Peace Lutheran Brethren Church

2242 Friendly Grove Road
Olympia, WA 98506
(360)943-3003

Philosophy of Ministry

Our Core Values/Beliefs

  1. Jesus is our personal Savior, Lord and Friend. This personal relationship is available to all.
  2. The Heavenly Father loves, nurtures and Fathers us.
  3. The Holy Spirit is welcomed to do His work in and through us. We desire to follow His leading and guiding, while not limiting Him.
  4. The Heavenly Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one God (the Trinity). The Father calls us, the Holy Spirit prompts us and enables us to respond, and Jesus’ work on the cross saves us. (I Peter 1:2)
  5. God is love and love comes from God.
  6. God is the Creator of the whole universe.
  7. Jesus lived, died, arose, ascended into heaven, and is coming again at the close of this age.
  8. God’s Living Word, the Bible, is true in its entirety. It is our compass and guidebook for daily life.
  9. We balance sin and grace (law and gospel). We recognize a need for God’s loving kindness (grace) due to our sin that God’s law convicts us of (law and gospel). Conviction of sin leads to repentance (the law shows us our sin and calls for our response), which in turn leads to God’s forgiveness through Christ and spiritual growth (sanctification).
  10. We seek to introduce those to Christ who don’t know Him (evangelism). (Mathew 28:18-20)
  11. As Lutherans, we practice baptism for all ages (infants through adults), confirmation, and communion, which is open to all Christians.

We exist to

  1. Be loved by God and to love and glorify Him;
  2. Love our neighbor as ourselves;
  3. Share the wonderful Good News of the Gospel;
  4. Encourage growth in our faith and relationship with God.

How we function

  1. Jesus is the Head of the church and we are the body. We are purposeful in practicing this.
  2. The Bible is preached and taught. Thinking and living Biblically is encouraged as in asking “What does the Bible say?”.
  3. Prayer is a strong point coupled with a living faith walk.
  4. Pastor and elders together seek God’s will for the church. They practice teamwork.
  5. Adult voting believing membership is practiced (no “grandfathering in”). The members, as a group, make key decisions.
  6. Male leadership is practiced in the Elder and Trustee Boards.
  7. The church has a variety of spiritual gifts in its membership. (I Corinthians 12, 13 and 14) The use of these gifts to serve the Lord is encouraged. One’s gift package helps guide service decisions.
  8. We emphasize different types of evangelism. God draws people to Himself in various ways.
  9. Our worship services are a blend of praise music and hymns, giving, prayer, and the hearing of God’s Word. We do not have liturgy.
  10. The support of international evangelism and church planting is a long standing emphasis and heritage.
  11. Being a warm family is important to us.
  12. We believe we should grow, but struggle with how.

Our community setting

  1. 76% of Thurston County has no Christian church membership. Evangelical Christians are about 10%. (U.S. Census Bureau)
  2. We are one of the furthest north evangelical churches to Boston Harbor (a “no churches” zone). Johnson Point is similar.
  3. Our location includes lower income city, suburban middle class and rural areas.
  4. Property: 5 acres includes a church, children’s play area, ball field/volleyball area, and parsonage. We have room to grow.
  5. Comment: Our community setting reveals the “land of opportunity” God has given us.