A Community in Christ
God calls us to faith one by one, but God doesn’t call us to be individual Christians. In our baptism God calls us into a community of faith and makes us the people of God, the body of Christ. This community is not a club; it is not something we join on our own; it is not a community that belongs to us. This community is Christ’s. We are therefore expected to build up this community, to care for one another, to live in such a way that we glorify God and do not give shame to Jesus’ name.

Centered in Word and Sacrament
Faith is a gift which comes from hearing God’s Word (Rom 10:17). We who would be Christians and grow in faith therefore need to be centered in the word and sacraments. Through these means of Grace, God makes God’s love known to us, and brings us to the point of saying "yes" and "thank you" to God. It is the expectation of the Lord that Northwestern Ohio Synod congregations be communities of believers who know the importance of their baptism, who are avid students of Scripture, who are regular in worship, and faithful partakers at the Lord’s table.

Formed by Law and Gospel
In God’s Word we learn of what God expects of us as his people (Law) and of what God has done, is doing and will do for his people to save them and give them new life in Christ (Gospel). Since we can’t impress or fool God, and the Good News says we don’t need to, it is assumed that the people of God will be honest with God and with each other about their sinfulness and their shared need for the Gospel of God’s grace. We are therefore expected to take confession of sins seriously, to seek God’s help in resisting self-righteous judgmentalism toward others, and to live our lives rooted in God’s grace.

Reconciling in the face of Conflict
As people who have been reconciled to God through Christ Jesus, we are called to be reconcilers in the face of conflict both within and outside of the church. Christ Jesus gave us a model for resolving conflicts in the church which is found in Mt. 18:15-17. Northwestern Ohio Synod congregations are expected to strive not to break the 8th Commandment by bearing false witness and spreading gossip. We are expected to speak the truth in love and to work for restoration of broken relationships, looking to the Lord for the strength to forgive as we have been forgiven.

Outposts for Mission
God loves the world, and just as he sent Christ to save the whole world, so Christ sends us out to make God’s love known through baptizing and teaching and making disciples (Jn 3:16; Mt 28). The church exists not for its own sake but for the sake of the world. As the people of God we are called to be Mission Outposts. Each congregation is expected to find new ways to make God’s love in Christ Jesus known in their ever-changing corner of the world. We are expected to be open to the Spirit’s leading, to want to grow our congregations, to be welcome places and safe havens where people might see and experience the kingdom of God for themselves.

Working for Justice
Shalom or wholeness of LIFE is a gift God wants us and everyone to experience. So Jesus came healing the sick, feeding the hungry, setting the captives free and doing the right and righteous thing. He ate with sinners, touched lepers, welcomed children and cared about widows to show us that God is concerned with those forgotten by society. Even so, the church is called to spread God’s shalom by working for justice in the world. We can do this by wrestling with political issues, looking for ways to end oppression and injustice, and by providing for people’s needs. This too is our mission.

Committed to the Church beyond the Congregation
Just before his death on the cross, Jesus prayed that we might be One in order for us to better carry out his mission. The truth is, we need each other. We need to work together with other congregations in the ELCA, but we also need to work together with all of those who share our faith in the Triune God. This means we are expected to be committed to improving ecumenical relations, to partnering with congregations in our local area, and to making this synod "work" - so that the world might see our love and oneness in Christ Jesus and so want what we have in him.

A Priesthood of Believers
In our baptism all of us are called to a life of service based on grace. We are made a royal priesthood, the priesthood of all believers (1 Pet. 2:9-10). This means the work of the Lord is to be done by all of us, not just the pastor. Like priests in the Old Testament, we are to bring others with their needs, fears, sins and shame to the Lord and to bring the Lord’s love, power, forgiveness and grace to them. As members of this priesthood we are expected to join in the work of the congregation through assisting in worship, visiting the sick and homebound, leading Bible study, and living out our faith in the world.

Supportive of those Called and Ordained
To help us be the kind of priesthood God wants us to be and for the sake of good order, the Lord has called some among us to be pastors. They are called not to do our work but to equip us saints so that we can do the work of the church. Since their calling is a great responsibility, Northwestern Ohio Synod congregations are expected to pray for their pastors, encourage them in difficult times, and support them with a salary that befits the responsibility of their office. We are also expected to help identify and encourage those who have special gifts for ministry so that they might discern God’s will for their lives which might lead them to ordained ministry.

Stewards of God’s Grace
Everything we have is a gift from God - our time, talents and treasures are signs of God’s love and graciousness. But these blessings are not given to us to keep for ourselves. We are blessed to be a blessing for others. We hold these gifts in trust and are called to use them for the glory of God and his mission to save the world. Northwestern Ohio Synod congregations - members and leaders - are therefore expected to be careful in the use of natural resources, responsible in the management of our time, deliberate and joyful in our giving for the work of the Lord, including moving toward or beyond a tithe to fund God's mission in and through this Synod.

Empowered by the Lord of the Cross
Our God is the Lord of the unexpected. Our God is the God who comes to us, meets us where we are and joins us in our life with all its uncertainties, betrayals, suffering, and death. Our God is the God who takes on hopelessness to give us hope, who overcomes evil with good, who dies in order to give us life, who turns everything upside down in Christ’s resurrection. As Congregations and leaders of the Northwestern Ohio Synod, we do not have to be afraid of the future, or of change, or of dying to the way we’ve always done things. We can be people of faith and faithfulness - for the Church is Christ’s and in him we will be victorious even as we live and work in the shadow of the cross. And to this, may we as congregations and leaders ever say, AMEN.