Core Values, Identity, & Mission
The mission for our Centennial Celebration gatherings is to honor and celebrate our stories, highlight our core values, and cast a vision for next 100 years. We are honored to do it alongside you, our parishioners, clergy, and staff.
As we celebrate 100 years of being an established diocese, we also reflect on the many ways we have fallen short. From the church's treatment of our native brothers and sisters to the lack of representation for marginalized communities in church spaces, we confess we, as the people of God, have not always lived into our baptismal vows. As we look forward into the next 100 years and beyond, may we center our focus on being a living example of God's love in the world. This begins with each one of us.
Below, please explore our core values and mission as a diocese or click here to find stories of how we have lived into these values, past, present, and future.
Missionary Zeal
Many of our early diocesan communities have roots as missionary outposts. Since the beginning, our diocese has identified with a strong passion for mission and with sharing the good news of God through word or action. To learn more about our passion for mission, please visit our history page.
Love of Jesus
Our shared love of Jesus is at the root of all that we do as a diocese and a community of faith. As Christians, we follow Jesus in the Way of Love by serving and caring for all of God’s people. To learn more about what we believe, please visit our What Is An Episcopalian and The Way of Love pages.
Spirit of Adventure and Resourcefulness
Like many who call Appalachia home, our stories are rooted in people who yearned for simplicity of life and for a connection with nature. This is reflected through the enduring spirit from which many of our churches were founded. To learn more, please visit our Mountain Missionary Spirit page.
Justice
Our diocese is committed to embodying and practicing the way of Jesus so that all people may participate in the life-giving and liberating love of God. Engaging our communities through local service and action reflects our commitment to live into our Baptismal Covenant. Learn more about some of the ways we engage our communities here.
Service
Service in the name of Jesus calls us to respond, by word and action, to the needs of all of God’s people. We are passionate about discerning the many ways we can serve alongside and in solidarity with others not only in Western North Carolina but also beyond in the wider world. To learn more about some of the ways we serve in our local communities and beyond, go to our Local Action and Global Partnerships pages.
Hospitality
Hospitality is an extension of service and love of Jesus. It means welcoming people right where they are in their lives and creating space for belonging and worth.
Love of Creation
We are blessed to call the beauty of Western North Carolina home and as Christians we are called to steward this gift. As a diocese, we strive to keep creation care as an integral part of our mission, paying attention to the needs of our environment with every action. Learn more on our Creation Care page.
Ability to Look Back While Moving Forward
We recognize that in order to consider what God is calling us to do going forward, we must be able to reflect on the past. As disciples of Jesus committed to Building Beloved Community, we believe we must tell the truth about our own history and discern who we can repair the wrongs we have committed. Doing so empowers us to walk the Way of Jesus more faithfully for the next 100 years.