions, there's no "dotted line" at the bottom of a doctrinal statement for you to sign on. Like John Wesley, we "think and let think." In fact, theological exploration is not only encouraged among Methodists, it is expected!

Having said that, there are some basic, commonly held theological assumptions at Asbury. For example, we are not Scriptural literalists. We believe that the Bible is like a window through which we see God and better understand ourselves - and not a static, inerrant textbook. We are a community centered in God's grace. We affirm that God loves us not because of who we are or anything we do, but because of who God is. With Wesley, we believe grace goes before us, it convicts us, and - in Borg's words - it transforms us into more and more compassionate beings, 'into the likeness of Christ.' Thus we recognize with grace comes responsibility, and that meaning and purpose for our lives is found in ministry and service to others and in the service of justice and mercy for all.

While some traditions regard the end of faith as a destination - namely, heaven - we view faith as a journey. Robert Raines has written a book entitled, Living the Questions. I invite you to see your life as a faith journey in which the questions are as rich and meaningful as any answers - indeed, perhaps more so!

Blessings,

Pastor Jeff

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