Welcome to Bethlehem Lutheran Church--Spokane WA

Transformation

Bethlehem Lutheran Church is a place of transformation. We expect God to show up and work miracles among us.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, God reaches out to each and every one of us. In Word and Sacrament, God's Grace is proclaimed to us and for us, not because we deserve it or have earned it, but simply because God loves us. Once that Amazing Grace takes hold of us, we are changed--transformed. Our God brings life out of death, hope out of hopelessness, light out of the deepest darkness. We gather to hear again and again the story of Jesus, to experience the love of God, and to be sent by and with the Holy Spirit into the world.

Here at Bethlehem Lutheran, we experience the transforming power of God in our own lives, and we also long for that transforming power for our congregation. We have recognized that the challenges before us as a small and aging congregation will not be solved simply by trying harder. Instead, we are beginning a process that calls us to listen prayerfully for the call of God for us. We call this process "Transformational Ministry" as we re-connect to God's dream for us and allow the transforming power of the Holy Spirit to work on us as a congregation.

As we have spent time in prayer and discernment, we believe that God does have a dream for Bethlehem Lutheran Church. We believe that we are called by God to continue to work in our community, a community that desperately longs to hear the Word of grace made real. Christ is alive and working in our midst! As we seek to transform our congregation and respond to God's call, we aren't sure where we will be led. But we continue to pray for God's guidance and direction. And we expect God to do amazing things!

Lord God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN

Guiding Principles

In the Transformational Ministry model, congregations are called to come up with "Guiding Principles," central things that are non-negotiable and directly related to the biblical values of Jesus and God's vision for the church in mission. These are meant to shape and guide us as we continue to look for--and be a part of--what God is up to in the world.

In September we began work on our Guiding Principles by addressing the question: "What does God want our neighbors to know is true about us?"
(click here to see the results)

A series of cottage meetings led us to the development of what we are calling our "Identity Statements"

We follow Jesus as Lord and Savior

We are welcoming and friendly to all people

We study, hear, and teach God’s Word

We are an active part of the whole community

We care for each other and we care for others

We grow and sustain faith by encountering and worshiping God

We are rooted in tradition and open to God’s dream for us

Then we addressed the question: "What does God want our neighbors to know is true about God?" (click here to see the results)

Drawing on the identity statements and this new work, together with the transformation work we have been doing for the past year we developed the following Guiding Principles: