Purpose & Goals
What does the life of Jesus Christ two thousand years ago have to do with us today? He spoke of life in abundance and affirmed that the church would embody his living presence throughout time. Yet for many, the Christian experience often βruns its course,β ending in frustration and a failure to satisfy our deepest longings, longings that were often affirmed by Christ Himself.
We at Common Ground do not believe that the growing gap between Christ and our present culture is due solely to the irrelevance of Christ within an ever-changing culture, nor do we believe it is entirely due to our cultureβs disinterest in the meaning and values that Christ embodies. Although he speaks uniquely and meaningfully to each generation and culture, his ageless message remains relevant to all.
Common Ground is a culturally minded Christian community that creatively blends the secular and the sacred, the contemporary and the ancient. It is our desire to engage the challenges of contemporary life in a free and relevant manner. We offer no pat answers to lifeβs mysteries or difficulties; instead, we explore the possibilities.
Our Primary Goals
1) Collectively express the faith and life of Christ in an open and meaningful manner; provide a context of grace through which we can freely seek the truth about ourselves, our relationships, and God.
2) Experience life to the fullest by openly considering our deepest longings and disappointments, which ultimately addresses what hinders us from greater fullness of life.
3) Present a Christianity which is alive to all of life, yet open and secure enough in its faith to risk getting a little dirt on itself.
4) Grow together as a community by encouraging open dialogue and interaction with our culture. We seek to acknowledge Godβs sustaining presence and action in the world at large, which finds expression within the art and various disciplines of thought within our culture.
5) We acknowledge Godβs unique and personal expression of love to the world through Christ and his church, which finds anchor in Christian tradition, the Scriptures, and the living presence of Christ and Godβs Spirit. It is our experience that such interaction between faith and life continues to transform us and the world from one degree to another (2 Cor 3:18) toward greater levels of life together through the ongoing redemptive activity of Christ in the world (1 Cor 15:24-28).