About Us

Vision

As a church, we strive to reach people through relationship and generous hospitality, to shape people through worship and spiritual formation, joining with Christ in the redemptive work of making all things new; for the glory of God and the good of the Mahoning Valley. We focus on these key values to direct our gospel-centered community to be on mission with Christ.

Values

Gospel-Centrality

We want everyone to hear and believe the gospel, which is the good news that Jesus, the true king of Creation, has come to save and renew all that God has made. The gospel not only offers salvation to unbelievers, but continues to change the lives of those who live it out. But unlike other approaches to self-improvement, gospel growth is not driven by willpower, fear, shame, or ambition. It is motivated by love, made possible by grace, and calls us to give ourselves away to Jesus. The gospel shapes everything we do. 

Lutheran Spirituality

We believe that humans are defined by what we love, and that our loves are shaped by the habits, patterns, rituals and liturgies that make up our daily lives. Lutheran spiritual practices such as the daily office, liturgical worship, the sacraments, and the liturgical calendar redirect our hearts toward Jesus. Lutheranism also connects us to the global and historic church, and emphasizes the importance of embodied authority and mutual accountability represented by our bishops. 

Compassionate Orthodoxy

We believe one of the greatest measures of any faith is how it leads people to treat those with whom they disagree. Biblical orthodoxy is essential, and the posture and tone with which we hold to orthodoxy is every bit as important. Therefore, we are committed to treating everyone with respect and dignity, and to loving those who see us as enemies. We are an outward-facing community, and strive to make our worship, preaching and teaching accessible to seekers and skeptics. 

Diverse Family

We are committed to the flourishing of everyone in the Mahoning Valley, and this often means investment in relationships with people who are different from us in terms of age, race, politics, socioeconomic status, life stage, etc. God is building one great family made up of people from every tribe, tongue and nation of the earth, and we desire for our church to reflect that. We are committed to sacrificial and generous hospitality. We pay special attention to those who are different from us and go out of our way to welcome people who would not naturally feel at home or "fit in" at GLC." We are committed to being a family for the lonely, and to building a community where differences can be celebrated and enjoyed.

Biblical Justice

Gospel ministry is both word and deed. The Scriptures continually remind us of the truth of Psalm 33:5, that “God loves righteousness and justice.” Taken together, the words righteousness and justice speak to both our “vertical” relationship with God and our “horizontal” relationships with one another. Being in “right relationship” with God compels us to put right all other relationships in life, to confront injustice when and where we can. This must happen on at least three levels: relief means meeting immediate needs, recovery means supporting long term change in people, and reform seeks to address the underlying systemic causes of injustice.

Missionary Faithfulness

We believe that as Christians in the postmodern West, we are called to live as cross-cultural missionaries. Jesus calls his disciples to be faithfully present in every sphere of society, to be salt wherever there is decay, and light wherever there is darkness. We are called to seek the lost, to have a public faith, to bring the gospel to bear in our God-given vocations, and to live a counter-cultural lifestyle that provokes questions only the gospel can answer.