At kairos, we attempt to be humble in our theology and in stating “what we believe,” as our knowledge of God and our understanding of the love of Jesus Christ is always growing. Our values reflect our desire to look at how Jesus lived in order to align and recenter our lives, our hearts, and our community in that direction as we live out our calling for the sake of the city.
We aim to live out these values through our community groups, gatherings, and discipleship workshops — the places we learn, listen, and respond to the call of Jesus. In these, we learn to identify: What is God saying to me and how will I respond?
Presence – being known in community
We value authentically knowing one another, consistently being known in our community, and living life together in our city as children of God. Kairos has many expressions where we value presence – including City Ministries, Community Groups, Gathering, and Discipleship Workshops.
So the name of the LORD will be declared in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the LORD. – Psalm 102
There are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor…so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. – I Corinthians 12
Sacrifice – finding life through death
We value the call to be a disciple, which is a call to deny oneself and follow Jesus, take up the cross of death, give one’s life, and live a self-controlled life. This is not an expectation for a rigid lifestyle, but a hope to always be growing in our love for God and others, and seeing this in our actions. We hear the challenge to sacrifice our lives for others and for the sake of the city in every expression, yet we are called to put this into practice within our Community Groups and City Ministries.
Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. – Matthew 16
“Remember: A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop. I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving. God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done.” – II Corinthians 9:6-8
Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. – John 12
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age. – Titus 2
Wholeness – pursuing restoration and reconciliation in our brokenness
We are all broken. Since childhood, we have all received deep wounds, and have wounded others. Yet, we have faith that through Jesus, one day all things will be set right, and we will fully experience our identities as children of God. We participate in this process with God today. We value restoration and reconciliation with others, creation, our city, as well as within our hearts, minds, and souls. We do this by walking toward Jesus, and walking away from destructive participation with power, money, and sex as outlined in the ancient texts of Scripture. We willfully pursue wholeness through listening and responding in Gathering, through intense discipleship in Discipleship Workshops, through relationships in Community Group, and through the restoration of others in City Ministries.
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. – I Corinthians 6
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. – I Corinthians 13
If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. – Matthew 18
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” – Revelation 21
Witness – an invitation to the stranger
We value welcoming others of our city into our community. Wherever one is at on their walk with God, we desire to show them as much hospitality as we have the ability to offer. We also desire to welcome them into the grace, adoption, and new life that comes from Jesus Christ. We bear witness of this life through our hospitality, proclamation, and lifestyle in our Community Groups, where we most live life together.
Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. – I Peter 4
In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ – Acts 20
I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me…Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. – Matthew 25
For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing. You shall also love the stranger. – Deuteronomy 10
In your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience. – I Peter 3
Compassion– walking with the poor
It is one thing to give to the poor, it is another to care for the poor, and it is yet another to walk with the poor. Anyone who is lacking material goods, relational support, and power are the poor Jesus calls us to serve. We value living in the city and walking with the poor, and one of the best ways to do this is to find ourselves as neighbors of the poor. City Ministries are a tangible expression of our desire to see God’s compassion and justice.
After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. – John 13
Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. – Luke 12
If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. – Isaiah 58
Scripture – faithful participation in God’s story
We humbly try to understand and teach the ancient writings of the Hebrews and the early Christians, and allow these scriptures to have authority over our lives. They are the faith history of a people loved by God, and their testimony of God’s love. We pray to this same God of the ages, with the Bible in hand, to deepen our knowledge of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The times when we have the faith to follow Scripture, we cannot go wrong. Scripture is the foundation of every part of our Gathering liturgy, and is the driving force within Discipleship Workshops.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. – Romans 1
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither — whatever they do prospers. – Psalms 1
From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. – II Timothy 3
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. – James 1
Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. – Joshua 1
Accountability – submitting to God and one another with a servant’s heart
In our culture, we have learned to promote ourselves, our judgment, our opinions, our personal success. When we submit to God as children, we remember that we don’t know what is best for us. When we submit to each other as brothers and sisters, we remember that others can see weaknesses hidden to us, and when we allow others to hold us accountable, we experience the blessed growing pains of becoming less of us, and more of God’s servants. Accountability is breathed through our community life, and is found by our leadership in Discipleship Workshops, as leaders submit to one another and are held accountable to the standard of Jesus Christ.
The disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” … He said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 18
Would it turn out well if He examined you? Could you deceive Him as you might deceive a mortal? He would surely call you to account if you secretly showed partiality. – Job 13
Humility is the fear of the LORD; its wages are riches and honor and life. – Proverbs 22
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. – James 5
Prayer – listening and responding to the Spirit’s voice
We have faith that God has sent the Holy Spirit to be our advocate in all things, to labor on our behalf when we lack strength, understanding, or even the words to ask for help. Being open to God’s Spirit, we hear God’s loving guidance, and we are free to respond in love toward our Savior, others, and God’s mission. The rhythm of listening and responding can be seen in most tangibly in our Gathering, and in our Discipleship Workshop’s core practice of listening to God’s voice, then doing something about it.
Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. – Jeremiah 33
I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever — the Spirit of truth… He lives with you and will be in you. – John 15
The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. – Romans 8
Passion – pursuit of redemptive change
Every day we have the choice to live into God’s story, to struggle through character changes, to sacrifice for God’s mission, to put other’s above ourselves and to live for the sake of the city. Or, we can choose to allow our lives to happen to us. It is only with fierce passion for the things of our Lord that we and God’s creation will become like the Kingdom of God. We seek this Kingdom of God change within all our City Ministries, and search for our passion to be rekindled in Gathering and Discipleship Workshops.
But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. – Deuteronomy 4
Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you. – Hosea 10
I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. – Revelation 3
That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe. – I Timothy 4
Generosity – reflecting our generous God
We have experienced the overflowing grace of God, washing clean our deep wounds, our track records, and our shame. It is from undeserved generosity that we are generous – and return our gifts, time, and finances back into God’s Kingdom. As part of our desire to be a generous community, we encourage investment, involvement and participation in our community budget. Personal giving to a favorite charity, project, or organization can bless others, but offering our best (gifts, time, and finances) to our local community can provide release from money’s tight grip and provide the financial ability to see substantial change in our city. This is also why giving happens in our most communal space – at Gathering. Giving offerings and a tenth of what we earn is what we hope for those at Gathering, what we recommend to those in Community Groups, what we expect from those in our Discipleship Workshops, and what we demand of our Equippers.
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” – Luke 6
I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance. – II Corinthians 8
For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. – Psalm 84
If I have denied the desires of the poor or let the eyes of the widow grow weary, if I have kept my bread to myself, not sharing it with the fatherless… if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing, or the needy without garments, and their hearts did not bless me for warming them with the fleece from my sheep, if I have raised my hand against the fatherless, knowing that I had influence in court, then let my arm fall from the shoulder, let it be broken off at the joint. For I dreaded destruction from God, and for fear of his splendor I could not do such things. – Job 31