Our purpose at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Saint Cloud is to cultivate a vibrant congregation of mature Christian disciples, equipping and emboldening them to be Christ’s heart, hands, and voice in our world.
We take seriously God’s mission in our world and our responsibility to participate in it.
Our congregation’s primary missionaries are its lay members in their daily life and work.
We are called to an active, public presence in our communities for the common good.
We will attend deeply to the necessary spiritual formation of our congregation and shared life together.
We will dwell together in the Biblical narrative, allowing our imaginations and spirituality to be shaped and inspired by God’s story.
In order to live into God’s purpose for us, we must focus on the following essential mission and ministry priorities. Shared/Mutual Ministry is one essential means to accomplish this.
Deepening the discipleship of all members by
Helping them know the Biblical story and their place in it
Practicing the spiritual disciplines of our faith
Fulfilling the promises of the Baptismal Covenant.
Supporting each other in our life in Christ
Creatively drawing young people into the heart of our church’s life by
Grounding, nourishing, and anchoring them in the living treasures of faith
Engaging our context as it changes by
Turning our church outward in its focus
Learning about and from the varied populations in our midst
Cultivating a fresh imagination for the forms Christian community and local mission can take
Equipping all members for ministry in daily life in a vision of shared ministry by
Encouraging all to know and to tell the story of God’s movement in their life
Discerning spiritual gifts
Developing collaborative leadership
