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Wesleyan Life

Believing in Our Future

By Dr. Thomas E. Arminger, Dr. Jerry G. Pence, Dr. Jo Anne Lyon

The Wesleyan Church does not exist to be a custodian of the past but to partner with God in creating new beginnings for those who will become a part of His Kingdom. We both celebrate our rich heritage and anticipate the future contribution our Church will make to the work of God around the world. God has been at work in our past shaping us for effective ministry in the future.

We are a missional Church.

Our vision is to fulfill the Great Commission in the spirit of the Great Commandment, and our mission is to exalt Christ by evangelizing the lost, discipling the believers, equipping the church, and ministering to society. These are not mere slogans for us. We are passionate about fulfilling our vision. We consistently test our polity and practices against our mission.

We are a convictional Church.

We believe God has called us to speak into our culture with a prophetic voice and a redemptive message. Our Wesleyan heritage and values give us something important to say to the world regarding urgent issues of our day such as global poverty, human trafficking, domestic violence, creation care, immigration, and spiritual transformation. We call our people to lifestyles that are enriched by positive relationships, abstinence from harmful substances and activities, and choices related to entertainment and leisure activities that are spiritually discerned.

We are a compassionate Church.

We respond enthusiastically to our responsibility to care for the lost and the least, the bruised and the broken, the hopeless and the helpless. God has equipped us with a spirit that cares and a theology that compels us.

We are a multiplying Church.

We intentionally look for new ways and new places where we can spread hope and holiness by multiplying healthy churches; reproducing disciples, leaders and churches; and equipping the church to expand the Kingdom of God.

We are a multi-generational, multi-cultural Church.

We have been blessed with a strong student movement and a global outreach ministry that continue to bring energy and commitment to service to the Church. We seek to engage with other cultures and people groups in an effort to create a Church today that looks more and more like the throng that will gather around the throne of God in heavenly worship.

We are an optimistic Church.

We are armed with optimistic grace—the belief that the grace of God is able to transform the human heart, redeem wayward cultures, and create a holy people for His glory. We believe God has called our church to be a redemptive change agent in our world. We celebrate our heritage, but we are motivated to move aggressively forward by what we believe God wants to do through The Wesleyan Church in the future.

God is in the future calling us to join Him there in the work He is already doing to gather people unto himself and transform them into the image of His Son Jesus. God said to Isaiah, "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?" (Is. 43:19). We occasionally look in the rearview mirror to reflect on where we have been, but we move forward, anticipating with excitement the new work God will do in us and through us. We believe in the future!