FMCSF Core Values and Practices
First Mennonite Church of San Francisco strongly identifies with its rich Anabaptist heritage, believing that we are here to help bring about the realm of God that Jesus proclaimed in his ministry on earth. We live this out through these core values and practices:
What animates us…
- We believe that community, discipleship, peace, justice, and reconciliation are fundamental values that call us to service every day of our lives. We actively seek practices of social engagement that help bring about God’s realm.
- We seek spiritual practices that draw us closer to the Divine and to each other. At times we draw inspiration from traditions other than our own. We especially value the ways in which music and creativity in worship open up the mystery of the Divine.
How we relate to others…
- We value dialogue more than dogma. We encourage dialogue with those of other Christian traditions as well as other faiths. Further, we seek a dialogue with our own
Anabaptist heritage, with the larger Mennonite church and with scripture itself, recognizing that such interchanges enrich our individual and communal understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus in a dynamic and changing world. - We practice our Anabaptist faith with humility. We recognize that ours is not the only path to God or ultimate truth. At the same time we identify as Mennonite and Christians called to our own faith, practice, and service.
How we live together…
- We are a welcoming community to all who wish to join us. We seek to follow Jesus’ example by welcoming all, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, economic or social circumstances, racial or ethnic background, marital status, physical ability or age. In addition, we welcome people regardless of where they are on their spiritual journey, including those who may not identify as Christian.
- True to our Anabaptist heritage, we believe in non-hierarchical, shared models of leadership. We therefore are committed to training members of our community in the arts of worship, social engagement, and leadership in the world and in the church. We especially value our strength in cultivating young adult leaders and teaching our children.
- We value honesty, authenticity and caring for each other. We recognize that the community is strengthened when members share their truths, passions, doubts, fears and failures – with vulnerability and without fear of judgment. We also seek to care for each other in concrete ways, through offerings of emotional, spiritual and financial mutual aid.