20 replies to this topic

[Jordan Christopher]

As the Communications Area of Ministry is working hard on another CMA DNA project, our Core Values have been front and foremost in our minds. And in the midst of the busyness of preparing these materials, I wanted to stop and think about what this really means to me. Our values, what defines us to the core, is the basis for everything we do as Alliance people.

What I just happened to notice was the absence of the word LOVE - no where, in any of our Core Values or Bible references, is the word Love found. Now, I know it's implied or assumed. It just stood out to me that it wasn't actually stated.

Our greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, soul, mind & strength - and to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Just food for thought...

[Jordan Christopher]

Here's the list of Alliance Core Values for your reference:

CORE VALUES


Lost people matter to God. He wants them found.

In the formative years of our movement, the Holy Spirit instilled within A. B. Simpson a passion to reach people with no knowledge of Jesus Christ in his “Jerusalem” and around the world. That passion still lives in The Alliance today and is our first core value: Lost people matter to God. He wants them found.

Prayer is the primary work of God’s people.

We believe that nothing of lasting value can be done unless it is bathed in prayer. So passionate in his belief that prayer is the undergirder of all ministry, Alliance founder A. B. Simpson was compelled to create a prayer league that would focus on the world’s evangelization. He believed that the Prayer Alliance would “prove to be the mightiest force in the spread of missions.” That force still drives The Alliance today. Prayer is the primary work of God’s people.

Everything we have belongs to God. We are His stewards.

Everything we have belongs to God. We are His stewards. This core value is intrinsic to the nature and structure of The Alliance. As Scripture encourages us to remember, it’s not the amount of money we have or how much we give—it’s recognizing that everything we have comes from God (Luke 21:1–4). We teach and practice the blessing and effectiveness of the faith principle of giving. The issue is not how much to give but how much to keep.

Knowing and obeying God’s Word is fundamental to all true success.

If The Alliance had a “life application” verse, it would be Matthew 28:19: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”—The Great Commission! But the next verse is equally important: “and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Knowing and obeying God’s Word is fundamental to all true success.

Completing the Great Commission will require the mobilization of every fully devoted disciple.

Completing the Great Commission will require the mobilization of every fully devoted disciple. In The Christian and Missionary Alliance the first priority of every minister, congregation, and believer is to work for the evangelization of the world. Healthy churches producing healthy disciples who are devoted to reaching lost people will hasten the completion of the Great Commission and the return of Jesus Christ.

Without the Holy Spirit’s empowerment, we can accomplish nothing.

The Apostle Paul said, “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power” (1 Corinthians 2:4–5). Without the Holy Spirit’s empowerment, we can accomplish nothing. This is not only the fiber of our being as believers but also the sixth of our Alliance core values.

Achieving God’s purposes means taking faith-filled risks. This always involves change.

For more than a century, Alliance workers have braved harsh and dangerous territory, at great personal risk, to take the good news of Jesus to a lost world. These workers experienced our seventh Core Value—Achieving God’s purposes means taking faith-filled risks. This always involves change.. This always involves change. Because of the selfless dedication of Alliance workers who were willing to lay down their lives for the gospel, entire people groups now know Jesus.

[Denes House]

There's a lot of confusion in our world today about what the word "love" means. I think the core values sketch out a basic definition of loving God and our neighbor, even though they don't use the word.

[RuthAnn Nicholls]

There's a lot of confusion in our world today about what the word "love" means. I think the core values sketch out a basic definition of loving God and our neighbor, even though they don't use the word.

In studying 1 John, the one huge thing I learned was that real love is an action word. If I don't take action showing love, I don't love. Good point, Denes. And it's the core of obedience.

[Josh Gaudreau]

I do notice a lack of love in those values, though. Not just the word itself, but the act of it. If we stop at just preaching the gospel (an important act of love in itself), we are like the husband who tells his wife he loves her with words but then doesn't show it with his actions. To love God with our heart, soul, strength and mind and love our neighbor as ourselves requires more than just offering the salvation Christ gives in words and teaching, but in our actions. "What good is it brothers..." So I do think the values are lacking in that area, regardless of how implicit it may be. Obedience to God includes far more than just preaching, you're right, RuthAnn, but what that obedience entails should be more explicit. There needs to be some balance between sharing the Good News with our words and being the Good News, being Jesus, in our actions. Either one of those without the other is deficient.
Thanks for giving us something to think about, Jordan!

