Core Values

Jesus said his followers would be known by their love for one another.  This is something we are intentional about living out at Rhythm.  Every person is made in the image of God, and all are loved by Him.  A loving community will value everyone, and will also value accountability, belonging, sharing one another’s burdens, trials, celebrations, and victories.  We believe spiritual growth happens best when we are relationally-connected.   Our collective identity is shaped above all by the call to follow Jesus, and not by ethnic, racial, political or other tribal identity. (John 13:34-35; Hebrews 10:24-25; Matthew 4:18-22; Matthew 9:9-13)

We believe that becoming what God created us to be happens from the inside out.  The ongoing work of the Spirit in the life of a believer is to make us more like Jesus.  It’s not enough to follow a bunch of rules, because you can do all the right things, and still be an awful person.  We see an inseparable bond between grace and growth.  That means everyone is accepted, yet everyone should be challenged to never stay the same. (Matthew 23:23-28; Galatians 5:22-23)

God sent Jesus into the world. Jesus sent his followers to carry on His mission. The Holy Spirit is still sending believers into the world to engage with culture, and ultimately be agents of transformation.  Rhythm Church won’t be an isolated subculture waiting for others to come to us.  The implications of this dramatically affect everything.  We will not be of culture and lose our identity, swayed by every trend and cultural whim.  We will not be against culture and lose our relevance, creating an ‘us vs them’ mentality.  Nor will we be above culture and lose our effectiveness.  Rather, we will be for the culture, seeking the peace and prosperity of Mason City, and following the Holy Spirit in order to engage and transform the culture.  That means joining with God to be good neighbors, and serving those in physical and spiritual need, all while pointing people to the Savior, Jesus Christ. (Matthew 28:18-20; Micah 6:8; Jeremiah 29:7)

We believe there is freedom in being authentic in what we say and do.  On a deep level, hypocrisy and facades kill the witness of any church.  We see truth-telling as a relational virtue, and will stress being ‘real’ with one another.  At the same time, truth is something objective to be known.  All truth is God’s truth.  This starts with the Scriptures and the person of Jesus, but also creation, the sciences, a literary masterpiece, or other work of art, music, etc.  We want to see truth lived out both in our hearts and our minds. (Ephesians 4:25; I Corinthians 3:21-23)

We believe that the arts say a lot about culture.  Different genres of music, films, and literature speak to our cultural values and ethos, but too often church music can be stale or uninspiring.  First and foremost, our worship should be focused on Christ, facilitating life-transforming moments that lead to worship being a daily sacrifice for God.  We believe God is beautiful and therefore creation reflects His beauty.  On a practical level, beauty and art are good in and of themselves regardless of any utilitarian value.  On a spiritual level, imagination is necessary to see the prophetic witness of what could be.  That is why Rhythm Church values creative expression and new ideas in all areas of our ministry.

(Exod. 35:30-36:2; Psalm 104:24, Colossians 3:16; Romans 12:1-2)