A fresh look at our core values
In the twenty years since a group of Brethren in Christ pastors, educators, administrators, and laypeople first met to identify ten core values for the North American church, much has changed—including the continuing decline of the church in the west; dynamic social movements for racial, gender, and economic justice; vast advances in technology, and a worldwide pandemic.
With so much happening on both the national and international stages, it seems vital that we as Brethren in Christ prayerfully reflect not only on our core values and their application, but on how those values might help our churches engage a dramatically new social context. Are these values merely sentimental slogans? Or do they constitute compelling convictions, genuine guiding lights orienting us and motivating our mission in a rapidly changing world? The answer to that all-important question depends largely on how we use them. In this forward-looking book, essays from Brethren in Christ pastors and leaders from across the globe call us into the future of the church—to unleash our creative energies, roll up our sleeves, and put these core values to good use.
Terry L. Brensinger serves as professor of biblical studies and chair of Biblical Studies, Religion, and Philosophy Department at Messiah College, Grantham, Pennsylvania. Brensinger received his B.A. from Messiah College, an M.Div. from Asbury Theological Seminary, an M.A. in Near Eastern Archaeology from Drew University, and his M.Phil. and Ph.D. in Old Testament studies, also from Drew University. Brensinger has published Simile and Prophetic Language in the Old Testament and his work has also appeared in The Asbury Bible Commentary, The Anchor Bible Dictionary, The New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis, and various scholarly journals.
Jennifer Lancaster is the Project 250 coordinator for Brethren in Christ US and adjunct professor at Lancaster Theological Seminary, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She has a PhD in religion from Temple University. She lives in Lancaster with her husband and daughter, and they attend the Lancaster Brethren in Christ Church.
Alan Robinson is national director of the Brethren in Christ US. Formerly senior pastor of Carlisle (PA) BIC, Robinson lives in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, with his wife Sharon. They have two adult daughters and two grandchildren.
