so why do we do that? revisiting GFMC's values and vision

I've been talking about the 'why' behind what we do at GFMC for a few weeks now.  So we don't get off focus, I'm going to repost the first blog post of this series:

Have you ever heard the story about the woman who cut the ends off of her ham before baking it?  She did it without thinking, mainly because it was how she learned it.  Then one day, someone asked her why she did it.  She didn't know.  So, she asked her mom, from whom she had learned the practice, "Why do you cut the ends off of the ham?"  Her mother responded, "So it will fit in the pan."

Sometimes, we just do things without knowing the thought process behind it.  So, for the next few weeks, I am going to talk about the 'WHY?' behind much of what we do at GFMC.  It will be a good reminder for me, and hopefully you, too.


This week, we'll think about GFMC's values & vision.

We may not realize it, but we all operate out of our values.  They may not be written down somewhere and we may not know what they are, but we have them.  We make our decisions out of them. We teach them to our children.  Everyday.  Those around us know what our values are by our actions and words.  They are important.  So it pays, then, for us to know our values and name them.


The values of GFMC are worship, service and connection.  They define who we are striving to become as a community of believers, as groups, as individuals.  We believe that to truly be a part of GFMC, each one of us must live these out in some measure.  It's not an ultimatum, it's a choice to belong and participate.  Our decisions at the board and staff levels of leadership are guided by these values.  If a ministry fits within them, we may commit God's money and time to it.  If not, we won't.  Board and staff members must not only believe in them, but practice them.  Potential leaders must demonstrate a commitment to them to be considered for leadership positions.  Yes, they are that important.  You see, if we don't live by our values and base everything we do on them, we don't serve God as effectively as we can.  It's a simple choice to be intentional in our service to God.  Our values do not hold us back or tie our hands; they free us to serve Jesus the best we can with what we have.  The key word, here, is intentionality.


GFMC's vision is "Becoming followers of Jesus who get it: it's about him, not me; it's about them, not me; it's about us, not me."  Our vision helps us move our values into daily life, where the rubber meets the road, so to speak. It clarifies and personalizes our values, helping us further define what we do as a community of believers.  It helps us understand that GFMC does not exist for its own sake, that we are not a social club.  Instead, it helps us understand that we exist for the sake of God, the world around us, and our fellow believers.  After all, the church is the only organization in the world that exists for those who are not yet a part of it.  Questions like, "What about me?" become "Who can I serve?" "What can I do?" "How can I live more for God and others?" "What is my next step in my relationship with Jesus?"  The key word, here, is focus.


That's a look at our values and vision, the "why" behind them.  Next on our "Why?" list: our Sunday services.