Value #2: Primacy of Scripture
A Word to Our Congregation from Our Senior Pastor
The values of a church are more than words printed on a page. They describe the kind of people we are prayerfully becoming together. The five devotionals I’ve written for this week invite every member of St. Andrew United Methodist Church to reflect on the convictions that guide our shared ministry.
These values of our church are:
Excellence in Ministry
Primacy of Scripture
Generous Outreach
Warm Hospitality
Thoughtful Innovation
Each new day should begin with Scripture, draw wisdom from history, and then turn our efforts toward fulfilling our shared calling at St. Andrew UMC to grow our church. Our shared purpose is not simply to admire these values but to put them into practice. As we offer God our best, root ourselves in the Bible, give of ourselves generously, welcome others warmly, and remain open to faithful new approaches to ministry, we make room for Christ to work through us and grow God’s kingdom here on earth.
May these devotionals strengthen our unity, enlarge our vision, and inspire each of us to take a faithful step forward. God has already blessed St. Andrew UMC with a rich heritage and many devoted people. Together, by God’s grace, we can build upon that foundation and move confidently into the future God is preparing for us.
Blessings,
Pastor Geoff
Value #2: Primacy of Scripture
Anchored in the Word
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” 2 Timothy 3:16, NRSV
Every building needs a foundation. Paint can be renewed, rooms can be rearranged, and ministries can be adapted, but if the foundation is unsound, everything resting upon it is eventually in peril. The same is true of a church. St. Andrew UMC may develop new ministries, welcome new leaders, and respond to new opportunities, but our foundation must remain the truth God has given us in Scripture.
Paul tells Timothy to continue in what he has learned. Scripture teaches, corrects, trains, and equips God’s people for good work. The Bible does more than inform us; it forms us. It reveals the story of God’s creation, humanity’s sin, God’s covenant faithfulness, Christ’s saving life, death, and resurrection, and the Spirit’s work of creating a redeemed people.
United Methodists therefore understand the Bible as the church’s foundational “salvation book.” Our denominational foundational documents affirm that Scripture reveals the Word of God as far as it is necessary for our salvation. John Wesley famously described himself as “a man of one book.” Wesley was highly educated, but the Bible held a unique authority over his faith and ministry. Scripture supplied the message he preached, the standards by which he examined his life, and the good news he carried to people who felt forgotten by the established church. His phrase did not make the Bible smaller; it made Scripture central.
Keeping the Bible foundational requires more than placing one on an altar or carrying one to worship. We must read it, study it, hear it proclaimed, discuss it, and allow it to challenge us. We do not just search Scripture for sentences that confirm what we already think. We come humbly, asking the Holy Spirit to reshape our assumptions and lead us toward Jesus Christ.
At St. Andrew UMC, Scripture should guide our preaching, teaching, decisions, outreach, relationships, and vision for the future. When we disagree, the Bible gives us a common place to return. When we are uncertain, it reminds us of God’s character. When we are discouraged, it tells us that death and defeat never have the final word. When we succeed, it keeps us humble by reminding us that every good gift comes from God.
The world around us will continue to change, and some of those changes will be difficult. Yet a church rooted in Scripture need not live in fear. We can move forward with confidence because our foundation is not a trend, a personality, or a preference. Our foundation is the saving work of God revealed in the biblical story and fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
Action for Today
Read one chapter from one of the Gospels. Ask three questions: What does this reveal about God? What does it reveal about me? What faithful response is God inviting me to make?
