THE PRINCIPLES WE SHARE
WHAT HOLDS US TOGETHER?
Not simply what we believe. Who we become.
Rooted in the teachings of Jesus and the Wesleyan tradition of holiness of heart and life, these are the commitments we return to whenever we gather.
Our guiding principles are read aloud at the start of each Catacombs gathering. They articulate a shared orientation, not a test anyone must pass before coming through the door.
Read our theological convictions →
Following the Way of Christ · Putting Love into Action · Holding On and Letting Go
GUIDING PRINCIPLE
Following the Way of Christ
What does it mean to hear Jesus’ voice and follow him?
When Jesus calls us, our old life comes to an end and something new begins. That something, however, is not necessarily what we expect or what we want. Jesus’ message is as unsettling as it is clear: “If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23 (NRSV). What does this entail? What does it mean to hear Jesus’ voice and follow him?
We gather because the teachings of Jesus remain as demanding, beautiful, and disruptive today as they were two thousand years ago. We have three main purposes in these regular meetings:
To hear Jesus more clearly than we can hear Him alone, and to deepen our understanding of his teachings.
To propel ourselves toward putting Jesus’ teachings into practice in our daily lives.
To engage and inspire communities of faith, especially outside the walls of our places of worship.
GUIDING PRINCIPLE
Putting Love into Action
What good might love ask us to do today?
The teachings of Jesus possess an irresistible, compelling quality. At the same time, they tend to make even the most committed people of faith uneasy. But the Gospels are all but impossible to ignore. Jesus’ words get to the root of the human condition.
Jesus’ aim was to form a band of followers who would put into practice what he said. Like the prophets, Jesus describes both how we should behave in the here and now, as well as a vision for what the world would be like if we all behaved according to the ways He teaches us.
In these regular meetings, we focus on three areas of growth in our faith lives:
To grow beyond simply believing in Jesus and put what he teaches into practice;
To grow beyond merely avoiding wrongdoing and actively seek to do good for ourselves and others;
To grow beyond seeking only the reward of Heaven after death and instead help establish God's Kingdom here and now.
GUIDING PRINCIPLE
Holding On and Letting Go
What is Christ asking me to hold more tightly? What is Christ inviting me to release?
The Gospels often invite us closer to God by teaching us to be at peace with letting go of the world. Jesus repeatedly teaches that life with God requires both holding on and letting go.
We hold on to Christ, His Kingdom, and His promises. We let go of the fears, ambitions, possessions, identities, and false securities that compete for our devotion. Power, wealth, status, anxiety, and approval become poor foundations upon which to build a life.
Every gathering invites us to ask: What is Christ asking me to hold more tightly? What is Christ inviting me to release?
While this may occasionally make us uncomfortable, we aim to see the action of letting go of the world as equally important to the teachings of Jesus as that of holding on to God.