Our Purpose
We believe God intends for our worshiping community to be grounded in God’s love, centered on Jesus Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit in order to be a blessing to our world, our city and one another.
Our Character
What is character? It’s not who we aspire to be, but foundational to who we are.
Christ-Centered
Bethany’s unity is centered on Christ, which allows for diverse and creative approaches to worship and Christian life together.
Worship
Corporate worship is the heart of Bethany, linking us to God and one another
Holy Spirit
We pray, listen, study scripture and actively wait, anticipating that the Holy Spirit will guide us.
Service Together
Small group fellowship and using our gifts in service is our doorway to community and connection in the church and world.
Lay Leadership
Governed by a regularly elected board of members (called “Sesslon” https://www.bethanypc.org/leaders/elders/) Bethany values and practices lay leadership in all areas of ministry.
Our Direction
This direction statements articulates our current “growing edges.” These are regularly reviewed and revisited by Session as part of our planning processes. They neither encompass all nor exclude any of our ongoing ministries; rather, they represent areas in which we are preparing ground for God to grow new things in our midst. These are hopes, not necessarily strengths, for our church. Our belief that God wants us to grow in these ways means that we have growing to do. In this particular time and place, we sense the Holy Spirit inspiring an energy that is renewing and healing; inviting us to be a generous and gracious community promoting human flourishing in a hurting world; and calling us to…
In the past, the creation of such a statement has been useful: as a discipline in helping us look and listen for where God is already at work; as a tool for budget preparation; and as a means of encouraging different ministry areas to work together towards the same priorities. This Statement is not an attempt to list all of Bethany’s ministries, nor should it be seen as marginalizing any of them.
We believe that God is always leading us into deeper discipleship and community, nurturing us and teaching us through the reading and study of scripture, worship, prayer, creation care, arts, small groups, classes, and relationships of many kinds. As we seek to follow Christ and share God’s message of redemption and reconciliation in the world, we believe God calls us to be intergenerational, invitational, and incarnational. Specifically, in this time and place, God is calling us to:
Pursue Whole -Life Discipleship
By growing more into Christ’s likeness and our diverse God-given gifts, we strive to steward our individual and corporate resources, from this property to the planet, to the glory of God.
Forge Intentional Intergenerational Connections
By creating opportunities for all ages and stages to take the next step into faith, worship, service, and leadership, we help all find a place of belonging in the family of Christ.
Love Across Our Differences
By sharing our stories with courage, listening deeply, and responding to others with care and respect, we honor the Spirit’s work in and through each unique member of the unified body of Christ.
Do Justice, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly
By caring directly for the vulnerable, marginalize, and displaced as well as partnering with local and global organizations addressing injustice and suffering, we participate in the redemptive work of Christ in the world.
Welcome Our Neighbors
By opening our doors as a community resource for our Queen Anne and Seattle neighbors – housed and unhoused, churched and unchurched – we extend the hospitality and peace of Christ.
Share the Gospel as Good News
By making God’s love seen and heard in a divided world that is curious, skeptical and suspicious about what it means to follow Jesus, we communicate the hope of Christ in word and deed.
Our Traditions
What makes Bethany fairly distinct among other Presbyterian churches is the way we hold together five historic Christian traditions.
Reformed/ Evangelical
The reformed/evangelical tradition shows itself in a high view of the authority of the Bible and the call to personal faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Charismatic
The charismatic tradition can be seen in a desire to be attentive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and an openness to the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Holiness
The holiness tradition is visible in a desire to be obedient and holy and to glorify God in all areas of life.
Social Justice
Social justice is made manifest in our Wednesday Night Dinner program( https://www.bethanypc.org/ministries/wednesday-night-dinner/ ) along with financial and personal commitments to develop ministries both locally and abroad.
Contemplative
The contemplative tradition shows itself in moments of silence and other reflective practices in worship, and a desire to make spaces to listen to God.
Presbyterian Church (USA)
We are affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) denomination. PC(USA) is distinctly a confessional and a connectional church, distinguished by the representation of elders—laymen and laywomen—in its government. Our theology is reformed and our form of government stresses the active, representational leadership of both ministers and church members.