Our Mission Statement
Cultivating a Christ-Centered Community where we Connect with God, Grow with One Another, and Serve our Neighbors
This fall, the Taskforce at Shepherd of the Hills called leadership to work on re-thinking and re-structuring our church systems with the goals of growth and sustainability. As part of that project, leadership was asked to consult the congregation and develop a new mission statement. From now on, we want to make sure that everything we do is driven by this unifying mission.
Our Beliefs
Shepherd of the Hills is a United Methodist Church. Often we speak about the church as simply “Shepherd” or “Shepherd of the Hills”, but we honor our heritage as United Methodists. Methodists began somewhat as an accident. Our founder, John Wesley, who was an Anglican Priest (Church of England), sparked a movement over two hundred years ago. That movement quickly grew into its own “brand” of followers of Jesus.
Methodists, since the days of John Wesley, have been concerned with personal and social holiness. We believe in a God who speaks in scripture, tradition, experience and reason. We believe that living in a life-giving relationship with Jesus Christ is the most effective way for us to connect God and experience salvation. We believe that all Christian faith has to be practiced. There can be no separation of what we believe (doctrine) from what we do (practice). We also believe that it is our mission to bring God’s grace into the broken systems of this world. Whether it be poverty, famine, violence or injustice, we have the responsibility as God’s people to combat that which ails the world with the power of the Holy Spirit.
Our Methods
Since we are called “Methodists”, there must be a method to how we do church. We do “church” in a very focused way which we believe leads people to a life-transforming experience with Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
Gather – We hope to gather people at Shepherd of the Hills from a variety of backgrounds, ages, cultures and races. We do this because God’s world is filled with wonderfully diverse people. Our fellowship gatherings, worship and other activities are geared to invite and welcome people into a life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ.
Grow – We at Shepherd of the Hills recognize that a personal relationship with God through Jesus and the Spirit is vital for Christian living, and we strive to meet people where they are on this journey. Our Grow Ministries consists of Faith Formation, Prayer Ministry, Youth & Family Ministries, our Preschool & United Methodist Women. It is our goal through the Grow Ministries to deepen our spiritual lives, grow closer to God, and become vibrant followers of Jesus.
Give – Shepherd of the Hills is a practical church. That means we must make a practical difference in the world in which we live. Whether it be at school, work or play, we have a responsibility to give as God has given to us. Serving is not an option. We serve through service projects, missions, outreach and other vital means of giving that witness to God’s great love.