Holy Seed summarized

I can see it. I get it. I understand. But maybe because it’s been inside me for so long. I’ve had a long time to chew on it. And I know Carla gets it too. But that’s probably because I never stop talking about it. I’m always talking about and relating it to something else. For the rest of the world, though, that’s not the case. The whole concept is still pretty new. So, in an attempt to make sense out of a very broad and huge vision, I’m making a stab at it. I’m attempting to connect all the dots and tie it all together in a clear and concise way. This is what Holy Seed Community Church is all about.

For months and months, every time we gathered together, we talked about our core values. There are twelve (12) of them total, but they really fit within the framework of our three-fold mission. They help explain the mission. They describe the kind of atmosphere we’re trying to create and exist in. The danger in listing them is that it will just be a list. In reality and in practice, they are much more than a collection of buzz words. They are deeply held, primal beliefs. They are foundational to the way we relate to Jesus and to our culture. You can, of course, read more about each core value individually, but, as a group, here’s how they stack up within our three-fold mission of loving, living and leading like Jesus.

Loving like Jesus feels like:

• Community
• Grace
• Trust
• Worship

Living like Jesus feels like:

• Faithfulness
• Authenticity
• Transparency
• Stewardship

Leading like Jesus feels like:

• Creativity
• Unity
• Intentionality
• Family

Those core values are like the soil in which we grow. They keep us rooted and nourished so we remain healthy and strong. Our mission would flounder and feel very “pie-in-the-sky” without them. With them, though, our mission has power and influence. They make the mission real. They make it stick. They are necessary because the mission, by itself, is huge and unattainable.

Loving, living and leading like Jesus…that’s why we exist. That is our enormous mission from God. I liken it to a relational journey. You never know exactly where you’re going or who you’re going to meet. At times it’s a profoundly pleasurable experience. At other times it drives you to the brink of a nervous breakdown. And there is always deep mystery involved. We try to figure it all out and systematize everything, but deep down we know that’s impossible. We constantly mess up, take a wrong exit, misread a situation and/or hit the brakes. In the end, though, we press on because we have vision. We see something we want or need, something that’s right, good and pure. We push through all the pain and break through every wall because we know that it’s worth it all…in the end.

Holy Seed pushes through, presses on and perseveres because we were given a vision. God allowed us to see what could and should be. Our vision has not been turned into reality yet, but it will be someday. That’s why we were sent on the mission—to achieve the vision. And that’s why we hold so deeply to the core values—to fulfill the mission. But it all boils down to the beautiful, God-given vision. Vision will always be the bottom line. In our heads and in our hearts we can see it. When our imaginations are loosed, this is what we picture. When we dream, this is what it looks like.

• a swarm of individuals on mission every day in their homes, at the office, supermarket, coffee shop, etc
• a generation of children who know and follow the Godly example of their parents
• a group of husbands and wives whose marriages exemplify what it means to love and honor each other
• a host of families that are a beacon of hope and service to each other, their friends and their neighbors
• a network of churches throughout greater Seattle that work together for one purpose
• a unified people group whose art and passions are reflective of their Creator
• a whole city that cares more about holiness than happiness

Can you see it yet? Perhaps God’s dream is becoming your dream too? Our prayer is that others will catch this vision, join our mission, and hold to these core values. We honestly believe if that happens, the vision will become the reality.