St.Paul Lutheran Church & School
400 S.13th Street Fort Dodge, IA 50501
Phone 515-955-7285
stpaulfd@stpaulfd.org
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THE EPISTLE OF ST. PAUL
Monthly newsletter of St. Paul Ev. Lutheran Church, Fort Dodge, Iowa
Our Mission Statement: Disciples of Christ Making Disciples for Christ
“Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint.”
--- Proverbs 29:18
Starting on April 12th & 13th, nine congregational members gathered to form the Vision Frame Initiative team. This initiative was approved by our Parish Administrative Council (PAC) to begin the process of determining what St. Paul Lutheran Church & School aspires to be. We have just celebrated 160 years as a congregation & school, so the question is, “What does St. Paul want to look like ministry wise when we celebrate 170 years?” The Vision Frame process will help to provide direction to everyone in the organization as they focus their efforts on achieving the vision.
You will be hearing me talk a lot about the Vision Frame over the next several months. So, I wanted to write this article to explain the concept and lay out what the goals we will achieve. First of all, I want to emphasize that what the Vision Frame Initiative team does will be reported to the congregation in townhall meetings. Receiving feedback and thoughts will be most important as the team goes through the process. Please keep an eye out for upcoming congregational meetings so that each of us will be able to participate.
The Vision Frame is a collection of statements that will reflect the Kingdom Concept of St. Paul Lutheran Church & School. The Vision Frame will help to express our DNA. The goal of this process is that every leader, ministry, and program in the church & school should begin from a clear understanding of the Vision Frame. The Vision Frame includes an articulation of the church and school’s unique mission, values, strategy, mission measure, and vision proper.
MISSION: A clear and concise statement that defines what the church is ultimately supposed to be doing. Mission answers the question, “What are we doing?” The mission serves as the compass and guiding North Star of the church & school. It is the heartbeat. The mission is like a golden thread that weaves through every activity of the church & school.
VALUES: The shared convictions that guide the actions and reveal the strengths of the church & school. Values answer the question, “Why are we doing it?” Values are pillars that represent the conscience of the church & school.
STRATEGY: The process that demonstrates how the church will accomplish its mission on the broadest level. Strategy answers the question, “How are we doing it?” The strategy is like a container that holds all church & school activities into one meaningful whole.
MEASURES: The characteristics of an individual’s life that reflect the achievement of the mission. Measures answers the question, “When are we successful?” Measure is the church & school’s portrait of a disciple and definition of spiritual maturity. It provides the standard by which the mission can be measured with respect to an individual’s development through the ministry of the church & school.
VISION PROPER: The living language that anticipates and illustrates God’s better future for the church & school. Vision Proper answers the question, “Where is God taking us?” The vision is a God–inspired dream. It is like a developing Polaroid picture of the church’s preferable future. It develops first in the minds-eye of the leadership and then in the people. Vision is made possible by imagination fueled by faith, hope and love. It is our unique fingerprint here at St. Paul Lutheran Church & School in Fort Dodge, Iowa.
Please keep this process in your daily prayers. I look forward to seeing how God will work through us as we seek to follow His lead in the years ahead.
Pastor Kendall Meyer
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ABOUT US
Who We Are
St. Paul is a member church of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. As such we have a rich heritage of teachings passed down to us through the years. These teachings are summed up in the collection of documents known as the Book of Concord.
What We Believe
We believe in God as revealed to us in Holy Scripture as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He is Triune, meaning three persons but one God. He creates, redeems and sanctifies us.
Father
We believe that God the Father, in love, created the universe and all there is, from nothing. In love He sustains His creation and desires to restore His relationship with all people through His Son.
Son
We believe that because of His love for us, God the Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ to earth. Being fully divine and fully human, He lived the perfect life of a servant, and in His death on the cross Jesus suffered the punishment we deserve for our sin. Through His death and bodily resurrection, Jesus won for us victory over death and the devil. Only through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ can we have forgiveness of sins, be made acceptable to God, and receive eternal life.
Holy Spirit
We believe that God the Holy Spirit works in the lives of people and brings them to faith in Jesus Christ. He works through the Word of God to accomplish this work. And dwelling in us, He empowers us to serve God and bear witness to others
Bible
We believe that the Bible is the living Word of God, divinely inspired by God, without error, and therefore the only source of true teaching and the final standard for evaluating all doctrine. In the pages of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament God reveals His will for us and plan of salvation through Jesus Christ.
Sin
We believe that sin separates us from God. Sin is our rebellion against God and is what we do in thought, word, and deed, that is contrary to His will. We are born sinful and in need of daily forgiveness.
Grace
As sinners, we cannot earn eternal life for ourselves. But God in His love for us gives us His grace. He doesn't give us what we deserve, instead He gives us the promise of eternal life, through the gift of His Son, Jesus.
Faith
We believe that the only way for us to have the gift of salvation is by putting our faith in Jesus Christ. This means we trust in Him as our savior from sin and Lord of our lives. Faith is knowing and confessing as true, what the Bible says about Jesus to be true.
Good Works
We engage in actions of love and mercy as a demonstration of God's love within us. We do this, not to win God's approval or salvation, but because we are thankful for the gift of eternal life, which we have already received as a free gift in Jesus Christ.
Baptism
We believe that through The Sacrament of Holy Baptism, which is commanded by Jesus, God adopts us as His children. We affirm the practice of baptizing infants, as well as adults, because all human beings are born with a sinful nature.
The Lord's Supper
We believe that in The Sacrament of Holy Communion God offers us His grace and His love. As He promised, Jesus is truly and really present in, with, and under the bread and wine of the Sacrament to give us forgiveness for our sins and strength for our faith.
Prayer
We believe that because Jesus Christ died for our sins, we have the privilege of praying directly to God. Prayer is our opportunity to thank and praise God, to seek His help in time of trouble and need, and to determine His way and will for our lives. Since prayer is a two-way communication in which we listen to God, as well as speak to Him, regular reading of the Bible is an integral part of daily prayer.
The Church
We believe that those who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are the Church, the Body of Christ in the world. God empowers those in the Church with different gifts for the purpose of serving Him and others.
Jesus' Return
We believe that Jesus Christ, as He promised, is coming back to earth at a time known only to God the Father. He is coming to judge the living and the dead and to fulfill His promise to give all believers eternal life.
Heaven
We believe that at the time of death the soul of the believer is at once received into the presence of Christ and that, at the Last Day, the believer will live with Christ, in body and soul, in eternal joy and glory.
