Our Values:
What makes us who we are? We believe that God has truly made The Sycamore Church unique. As we considered what our distinctives as a church were, we came up with eight phrases that capture the convictions that define us in language that we all can understand.
1. Form follows function
God doesn’t just give us hollow rituals or rote procedures to follow. He is very purposeful and functional in His directives. That’s why we can say with certainty that in God’s SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), function leads the way, and form has to follow. For instance, at The Sycamore Church this means that we adapt our ministries and structures to fit what God is doing through the lives of the people that He brings to us. If a ministry or structure is no longer functional, we do not hesitate to move on to others that fit what God is doing among us.
2. Being over doing
If we are not spending time with Jesus, no amount of activity has any value. At The Sycamore Church, our goal is not to keep people busy with "Christian activities," but to emphasize the critical need to have a growing relationship with Jesus and His body, the Church. We believe that a person who is growing deeper with God will have a fruitful life because of it. No degree, no personal accomplishment, no tenure of membership can prepare a person to serve the kingdom of God as powerfully as someone who knows the heart of Jesus.
3. What you see is what you get (WYSIWYG)
At The Sycamore Church we are comfortable in our own skin. There is no "bait and switch," nor is there any staged "big production." When we sing, we worship from our hearts. When we ask, "How has your week been?" we really want to know. Some churches have people who try to live Monday through Saturday the way they live on Sunday mornings. We try to live on Sunday mornings the way we live Monday through Saturday.
4. Demonstrated, not delegated
God has called us to live out the Christian life. We must demonstrate that He is alive in us and that we have the power of the Holy Spirit. Having a name on a membership list means nothing in the Kingdom of God. Likewise, the only adequate measure of spiritual maturity is a life that demonstrates the marks of spiritual maturity. No one can delegate spiritual maturity or leadership to another person unless that person has already demonstrated spiritual maturity and leadership.
Our conviction is that spiritual maturity is not the same as knowing many Biblical facts or having a "charismatic" personality. Spiritual maturity is demonstrated through a servant attitude, submission to spiritual authority, and the gripping desire to invest in the lives of others.
5. Build people, use space
At The Sycamore Church you will not hear talk about building programs or building buildings. We rent space to use on Sunday. Currently, we meet in a public school building for our Sunday gathering. However, we acknowledge that at any time we might need to find new space to accommodate the growth God allows to come our way in our public gathering.
On the other hand, we are willing to use the resources that God provides our church to do everything within our ability to build people who will not only be fully devoted followers of Jesus, but will also be fully devoted to His plan to turn the world "right side up." We believe that using people is directly opposed to the teaching of Jesus.
6. You can’t "go to church"
No one can "go to church" because the church is not a building. The church is the people of God. Calling a building a church is to misunderstand Jesus. Jesus said that the people who had received the gift of His Holy Spirit were "His body." We can gather together as His body, but it is not a destination, a place, or a building. At The Sycamore Church we take this very seriously. We are the church.
7. Lifeguard living
Not one of us can live this life alone. God never meant for us to be an island unto ourselves. He created us with a primary need for other human beings. When He created the church, He created an organism that survives on this "together kind of living." It’s like He knew we would always need a lifeguard. Lifeguards define the safe boundaries for us (provide accountability) and rescue us when we are in over our heads (ministry).
8. We over me
Selfishness is rampant in our culture. It has even infected much of the church in America. At The Sycamore Church we believe this weakness is the primary reason there is no power in the life of many churches. We refuse to fall into the "me first" attitude that demands its own way and places personal convenience above the sacrificial mission to which God has called us.