Ignite Hope is a Free Methodist Church. So... I get it. There are almost 50,000 different kinds of Christian out there. Pretty much every one of them/us is going to tell you that we are sincerely and honestly striving toward a closer relationship with God. Some Christians will even say that they have the one correct way to grow closer to God. Most of us feel like we're in the place we are because God has led us here. And while there may be a lot of different options that are better suited to someone else's needs, this is where God has placed me. You're certainly invited to try us out. But, if God is directing you elsewhere, we're going to honor that, too, and offer you the best support and love that we possibly can. If you want to learn a little bit of the history of the Free Methodist Church, watch this video.
That's our mission statement at Ignite Hope. It's really not a list, the way you think of lists. You see, the Bible says that you can't really say you love God if you don't love people. God loves people. If we don't love what He loves, then we're really not loving God. And making disciples is really just an old English word for encouraging other people to love God and love people, too.
Do you ever feel like you're just an interruption? Everybody's busy. Nobody's just sitting around, waiting for someone else to need something. But when Jesus said, "First seek the Kingdom of God," what He was talking about was the value that He sees in the people around us. That means each one of us is learning to make the person who is right in front of us our highest priority. When I say, "I'm here with you. I hear you. I care." what I mean is that God made you an amazing and valuable person. It is my honor and privilege to be with you. Whatever I may have been busy with isn't nearly as important to me as you are. God has promised me that if I take that time to focus on you then He's promised that He will take care of all those other things that seem so important to me.
A set of core values is an important tool for preserving our mission, vision, and culture. These are the ways that we evaluate ourselves as we strive to benefit our community .
We're relying on God to guide is daily. Our experience is that God isn't just watching down on us to see if we can manage to get something right. By His Holy Spirit, He is providing us the ability, the wisdom, and the resources to offer exactly what will benefit the Lebanon community most. We flounder when we think we can be something of value without God's guidance and provision. It's only by following His lead that we are actually successful.
We can't be "Spirit-led" if we're not authentic. We wind up just lying to ourselves. The Holy Spirit doesn't seem to have a whole lot of patience for that sort of thing. We certainly don't have all the answers. We're not God. We can't see into the future. We don't have unlimited resources. And when it comes down to it, we're really not all that smart. So, we turn what really feels like disadvantages into advantages by being honest with ourselves and each other: finding strength in humility, being open about our limitations, and recognizing that our strengths are the outpouring of God's blessing to this community, not our own.
Have you ever been in a crowded room and felt all alone? Has it ever felt like you were just invited because having more people makes someone else feel important? I think all of us have felt used like that. That's why our vision statement is so important to us: "I'm here with you. I hear you. I care." We believe God is fascinated by you, just as who you are. We're excited for the privilege of meeting you and getting to see a little of what God sees in you.
The Bible talks about love that is genuine versus love that is fake. If I say that I love you but I don't have any interest in helping you, particularly if I clearly have the resources to do so, that's fake. And if I claim to love God but I'm not willing to demonstrate love to other people without having some kind of agenda, that's fake. So, we're constantly evaluating ourselves: what are the resources that God has provided us and what are the needs that are in front of us? How is God providing for us to make this community a better place? We don't think church is a place to simply gain more knowledge about God. We're here to be God's answer to the things that are destroying our community.
This is a big deal. So much our our culture, particularly our religious culture, thinks that the way to help people is to make them feel bad for decisions "good people" disagree with, or to use shame as a way to manipulate people to act in a certain way. Our leadership is required to go through specific training that emphasizes grace and offers tools for helping us communicate that we care in ways that meet people where they are. We're not about judging people. And while loving others doesn't mean that we have to agree with everything someone else thinks or believes, we strive to maintain a culture that respects people for where they are.
Okay, so nobody has ever accused us of being "proper." We may be just a little bit disdainful of formality. But we love kids who yell and laugh and run with everything that they've got! It reminds us of how Jesus wants us to be when we're worshiping: fully engaged, not holding back, totally experiencing the moment. Some of us aren't really very good at that. We've never had permission to just let go and be ourselves as we are drawing closely into intimate fellowship with God. That's okay, too. We understand. But, even if the person beside you feels awkward that you can dance, wave your arms, and fully express your joy; on the inside they're celebrating your ability to freely be a part of what God is doing in your life. They hope that, maybe someday, they'll be able to do that, too.
Unless we are purposeful and diligent, we inevitably find ourselves just looking out for ourselves. That's human nature. We get comfortable, settled, liking things the way that they are. Gradually our sense of purpose drifts toward our own preferences. But that's not what a church is supposed to be all about. Jesus has instructed us, through the Bible, to always look outside of ourselves to define our goals. While this requires us to support, encourage, and strengthen those who are part of Ignite Hope; everything we do is for the purpose of offering hope and life to those who are around us.
It's easy to get so excited about what we believe that we put all of our energy into trying to get more people to be a part of it. After all, we can do so much more with more people. But this thinking is likely to get us into trouble. Healthy things grow. So, the best way for us to grow is by focusing our energy and attention on the above mission, vision, and values. If we're doing those things well (if we're growing in our relationships and our spiritual maturity) then we can expect others to want to join us (if they are interested in the same things).