The statements below are our primary guiding principles, created and approved in community, as the people of God known as Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends.
NWYM Mission Statement
Approved at 2006 NWYM Sessions
A mission statement attempts to describe the purpose of our organization in a succinct way. It serves to remind us why we exist.
Mission Statement:
Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends Church (NWYM) is a covenantal community of evangelical Friends churches that make Jesus Christ known by
- Teaching and obeying the whole gospel as revealed by the Holy Spirit and recorded in Scripture;
- Loving and mutually supporting each other; and
- Equipping and releasing people to continue His mission in the world.
NWYM Vision Statement
Approved at the 2006 NWYM Sessions
The Vision Statement describes who we hope to become in the future. Along with creating some common language that is intended to build a sense of connection and shared focus, the Vision serves as a reference point to help keep our boards, staff and ministries aimed in the direction of our discerned leading. More specifically, the Vision Statement will serve as a practical aid for our boards and Administrative Council as they prepare ministry plans and budget requests. The eight priorities listed in the Vision Statement are not in any particular order, except for placing Discernment at the top, to reflect our priority of listening for Christ’s leadership in all that we do.
Vision Statement:
Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends Church (NWYM) is a growing family of Christ-centered, evangelical Friends churches reaching out to the greater Northwest and beyond in creative mission that reflects the whole gospel of Jesus Christ. We seek to know Christ intimately, worship and follow Him faithfully. Joined in the bond of fellowship, we have a sense of shared identity and common vision for ministry that focuses on:
- Discernment: Since Jesus Christ is head of the church and present among us as our Teacher and Guide, we commit ourselves to listening to and obeying Him. In our manner of worship and decision making and in the way we order ourselves as a church, we continue to learn how to better listen to and obey Christ together.
- Spiritual Transformation/Discipleship: We are a community of disciples being transformed into the image of Christ and partnering in His mission to transform the world. In faithfulness to Scripture and the ongoing leadership of the Holy Spirit, we bear witness to the reality of Christ by our changed and changing lives and in our commitment to live out the values of Jesus’ Kingdom in all that we do. Through our joint ministries and shared resources, we equip our local faith communities to educate people of all ages to follow Christ.
- Friends Identity: We believe God has called us to a unique expression of the Christian life that is an important contribution to the overall mission of God in the world. As the Friends of NWYM, our common life is described by our Faith and Practice. Together, we seek to live in obedience to the same Life and Power that called early Friends to courageous evangelism, compassionate service, community, integrity, simplicity, equality and peacemaking in ways that speak to the present culture.
- Leadership Development and Support: All people are called to ministry. Some are called to unique leadership roles that help us be the faithful people God intends. Therefore, we intentionally identify, equip and release all kinds of leaders to serve among us. Men and women called to pastoral service are well trained and adequately supported. Clerks, elders, and representatives find joy and purpose in their ministry because they understand their roles and are trained to serve well. Our young people have opportunity to explore their leadership gifts because we invest in their education and provide opportunities for service.
- Congregational Care: Our local faith communities take a variety of shapes and sizes, ranging from traditional to house churches to new expressions yet to be defined in a changing culture. They may be urban or rural, more homogenous or inter-cultural. We actively cultivate vibrant and healthy churches and families within their care. Our NWYM staff and board structure encourage these local faith communities to be faithful, effective, growing, and outreach-oriented by providing ongoing training and resources.
- Local Outreach: We are engaged in holistic evangelism, social concern, peacemaking and church planting throughout the greater Northwest. We are developing a culture of service in NWYM in which Friends of all ages understand their call to ministry and find support as they serve Christ in their communities.
- Global Outreach: Our ministry and church planting extends beyond the Northwest, as we reach out to the rest of the world with the love of Jesus Christ. We send people of all ages across the globe to share in word and deed the gospel that is good news to the lost, the poor and the suffering.
- Connection/Communication: Joined as we are in Christ, we continually work at improving our interconnection and being mutually supportive. Through the NWYM staff and our creative use of media, we communicate with each other and those around us who we are as Friends and how God is active in us for the sake of the world.
NWYM Core Values
Approved July 1997—NWYM Sessions
• Jesus Christ is present.
Jesus Christ is actively present with us as Savior, Teacher, Lord, Healer, and Friend. Christ is immediately accessible to all who believe in Him. Those who take time to listen to Christ can hear His voice and follow Him, individually and collectively.
• Scripture calls us to account and helps us know God’s will.
The Bible, as interpreted by the Holy Spirit, shows us what God requires of us and provides authoritative and unfailing spiritual guidance for our lives today.
• God is the source of life, and all human life is sacred.
All life has its origin in the creative work of God, and human life is to be regarded as a sacred gift from God. Because all persons have equal value and are created in the image of God, we must treat others with respect and dignity, regardless of human measures of merit or value.
• The Holy Spirit transforms and empowers us.
The Holy Spirit enlightens our paths and transforms our lives. As we yield our lives to God and become immersed in the life of the Spirit, things change. Despair gives way to hope, and weakness gives way to empowerment. All things indeed become new.
• We are called to be and to make followers of Christ.
Christ through His Spirit transforms us to be more like Himself. He enables us to live lives of integrity and righteousness and calls us to bring others into this relationship. We listen to Christ, we obey Him, and we teach others how to do the same.
• We are called to live out Christ’s love.
Jesus reveals the fullest measure of God’s love by His example in His death on the cross. As we become more Christ-like, we hope to display this same quality of love corporately and individually to those around us.
• We are called to be agents of God’s peace and love to everyone.
We are called to work for justice and to be agents of peace in a broken world. Whether situations of conflict and confusion are personal, national, or global – within the church or beyond it – we are called to be agents of the same healing and love we have received from God.
