At the Dwelling Place, we affirm the unique role of scripture (the Spirit speaking authoritatively through the Biblical text) and the historic Christian faith as expressed in the ancient creeds (the historical framework of the essential truths of the Christian faith in the tradition of apostolic teachings). We see these as distinct borders that provide an open area to explore the depths of God. Orthodox doctrine is best done in practice within a community of faith, who together reflect and wrestle with the truth as they engage in mission to the world. It is a way of seeing and living life that forms us as a people to be the revolution that we long for. But we also realize the need for ongoing conversation as we explore the mysteries of the faith, for we are not yet finished. So, in the meantime, we keep seeking, asking, listening, and learning in openness to the Spirit who is guiding the Church into the fullness of Truth.

Following the “hermeneutic of love,” we believe the best insight comes from a trusting, loving respectful stance as we question and critique. We are committed to respecting and honoring the Church in all of its shapes and sizes. Every model of church has strengths and weaknesses, along with drawbacks and possibilities. The rampant effects of sin and all the obstacles that come with it are big enough that no single form of church can deal with them all, so we seek to embody the strengths in many traditions and historic streams of Christian faith and view them all as a mutual fund where we collect and share and value everyone’s treasures.

Wonder. Curiosity. Abandon. Playfulness. Listening. Passion. Celebration. Imagination. Spontaneity. Openness. Creativity. Children hold so little regard for status, title, or position and have so little of the things that consume the lives of adults, and yet they are filled with such joy. They are fully alive, and every waking moment is a chance to explore life. We desire to be a people who find the ordinary as intriguing as the extraordinary. We believe that our magnificent God is always available and present, and that He is at work in every moment in every square inch of the cosmos. Our lives right here right now are gifts, and they are unspeakably good, so we long to give ourselves in wild abandon to the One who gave them to us. As we embrace astonishment as a spiritual discipline, we are learning to recover the capacity for wonder. Everything we do is meant to prepare us to see that every action can be completed with an orientation toward God. Grace is everywhere!

When we speak of creation, we must think of an ongoing process, or as old theologians talked about: original creation, continual creation, and new creation. We believe as image-bearers that we have a mission to partner with God in this creative zone called the Kingdom of God. So beauty, art, and creativity are highly valued and seen as aligning with God to fulfill His creative processes in the world. Just as each one of us is a masterpiece in progress and creation is continuing in us, so we desire to keep generating new creative possibilities. We long to be students awakened to the process of learning to create in the way of the Master Artist, Jesus, who saw lilies, children, mustard seeds, plowing, vineyards, and housework as indicators of a wider truth. Indeed, life is beautiful, and for this reason, we long to experience God in a myriad of ways.