Our Core Values

While our ‘Core Beliefs’ are meant to give you an idea of how our community is connected to the historic pillars of the Christian faith, our ‘Core Values’ are intended to shape our approach to how we live out that historic faith together, in this place, at this time in history.

We would not call these values our “distinctives,” in that they distinguish us from other churches in order to show “our way” as superior. Quite the opposite, in fact. When we talk about values, we are simply communicating the kinds of things you can expect to be at the heart of who we are as a church and what we do as a church.

We Are Kindred

If any concept is at the core of who we are and what we do, it is that we are kindred. We believe, deep in our bones, all human beings are all made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27), finding commonality in our equality and dignity before God (Acts 17:24-28), as well as one another (James 2:8-9). We also have a shared purpose in the world: creating anew, restoring, and wisely stewarding the world God made (Gen. 1:28).

Throughout time, our world and the people in it have been held captive by destructive and evil forces, outside and inside of us, corrupting God’s good creation – and our relationship not only to creation itself, but our relationships with one another. 

God’s response was to enter into creation through Jesus of Nazareth. Through his death, resurrection, ascension, and Holy Spirit, Jesus is healing the world and inviting us to participate. Believing in the redemptive -- and effective -- work of Jesus and his identity as the Son of God brings us a new and eternal collective identity: the Church (Matt. 16:16-18) -- Christ’s beloved (Rom. 1:7).

Because of what Jesus has done, is doing, and will do, we are Kindred (Acts 4:32-35). 

Following Jesus and Doing His Work

As Kindred Church, we are committed to helping every individual understand their God-given and dignified identity, as told to humanity through the Bible (Gal. 3:26-29), and their equal access to God through the work of Jesus Christ. We want to see all people – regardless of race, nationality, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, economic class, past mistakes, present problems or future failures – to know and be enveloped in the love that is found in Jesus in order to lead a full, continually healing, and cruciform life. 

Kindred Church welcomes and celebrates all community members – regardless of race, nationality, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, economic class, past mistakes, present problems or future failures – welcoming each person into full participation in the life of our church at every level. 

To describe this further, we’ll borrow some “church speak.” We consider Kindred Church to have an egalitarian and mutual, multi-voiced approach to leadership. Egalitarian meaning any qualified person (1 Tim. 3) may rise to a leadership role within the church, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, or other demographic realities (P.S. kids, too!). Our mutual, multi-voiced approach to leadership means our church is guided and led by a team of people – preferably, a diverse set of people – not only one individual. 

Kindred Church is also LGBTQ+ affirming and every person who identifies as such is an honored part of the family. Again, we welcome LGBTQ+ folx into all aspects of church life, including as qualified leaders. We invite you to take a look at a blog we wrote about our approach, linked here.

All of us in God’s global and historic church – and Kindred Church included – exist to see humanity restored by the saving work of Jesus, and for the work of redemption to be multiplied  -- not only in every individual, but in our connections to each other and through the restorative work we do in the world. As Kindred Church, we want to plant seeds that will grow and lead to human flourishing, right here in our backyard – Reno, Nevada – through practical love and service to our community and by actively knocking down man-made barriers to God’s love.

Rooted and ReNOVATING

At Kindred Church, we see ourselves as committed and faithful students of the Bible, tracing God’s redemptive story arc through its pages, and doing our best – by the power of the Holy Spirit – to discern what the Bible is saying to us today (John 14:26). Our desire is to stay connected to Jesus, like a vine to a branch, continually rooted in the truth of who he is as told through the Bible. We are committed to the historic tenets of the Christian faith, and you can read Kindred’s core beliefs here [link]. 

Through church history, there is a clear pattern of reformation – a frequent and consistent evaluation of our understanding of what Biblical authors are saying, whether or not the form and function of the church is in line with this understanding, and what changes may need to be made in order to be as faithful to our understanding of God’s intended purpose as possible. It’s this process of renovation – stripping what we have built down to the studs, leveling out what’s grown askew, and repairing what’s been broken over time – that has led to the church changing course through history; helping to topple slavery and other systems of oppression, for instance. 

As Kindred Church, we want to be the kind of people who are willing to do this work of renovation, considering Jesus himself – not our church systems, traditions, assumptions, or long-held understandings – to be sacred. We commit to consistent inquiry, allowing our formation of theology to be a process. We want to humbly admit when we don’t have all the answers, willing to be wrong, free to change our minds, and inclusive and loving toward people of differing views and in different stages of faith.  

Humbly Gathering Around the Table 

We desire the table we gather around would be a spacious place, with room for everyone – a place where loving dialogue is spoken among friends and strangers, whether or not we agree. Differences would not be seen as threats to overcome, or flaws to correct, but opportunities for respectful conversation and learning. The table would be a place we choose to have communion with and stay close to our Savior, Jesus Christ, and each other. 

As Kindred Church, we desire this table to be our meeting place, figuratively and literally. Our church, whether meeting as small house churches, or as a larger collective in venues around the region, is intended to be this place of love, acceptance, and helpful discourse – preferably with an actual table and actual meal involved, served – of course – family-style. We meet as a church to read the Bible together, pray together, sing praise to Jesus together, eat together, laugh together, weep together… as this is Jesus’ chosen business on Earth, as it is in Heaven.