Mission, Vision, Core Values, Five Focuses

WPAUMC: Mission, Vision, Core Values, Five Focuses

WPA United Methodist Church

Our Mission

Our Mission is to provide leadership, connection and resources to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Our Vision

Our vision is to ignite and sustain a passionate, spiritual connection with Christ among all people in Western Pennsylvania.

Our Core Value

Our Core Value is love. We love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength and our neighbors as ourselves. This value is commanded by Jesus, inspired by our Wesleyan heritage including to spread scriptural holiness over the land, and witnessed through our integrity, accountability and inclusiveness.

Our Five Areas of Focus

Our belief is that God will make a significant difference in our world and church if we work in committed and cooperative ways around these five areas of focus.

1. Developing principled Christian leaders for the church and the world.

The church must recruit young people for ministry and provide them with the skills necessary to be effective in this new time of opportunity. That includes women and people of color the world over. Similarly, we must offer leadership training for people who are in ministry in countless ways.

2. Creating new places for new people by starting new congregations and renewing existing ones.

If we are to remain faithful to our commitment to transform the world, we will reach out with genuine hospitality to people wherever they are. We will make them feel welcome as we start new faith communities, seek to renew existing ones and inspire faithful discipleship.

3. Engaging in ministry with the poor.

As an expression of our discipleship, United Methodists seek to alleviate conditions that undermine quality of life and limit the opportunity to flourish as we believe God intends for us all. As with John Wesley, we seek to change conditions that are unjust, alienating and disempowering.

4. Stamping out killer diseases by improving health globally.

The Global Health Initiative is a major area of focus for the ministry of The United Methodist Church, which aims to combat diseases of poverty such as malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis as well as provide health education, advocacy and infrastructure.

5. Dismantling racism.

We are committed to creating a culture of inclusiveness. We are richer with diversity and we will continue to find ways to witness with full inclusion and the embracing of all our sisters and brothers of color. Area of Focus: Developing principled Christian leaders for the church and the world

Short-range (1-2 years) Target Date

Medium-range (3-5 years)

Long-range (6-10 years) Area of Focus: Creating new places for new people by starting new congregations and renewing existing ones

Long-range (6-10 years) Area of Focus: Engaging in ministry with the poor

Long-range (6-10 years) Area of Focus: Stamping out killer diseases by improving health globally

Long-range (6-10 years) Area of Focus: Dismantling racism

Long-range (6-10 years)