We are beloved children of God, each one bearing His image, invited into a covenant relationship with Jesus Christ to become His ambassador, and partner with Him in the restoration of all things. When we are confident we are understood, accepted, and loved, we gain courage to explore and discover our gifts, and act according to our God given identity.

At EBC we enter into covenant relationships: we relate primarily as a family, not just a business, organization, or community, but as a family. We appropriately care for one another’s spiritual, physical, emotional, and financial needs. This family is committed to seeing our mission fulfilled: we don’t give up, we’re all in.

We are liberated to serve when we view ourselves and others as beloved children of God. We are not in competition with one another, but support others as they achieve their hopes and dreams. We are confident in our own identity, and serve from a heart that is at peace.

We have been uniquely designed with divine purpose. We are called to build God’s kingdom as we operate in our fields of expertise. As we discover and steward our gifts in community, we grow and develop our talents through our various roles at home, at work, and at play. We feel deeply connected to the work we do, desiring to fulfill our vocational tasks to the very best of our ability.

We act justly, we operate with mercy and kindness, we walk humbly, and honor everyone as human beings made in the image of God. We walk in integrity in all areas of our lives. We are not perfect examples, but are becoming living examples. We can disagree honorably. We operate with transparency, and hold one another accountable with grace and dignity. When we make mistakes, we own them, we forgive one another, and work together to make amends.

We operate from an abundance rather than a scarcity mentality. We are confident that God is more than enough. He will supply our every need as we give without fear and share His goodness with others. We do not tolerate exploitation, blatant disregard for resources, or excessive wastefulness; rather, we exhibit excellent and wise stewardship, which yields fruitful abundance.

Every one of us is wonderfully and uniquely made, designed to reflect God’s creativity, wisdom, and beauty in a way that only we can. We respect and honor each other’s differences and the different roles we play. We acknowledge that we need one another’s strengths. We are not uniform, but we are unified.

Active listening involves empathetically hearing what someone else is saying. We are not just looking for opportunities to talk when someone else is speaking. We are attentive, patient, and non-judgemental towards one another. We desire to respond to others in the context of our covenant relationships. We are thoughtful and considerate in our responses; we are not reactive.

We offer a highly supportive environment: a place where people feel unconditionally loved, where people experience grace and mercy, and where people can become who God has called them to be in all of their diversity and uniqueness. Together we call people higher in every area, including moral excellence, spiritual pursuits, work ethic, and relational skills. We challenge one another to adopt a growth rather than a fixed mindset. Invitation and challenge work together to create a life-giving culture of sustainable development and growth.

Building healthy, intentional, and predictable patterns of rest, work, and play help our lives be fruitful and prevent us from experiencing burn-out or feeling unproductive. Maintaining sustaining and life-giving rhythms enable us to invite others into what we are doing without feeling as though we are adding more to our schedule. Our body and brain require rest and play to flourish. We are appointed to work, but our work does not define our value or identity.