Our vision is to be a fully functioning biblical church, a community of Christians who are living and sharing the victory of the cross, by "always abounding in the work of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:57-58), as we serve God in four areas:

• EXALTATION — We will glorify God through our corporate and private worship of Him, recognizing Him as the Lord and King of all of life, praising our God, "who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:57); and as we live bold and courageous Christian lives of faith and witness we "do it all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31).
  
  
• EVANGELISM — We will reach out to the lost, bringing the message of Christ and His love and grace to people who matter to God and therefore matter to the church, and we will bring the unchurched into full community with Christ and His Church, by teaching Christians to be a witness in word and deed to Christ, so that we may "always be prepared . . . to give the reason for the hope that [we] have" (1 Peter 3:15).
  
  
• EDIFICATION — We will strengthen the saved and their commitment to Christ, enabling them to live bold and courageous Christian lives of faith and witness, by Biblically faithful and culturally relevant preaching, teaching, and Bible study for all ages; by Christian fellowship and encouragement, "bearing one another's burdens" (Galatians 6:2); and by helping Christians identify and use their spiritual gifts "so that the body of Christ might be built up" (Ephesians 4:12) and that we may live lives of eternal significance.
  
  
• EXTENSION — We will glorify God, reach out to the lost, and strengthen the saved by reaching into our community and our world with Christ's ministry of compassion and justice (Luke 4:16-21), sharing with those in need (Acts 4:34-35), demonstrating the love and righteousness of God in acts of help and healing (1 John 3:16-18), and generously supporting God's work through His Church at St. John's and around the world with faithful and loving stewardship of God's gifts (2 Corinthians 8, 9).

St. John's Lutheran Church is a vibrant Christian community committed to these Biblical values which people may expect from us:

1. The value of worship as a dynamic experience of the presence of God through the Word and sacraments, through music and Christian community, celebrating our unity as the Body of Christ.
   
   
2. The value of teaching and preaching that is faithful to the Bible as the inherent Word of God, that emphasizes salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and that is culturally relevant for equipping people to live their faith in a way that works in everyday life.
   
   
3. The value of fellowship and caring in the Body of Christ, permeated by loving relationships, that provides celebration together in times of joy, and loving care and encouragement in times of need.
   
   
4. The value of service to God's Church and our community that identifies and mobilizes every Christian's spiritual gifts, enabling them to live lives of eternal significance.
   
   
5. The value of excellence in ministry which glorifies God and empowers people to discover Christian renewal through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Participating members of St. John's Lutheran Church are devoted to Christ and His Church, and committed to these biblical values which the church may expect from them:

1. The value of grace as the undeserved love of God given as a free gift to us through the work of Christ in His death and resurrection, and the demonstration of grace in our lives.
   
   
2. The value of growth as the ongoing evidence of strengthening our relationship with Christ and His Church, and attempting always to become more Christlike.
   
   
3. The value of group as participation in small group activities, and connection with other Christians in honest, loving, and significant relationships in the Church.
   
   
4. The value of gifts as identifying, developing, and using the spiritual gifts God has given each Christian to serve Christ in His Church.
   
   
5. The value of good stewardship as honoring God with one's material resources and supporting the Church using the Biblical precedent of the tithe as a goal to reach or exceed as God prospers.

Believing in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, having been baptized in the name of the triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), and being in agreement with St. John Lutheran Church in its teachings, its Mission, Vision, and Values Statements, I feel led by the Holy Spirit to unite with the St. John's church family. In doing so, I commit myself to God and to the other members of St. John's as follows:

1. I acknowledge and confess the teachings of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and of St. John's Congregation to be in harmony with the Word of God. Therefore, I will promote and protect the unity in the Body of Christ, my church, as well as God enables me, by:
   • living in harmony with the Word of God;
   • acting in love toward other members and friends of St. John's, living the "Lifestyle Values," and avoiding disunity and conflict with others; and,
   • following and supporting our church leaders by being loving, positive, honest, trustworthy, and respectful, modeling the life of Jesus.
   
   
   
2. I will respond to God's love in Christ by demonstrating, as well as God enables me, the characteristics of an active disciple of Jesus, by progressing toward the goals of:
   • deeper trust in Christ as Savior and Lord;
   • consistency in worship and partaking of the Sacraments;
   • regular involvement in personal and group Bible study;
   • frequency and fervency in prayer;
   • service to the Lord involving the use of both natural talents and spiritual gifts;
   • generous, love-motivated, financial support of the Lord's mission through the church;
   • participation in Christian fellowship; and,
   • witnessing to the love of Christ in both word and lifestyle.
   
   
   
3. I will live as a "Participating Member" of St. John's by being committed to and demonstrating in my life as well as God enables me the "Membership Values and Expectations":
   • The value of grace as the undeserved love of God given as a free gift to us through the work of Christ in His death and resurrection, and the demonstration of grace in our lives.
   • The value of growth as the ongoing evidence of strengthening our relationship with Christ and His Church, and attempting always to become more Christlike.
   • The value of group as participation in small group activities, and connection with other Christians in honest, loving, and significant relationships in the Church.
   • The value of gifts as identifying, developing, and using the spiritual gifts God has given each Christian to serve Christ in His Church.
   • The value of good stewardship as honoring God with one's material resources and supporting the Church using the Biblical precedent of the tithe as a goal to reach or exceed as God prospers.