Our Current Vision & Mission

United Methodist Church of the Good Shepherd

VISION STATEMENT

A community of people, with increasing love for God, for each other,

and for all of God’s Creation, spreading the Kingdom of God.

Rationale for the Vision

Jesus left us with two major commands: The Great Commandment and The Great Commission.

The Great Commandment is “He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’”… “And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:37, 39, 40, NRSV)

The Great Commission is, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”

(Matthew 28:19, NRSV)

MISSION STATEMENT

Recount, Invite, Care, Equip

Rationale for the Mission

In keeping with the Vision Statement, the Great Commandment and the Great Commission we will:

• Recount our life stories and how Jesus has made our lives better to those we encounter.       
• Invite those we meet everywhere, to come share in events and worship in church.
• Care for those who are in need in the immediate community and world-wide.</span>
• Equip disciples for recounting, inviting, and caring.</span>

Desert Southwest Strategic Direction: The Desert Southwest Conference will empower leaders

who create vital congregations. We will accomplish this through the priorities contained in

our Strategic Direction.

1.      New Church Communities

2.      Leadership Develop

3.      Transformational Worship

UMC Mission Statement: To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the World.

UMC Church of the Good Shepherd’s Vision Statement supports the UMC Mission Statement because making disciples is spreading the Kingdom of God on earth. With the continued Vision of increasing love for God and for each other and for all of God’s Creation, Good Shepherd is nurturing disciples into being more like God.

UMC Church of the Good Shepherd’s Mission Statement supports the UMC Mission Statement in the first three words (Recount, Invite, Care) by telling our stories, inviting others to events and caring for those in need. The fourth word (Equip), like the Vision Statement, nurtures disciples, once identified, so that they grow and are transformed to be more like God.

Our Previous Vision remains in our DNA as a Community Church.

TOWARDS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PARISH IN KEARNY, ARIZONA

Over the last few years, a vision for a multi-denominational congregation has evolved in Kearny, Arizona. At the Church of the Good Shepherd, people of several denominational backgrounds come together weekly to worship God together and to engage one another in what it means to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ in the world.

Our Sunday worship service is designed to incorporate some of the traditions of several denominations, so that all who join us can feel at home as we worship together. There being neither a Lutheran (ELCA) nor an Episcopal Church in town, Episcopalians and Lutherans, along with United Methodists, are sharing their rich heritages with one another and recognizing the validity of multiple forms and styles of worship. Presbyterians and people from other traditions are also finding a home in our midst. People with no church background come and grow as well.

Our cooperation is made possible by a trio of ecumenical agreements which have been negotiated among our denominations in the last few years.