On a Sunday afternoon, 25 people gathered at First United Methodist Church in Jamestown, North Dakota, to discern the values they hold as a body of believers in Christ. 

Rev. Marty Toepke-Floyd, who serves First UMC, shared, “It was an interesting process. It was a chance to take a snapshot of where we are as a congregation.” 

Attendees participated in the Values Discernment Workshop, designed by the Dakotas Conference Strategy Team.  Northwest District Superintendent, Rev. Joel Winckler, facilitated the four-hour session in four segments.   

Through a process of individual and small group reflection and discussion, participants at First UMC in Jamestown, identified and articulated five core values. Here are the five core values that the group came up with:

1. We value Music for the inspiration it provides by continuing what we have while incorporating many ways to share the Story of Jesus Christ.
2. We value Technology because we believe in communicating in multiple ways the Story of Jesus Christ with our world, our community and our congregation.
3. We value Hospitality by showing the love of Christ to all people.
4. We value Missions by identifying the needs of others globally, nationally and locally, working to serve all God’s children especially those who are marginalized, ignored, or neglected.
5. We value Christian Education by providing opportunities for learning and growth in the Christian faith.

Previously, in a similar discernment process, the leadership of the Dakotas Conference, including the cabinet and extended cabinet identified the core values as follows:

• Jesus – We follow the example of Jesus Christ who teaches us to love God, and to love all people, including friends, enemies and strangers.
• Mission – We spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all persons.  Jesus taught us that to reach new people, we must take risks, try new ideas, get creative, and embrace diversity.
• Connection – We are a connectional church and work together to equip pastors and churches in mission and ministry to heal a broken world.

 The core values of the Dakotas Conference and First United Methodist Church, in Jamestown line up well with the congregation’s mission statement, “We are Hearing, Learning and Living the Story of Jesus Christ.”  

“These core values and mission statement will continue to guide the administrative council, committees and groups in the church as we go forward into the fall and winter,” said Pastor Marty. “The workshop really helps the congregation answer these questions. What is our current reality? What this church’s next steps?”

Congregations can request a workshop here.  If you have questions or would like more information, please contact Rev. Kris Mutzenberger at Kris.mutzenberger@dakotasumc.org