The Core Values Series was often the start place of each church Al pastored. He felt there were 7 unchanging Biblical principles that guide our functioning as Christians and as a church.
Click the links in the text to find out more about the Core Values Series.
Unity
The first core value is Unity. Unity is not to be confused with uniformity where everyone must be alike. Unity is about our common belief in God. There is room for difference of opinion. Unity promotes respect for our differences rather than judging them with self-righteousness.
Love
The second core value is Love. There are so many definitions of love. He speaks of the love that comes from God and the people who know God, the importance of understanding this love as the basis, the model of loving and being loving people. WARNING: “If you are just a critic, above needing love, you won’t get this.”
Worship and Justice
Worship & Justice: Worship was Al’s passion. He wanted to give a true worship experience set aside as the time to be close with God. His message was central. Everything else in the service was meant to be an enhancement to the message. He and Chad Meeuwse, the gifted music/worship director at Modesto Christian Reformed Church put together the most meaningful worships services I have ever experienced. Al loved working with him and together their combined creativity flowed. The third core value is titled Worship & Justice, the relationship between worship and concerns for the poor. Without those concerns, worship means nothing to God. Light bulbs went off as he studied and prepared for this message. He realized how righteousness and justice go hand in hand in the Old Testament, but not in the New Testament. Why? It takes a little understanding of Greek to find out the answer.
Discipline
Discipline is the fourth core value—a combination of Unity and Love. How do we deal with each other? How do we deal with conflict? “Without careful integrity in this process the sin of the church can quickly become greater than what is being corrected.” This is about keeping people in, not kicking them out. Al share’s a very personal story in order to make the point.
Maturity
Maturity: “Ask yourself. Do you think it’s possible that we are unhealthy spiritually because of our judgments on others?” The core value Maturity is a powerful message with the huge challenge of what it means to become and then grow up into Christ. It is knowing the difference between revelation which comes from God and from religion, what people do in response to God. The spiritually immature are the religious people who “don’t think, don’t question, don’t grow up—just do it.”
Diversity
Diversity – God’s Idea for His Church speaks again of unity, not uniformity. Unity builds diversity. Everyone is different, yet, we are all one in Jesus Christ. How awful if we were all the same. This message is based on the early church of Corinth, a church in big trouble. But many of their problems sound all too familiar today.
Externally Focused
The last Core Value is External Focus. Al’s very good friend Larry Fryling, pastor of Hayward, once told Al everyone should have two tattoos. On one arm it should say, “It’s not all about me.” and on the other, “It’s not all about now.” Are we really the salt of the earth, the light of the world? Do they just hear our words or do they see good deeds? Too often people take Jesus’ statements out of the context of the whole Bible. The Great Commission is not a command to witness, to make converts. It is about making disciples, about teaching others by our words and actions.