Created Mission
The mission of Created is to help all people connect to the healing heart of God through the creative arts and to equip Jesus followers to use the arts to bring the hope of Christ into a broken world. Every soul has value in the eyes of God and creativity is a doorway for people to connect with Jesus, find healing and learn their value to Him possible through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Created Values
As a mission of Wildfire Network, we hold to the values and manifesto that can be read here. As Created, there are several specific values we hold as we move forward in the mission God has called us to:
Worship God
We worship the Creator, not the created. All things were created by Him and for Him, and when we create- it is ultimately for His glory and for His purposes. It is through Christ that we are reconciled to God and only through Him that we find wholeness, healing and peace. Creating apart from the Uncreated One is not complete or whole. As the created ones, we were made to be pliable in the Creator's hands. We love Him with our whole mind, soul, body and spirit, submitting to God (in the fullness of the trinity: God the Father, God the Son Christ Jesus and God the Holy Spirit) and to no other god, life-force, mind-set, mystical powers or spirituality. At Created, when we create we do so for the ultimate purpose of worshiping God.
Colossians 1:15-20; Deut. 6:4-7; Exodus 20:3; Ephesians 1:18-23; Isaiah 64:8; Romans 9:21; Isaiah 45:9
Creativity
In the beginning, God created and He said that it was good. We are created as His works of art, in His image, and therefore wired to join Him in the creative process. When we join Him in this creative process and remain in intimacy with Jesus, we co-create with Him and bear good fruit. All creativity is a gift from God and for the ultimate purpose of reflecting His beauty and bringing Him glory.
Genesis 1:26-31; John 15:5-8; Exodus 35:29-35; Isaiah 55:13; Ephesians 2:10
Healing
Creativity is for the healing of the nations. God desires to heal broken hearts and restore all of creation to Him. He is the Healer and through the creative process we learn from His healing nature. We see this process reflected in all diverse parts of creation- including the diverse people He created. He came to heal the sick and bind up the wounded hearts. Healing for every soul matters to God and should to us as well.
Rev 22:2; Psalm 147:3; Genesis 1:26-31; Mark 2:17; Romans 8:22; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20
Quietness and Reflection
In the business around us, it is deeply important to have ears that are in tune with God’s voice and His heart. The stillness readies us to listen. The questions prepare us to reflect. Jesus asked many questions of His followers in order to teach them about themselves, about Him and about His kingdom. He challenged perspectives through quietness, through His method of teaching and through and simple responses. We follow this reflective model, knowing when we seek to know God’s heart and ask Him questions, He has good things prepared for us that will heal and prune us in the process.
Psalm 37; 1Kings 19:11-13; Jeremiah 29:11-13; John 15; Ephesians 2:10; Psalms 46:10
Peace
Jesus came to give us life abundant, not one filled with anxiety. Peace is not the absence of pain, suffering or hardship, but a deep anchoring of where our hope lies. Our peace is found not in circumstances, but in Christ Jesus. Helping get people to a place of peace that only Jesus can offer means transferring our worries, pains and burdens to Him and in exchange we find freedom in peace.
John 14:27; Isaiah 55:12; Philippians 4:6-7; Galatians 5:1,13; John 10:10; Hebrews 6:19; Matthew 5:9
Open Table
The gift of healing and creativity are for everyone. Jesus invites every person to His table to experience His grace, healing, salvation and intimacy. He is not looking for perfection, but for those who are thirsty for what He offers. Likewise, we are not to show favor for any one particular group of people, but are to show honor and respect for each person that we serve through ministry. We see the deep value and kingdom potential of every soul. We choose to be intentionally present to those that are hurting, oppressed and who Jesus called “the least of these” and in doing so, show our love for Him.
Luke 5:31; Matthew 25:31-46; Luke 14:7-14; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 5:9; 1 John 4:7-8
Stewardship
We are to be good stewards of the gifts, skills and resources God has given us. We were called as God’s people to use these gifts to serve others and minister to a hurting and broken world. When we recognize them as gifts, we can more freely give them away with open hands and not seek to keep the best for ourselves. Our job instead, is to seek first the Kingdom of God and He will continue to provide for the things He wants to happen as we hold all things loosely in relation to ownership. He commanded us to make disciples, not of ourselves or our brand- but of Christ. God gave artisans a particular place and role in His body to share the experience and expression of the arts where we are often tempted to keep them for our own purposes. In giving freely of our gifts, we love our neighbors as ourselves, following the command of Jesus. Part of stewarding these resources well means to teach and pass on what Jesus has taught us.
Exodus 35:29-35; Matthew 28:19; 1Peter 4:10; Matthew 22:37-40; Philippians 2:1-11; Matthew 25:14-30; Matthew 6:33-34; John 13:34; 2 Timothy 2:1; Luke 16:10-12