We are a “values” church, not an “issues church”. Social issues will change every five to ten years, but values are forever.
We consult our values for every decision we make regarding vision, programming, projects, and mission. We derive our values from studying scripture, the historic Christian tradition, the missional calling of our church, and hours upon hours of discussion amongst our leadership team.
01.
-Formation
Our first value is that we would be ever committed to the process of spiritual formation, which we define as: intentionally being formed into the likeness of Jesus for the sake of others.
02.
-Scripture
We believe the Spirit of God inspired the authors of the scripture and partnered with them in the penning of it. We believe the Bible is a uniquely revelatory and sacred book that should be studied and taught regularly with humility, grace, and responsibility.
03.
-Community
We see that God, being triune in nature, is himself community. God forms community in the first pages of scripture. Jesus forms community at the beginning of his ministry. We believe that communities of Jesus are how Jesus comes through time into the present world. The life of Open Table Church happens in community
04.
-Hospitality
The very name of our church is intended to invoke the radical image of broken and flawed people, like us, sitting at a table and being served and embraced by Jesus. Open Table Church seeks to capture this ethos at every gathering.
05.
-Justice
We believe we are created and loved by a just and generous God, and we believe we are called to extend that justice and generosity to whomever we can, when we can. We hold firmly to the belief that all people are made in the image of God and are of immeasurable value. Therefore, whenever we see the image of God crushed in another person we are called to advocacy, service, love, and support.
06.
-Inclusion
Throughout the story of scripture you see God inviting and including people that those on “the inside” deemed as outcasts. At Open Table Church, we believe Jesus is in charge of the guest list, not us. It’s his table, not ours. While we hold our leadership to specific standards of conduct, we believe anyone and everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, political persuasion, or creed is welcome at our table.
07.
-Experience
We believe that God is not merely an abstract idea, a construct of philosophy, or a character in the pages of scripture, but an ever-present Reality that can and must be experienced.
08.
-Learning
Christianity is a 2,000-year-old tradition. The Bible is a big book written by dozens of authors, translated from three languages. The cultural moment is emotionally heightened and ripe with complexity. We love a God who is infinitely mysterious. We do not believe this makes God infinitely unknowable, but infinitely knowable! We will never know it all. Therefore, we have resolved to be lifelong learners and listeners at Open Table Church.
Beliefs
Open Table Church holds to the historic teachings of Christianity as articulated in the Nicene and Apostle’s Creed. We are also affiliated with a worldwide network of church’s known as the Foursquare Church.
Learn More about Foursquare at https://www.foursquare.org/
THE APOSTLES' CREED
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
And born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
And is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
The holy catholic Church,
The communion of saints,
The forgiveness of sins,
The resurrection of the body,
And the life everlasting. Amen.
THE NICENE CREED
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.