[Julie Daube]

I do notice a lack of love in those values, though. Not just the word itself, but the act of it. If we stop at just preaching the gospel (an important act of love in itself), we are like the husband who tells his wife he loves her with words but then doesn't show it with his actions. To love God with our heart, soul, strength and mind and love our neighbor as ourselves requires more than just offering the salvation Christ gives in words and teaching, but in our actions. "What good is it brothers..." So I do think the values are lacking in that area, regardless of how implicit it may be. Obedience to God includes far more than just preaching, you're right, RuthAnn, but what that obedience entails should be more explicit. There needs to be some balance between sharing the Good News with our words and being the Good News, being Jesus, in our actions. Either one of those without the other is deficient.
Thanks for giving us something to think about, Jordan!

Thanks for weighing in Josh! I think one of the "drawbacks" of the Core Values, as they are written, may be their conciseness. The Core Values are not meant to be an in-depth treatise of everything the Alliance does to share God's love with a lost world; they are supposed to be a brief summation of the values that motivate us to do what we do.

Have you checked out the News & Stories section of our main Web site yet? If you do, you will find that love-in-action is at the heart of The Alliance and all that we do. For example, our medical workers at the Koutiala Women's and Children’s Hospital in Mali, one of the poorest countries in the world, are saving babies' lives. Here's the link to that story:

http://www.cmallianc...s/topics/press/

If you check out our relief and development page, you will find that our workers offer practical assistance to people in crisis, demonstrating God's love in tangible ways:

http://www.cmallianc...nistries/relief

I hope this helps you to see that The Alliance doesn't stop at preaching the gospel but that we show Christ's love through our actions - this is truly what we are all about.

[Angela Sawtell]

What I just happened to notice was the absence of the word LOVE - no where, in any of our Core Values or Bible references, is the word Love found. Now, I know it's implied or assumed. It just stood out to me that it wasn't actually stated.

Our greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, soul, mind & strength - and to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Yes, it is implied or assumed that love is included in our core values. Also, none of them could even begin to be accomplished if love hasn't already taken place. When we love God, the same things that matter to Him, matter to us. In essence, the core values are in and of themselves our love declaration to God saying, "These are the things we believe are important to You. So, they are the things that matter to us too."

[Julie Daube]

Yes, it is implied or assumed that love is included in our core values. Also, none of them could even begin to be accomplished if love hasn't already taken place. When we love God, the same things that matter to Him, matter to us. In essence, the core values are in and of themselves our love declaration to God saying, "These are the things we believe are important to You. So, they are the things that matter to us too."

Well said, Angela!

[Shelly Kragt]

Good thought! Thanks Jordan!
"The greatest of these is LOVE" - it's what holds the values all together...God is LOVE!

[Janet Root]

Agreed, Michelle! Thanks for your thoughtful question, Jordan.

[Judy Gaskin]

YES, I AGREE. WHY DO WE NOT MENTION "LOVE" IN OUR CORE VALUES!

[Robert Sanford]

I won't lie, my first thought was "ouch." How did we miss that? But, as I read the core values two things occured to me. First, these are not evengelistic statements for the world. Neither are they our mission or vision statements. These are directional markers for The Alliance family. Second, They don't include the word Missions or Jesus Christ. Please don't tell me that The Alliance is in danger of questioning our believe in Jesus. I see the Core Values in the spirit of Paul's instruction in Philippians 2:12 "continue to work out your salvation." Salvation, a relationship with God, the basic foundation are assumed.

Curious to know if this idea connects with anyone else or am I missing the point, yet again?

[RuthAnn Nicholls]

Perhaps a definition will help.

From:
Core values from business dictionary. com

core values

Definition
Operating philosophies or principles that guide an organization's internal conduct as well as its relationship with the external world. Core values are usually summarized in the mission statement or in the statement of core values.

[RuthAnn Nicholls]

Here's the list of Alliance Core Values for your reference:

CORE VALUES


Lost people matter to God. He wants them found.

In the formative years of our movement, the Holy Spirit instilled within A. B. Simpson a passion to reach people with no knowledge of Jesus Christ in his “Jerusalem” and around the world. That passion still lives in The Alliance today and is our first core value: Lost people matter to God. He wants them found.

Prayer is the primary work of God’s people.

We believe that nothing of lasting value can be done unless it is bathed in prayer. So passionate in his belief that prayer is the undergirder of all ministry, Alliance founder A. B. Simpson was compelled to create a prayer league that would focus on the world’s evangelization. He believed that the Prayer Alliance would “prove to be the mightiest force in the spread of missions.” That force still drives The Alliance today. Prayer is the primary work of God’s people.

Everything we have belongs to God. We are His stewards.

Everything we have belongs to God. We are His stewards. This core value is intrinsic to the nature and structure of The Alliance. As Scripture encourages us to remember, it’s not the amount of money we have or how much we give—it’s recognizing that everything we have comes from God (Luke 21:1–4). We teach and practice the blessing and effectiveness of the faith principle of giving. The issue is not how much to give but how much to keep.

