Our Values

You might be interested to know that the leadership of Waite Park is working through some planning for the future.  I guess we're still trying to determine what we want to be when we grow up!  I've always said we want to be very transparent in the process. 

If you've been a part of Waite Park Church for any length of time, you know it has a long history.  We've done some great things over the years.  But every church has to wrestle with the tension of holding to a timeless message and yet communicating it in fresh ways that reach the culture around it.  A very obvious example of this would be if we had a great idea to record our services and distribute them on 8-track tapes.  Wouldn't make much sense, would it?

Now there are some traditions that are still meaningful.  We still celebrate Communion and even sing some songs that are hundreds of years old.  And yet the task that we have as church is too important for us to continue to look back at the good old days.  Even Isaiah, after he reminded Israel of how God brought them out of Egypt tells them:

¹⁸ “Forget the former things;
   do not dwell on the past.
¹⁹ See, I am doing a new thing!
   Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
   and streams in the wasteland."

It's always good to remember where you came from, but God is concerned about the future.  He has a desire to see churches be movements, not museums.  We want to be a movement.  I'm really looking forward to seeing how Waite Park Church impacts its community for Jesus. 

As I mentioned, right now, we're determining the direction we want to go.  But first, we are setting our foundation.  So over the last couple of months, we've been developing (actually just recognizing) our core values.  They are the the timeless, deep-down things that drive us.  Every church has them, but not every church recognizes what their are.  What I want to do, for those of you who are interested, is to spend some time talking about our nine core values.  For those of you who are part of Waite Park Church, they should be familiar to you.  If you're not a part of Waite Park, it'll give you a little insight into who we are.