Vision Statement
Dear Friends and Members of Sychar,
“We are an imperfect church, made for imperfect people.” This statement of vision summarizes the reason Sychar Lutheran Church exists. The vision has its roots in the history of the congregation when Pastor Teber Hill invoked the story of the Woman at the Well in Sychar from John 4. The vision also says who we are to the Silver Bay area. We do not claim to be a church with a perfect past, and if anyone can claim to have lived life without error then they won’t fit in here.
The key to this vision is how we base our congregation’s ministry around it? We will be the church that engage people in nursing homes, hospitals, and the really difficult moments of their lives. We want to walk alongside people when they are at their weakest, not merely celebrate with them when they are at their strongest. We want to be the church not only for well-behaved confirmation students. We are not afraid of encountering some rough edges here and there. We welcome the alcoholic because we will be the first to acknowledge the power that sin has over us all. We will perform remarriages, not because we do not mourn divorce. We perform remarriages precisely because God gave marriage for the mutual benefit and consolation of both male and female within a fallen world. We will perform funerals for those who never darkened the door of our church. We do this not because we believe that church is unimportant, or how people live their lives does not matter. We rather do this as a means to proclaim forgiveness and resurrection to people no matter how far gone they might be. We want to be the church for people that have been previously hurt by the church; the church for people who feel like they don’t fit inside any other faith community. We do not claim to be the pure church, nor is our goal to become the perfect church. We will center our ministry around people who are struggling or hurting; our vision is not seeking to engage in banter about politics or individual ideology. Our vision is guided by the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:5 when he says “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as( your) servants for Jesus' sake”
The vision we hold to is authentically Lutheran. It invokes Luther’s vision that he didn’t want the church to be a bunch of “phony” sinners. Luther desired that the church be a collection of real, actual sinners gathering together to receive a word of God’s grace.
The goal of this vision moving forward is that it be made known. I want the vision to printed in the bulletin Sunday after Sunday. I desire the vision be articulated on the church sign. I want every member from Little Fishes to homebound members to understand this vision. I want every person in the Silver Bay community to know this vision even if they never intend to set foot within our church.
We will repeat this vision. You might get sick of hearing it. The overarching goal is that every person who encounters this congregation knows what it is about. What this vision ultimately does is proclaim what we are about in proclaiming unconditional promises to all who believe. When people join this church in the future, we want members who will be able to help articulate this vision to the wider community. We want to be a church that has a consistency between our words and our witness. “We are an imperfect church, made for imperfect people.”
Best Wishes,
Pastor Stew
“We are an imperfect church, made for imperfect people.” This statement of vision summarizes the reason Sychar Lutheran Church exists. The vision has its roots in the history of the congregation when Pastor Teber Hill invoked the story of the Woman at the Well in Sychar from John 4. The vision also says who we are to the Silver Bay area. We do not claim to be a church with a perfect past, and if anyone can claim to have lived life without error then they won’t fit in here.
The key to this vision is how we base our congregation’s ministry around it? We will be the church that engage people in nursing homes, hospitals, and the really difficult moments of their lives. We want to walk alongside people when they are at their weakest, not merely celebrate with them when they are at their strongest. We want to be the church not only for well-behaved confirmation students. We are not afraid of encountering some rough edges here and there. We welcome the alcoholic because we will be the first to acknowledge the power that sin has over us all. We will perform remarriages, not because we do not mourn divorce. We perform remarriages precisely because God gave marriage for the mutual benefit and consolation of both male and female within a fallen world. We will perform funerals for those who never darkened the door of our church. We do this not because we believe that church is unimportant, or how people live their lives does not matter. We rather do this as a means to proclaim forgiveness and resurrection to people no matter how far gone they might be. We want to be the church for people that have been previously hurt by the church; the church for people who feel like they don’t fit inside any other faith community. We do not claim to be the pure church, nor is our goal to become the perfect church. We will center our ministry around people who are struggling or hurting; our vision is not seeking to engage in banter about politics or individual ideology. Our vision is guided by the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:5 when he says “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as( your) servants for Jesus' sake”
The vision we hold to is authentically Lutheran. It invokes Luther’s vision that he didn’t want the church to be a bunch of “phony” sinners. Luther desired that the church be a collection of real, actual sinners gathering together to receive a word of God’s grace.
The goal of this vision moving forward is that it be made known. I want the vision to printed in the bulletin Sunday after Sunday. I desire the vision be articulated on the church sign. I want every member from Little Fishes to homebound members to understand this vision. I want every person in the Silver Bay community to know this vision even if they never intend to set foot within our church.
We will repeat this vision. You might get sick of hearing it. The overarching goal is that every person who encounters this congregation knows what it is about. What this vision ultimately does is proclaim what we are about in proclaiming unconditional promises to all who believe. When people join this church in the future, we want members who will be able to help articulate this vision to the wider community. We want to be a church that has a consistency between our words and our witness. “We are an imperfect church, made for imperfect people.”
Best Wishes,
Pastor Stew