Knowing and obeying God’s Word is fundamental to all true success.

If The Alliance had a “life application” verse, it would be Matthew 28:19: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”—The Great Commission! But the next verse is equally important: “and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Knowing and obeying God’s Word is fundamental to all true success.

Completing the Great Commission will require the mobilization of every fully devoted disciple.

Completing the Great Commission will require the mobilization of every fully devoted disciple. In The Christian and Missionary Alliance the first priority of every minister, congregation, and believer is to work for the evangelization of the world. Healthy churches producing healthy disciples who are devoted to reaching lost people will hasten the completion of the Great Commission and the return of Jesus Christ.

Without the Holy Spirit’s empowerment, we can accomplish nothing.

The Apostle Paul said, “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power” (1 Corinthians 2:4–5). Without the Holy Spirit’s empowerment, we can accomplish nothing. This is not only the fiber of our being as believers but also the sixth of our Alliance core values.

Achieving God’s purposes means taking faith-filled risks. This always involves change.

For more than a century, Alliance workers have braved harsh and dangerous territory, at great personal risk, to take the good news of Jesus to a lost world. These workers experienced our seventh Core Value—Achieving God’s purposes means taking faith-filled risks. This always involves change.. This always involves change. Because of the selfless dedication of Alliance workers who were willing to lay down their lives for the gospel, entire people groups now know Jesus.

I think these core values pretty completely detail the obedience that must come from faith and love for God and also our neighbors . Love is not a feeling but it is obedience of God in faith.

But I agree. Mention of the word, love, might be a good thing.

[Dan Morrow]

Just an observation...

The stated core values tend to describe the focus of what we DO, rather than describe who we ARE (or aspire to BE). Many of the stated core values could be considered secondary as they flow from a deeper set of values such as...


Honesty (we fear God, and act accordingly)
Collaboration
Stewardship
Community
Excellence

As a said, just a thought.

[Robert Fugate]

Hi Dan,

Good observation.

Our core values are an excellent guide to help us understand our mission, but they don't necessarily define who we are. I am a fan of mission statements and vision statements, but a good organization does not necessarily need a missions statement to be effective, but it does need a mission to live for. Our core values help to accentuate our mission as the Alliance.

One organization has as its core values a description of who they are,



Integrity First...Service Before Self... Excellence in All We Do,



I would like to see a little stronger language in the first value that communicates a value that can be more effectively measured to detect if there is organizational incongruence between stated core values and day do day operation in the trenches. But, as has been said, the primary driving value implied in the first value is love for lost people.

Under the Same Wings

[Marlon Sias]

I was a bit surprised that in the core values, there was not a statement similar to what A.B. Simpson's impetus or statement of key elements of his 4 pillars being: Jesus the Savior, Jesus the Sanctifier, Jesus our healer, and Jesus our coming king. I did appreciate the mention of the Great commission being fulfilled, so that Jesus could return. That seemed to be the motivating factor for A. B. Simpson to start the Missionary organization.

Marlon Sias SPBC 1973 Grad.

Edited by Marlon Sias, 22 April 2013 - 03:22 PM.

[Julie Daube]

Marlon, I see your point about the importance of the Fourfold Gospel. If you look at our Web site, you will see that this key teaching of The Alliance receives a great deal of emphasis in our "What Do We Believe?" section. There is also an extensive treatise on the Fourfold Gospel under the "Alliance Perspectives" section of the Web site.

[Julie Daube]

Hi Marlon,
Here is an interesting statement I came across by an Alliance leader on the distinction between the Core Values and the Fourfold Gospel: "The Fourfold Gospel provides the basic theological foundation for Alliance ministry, while the Core Values communicate what is most important for the continued growth of our ministry." I hope this helps clarify why the Fourfold Gospel is not specifically mentioned in the list of Core Values.

[Big John]

I know I am coming pretty late to this party but one other thing that I don't see much of here or in many churches is the concept of the love of the brethren.


John 13:35

The Message (MSG)

^34-35 �Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples�when they see the love you have for each other.�

As important as it is to reach all who do not believe, I so often feel that this love for the lost is from the context of a group (a church) who is in love with each other. The establishment (the discipleship) of the believer in an honest to goodness family of faith and not just a "church" is key to both the success and message of those who go.

Joel 2:1-32

Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)⁷ They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:
⁸ neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.

I don't know but it has been my sense over the years that the tremendous emphasis on missions (which is appropriate) overshadows the real work of the church, which is that of discipling. That of living the life of God before men and each other.

I know I am new to these forums, so I hope I am not talking out of turn. But it is "Christian and Missionary" Alliance. Both are key ingrediants.

Big John