The Mission

Keystone is a community that Loves God and Loves Others.

These Five Words speak to the kind of church we’re hoping to become:

COMMUNITY

Jesus didn’t do ministry alone, and neither should we. Our culture will constantly create opportunities for community to flourish. From small groups and Bible studies to service teams and social opportunities, we’re not fulfilling our mission unless we experience God in community.

HOSPITALITY

We will go out of our way to make sure everyone is welcome. We will celebrate our unity in diversity. We are old and young, rich and poor, straight and gay, liberal and conservative, married, single, and divorced, black, white, and brown, and most of all, we are One in Christ Jesus who welcomes us all the same.

HONESTY

We will pursue God with honesty and integrity. Questions and doubts will always be welcome. We believe that we are all on a journey of growth and understanding. We believe it’s okay to not be okay.

DISCIPLINE

Following Jesus is a journey of growth and transformation. This process is proactive; we will engage daily in the disciplines of faith: prayer and meditation, studying the scriptures, regular worship, intentional community, and sacrificial service.

GENEROSITY

We will be generous with our money. We will carefully craft a simple budget with no frills so that every gift reaches its greatest potential to create meaningful ministries with our children and youth, to offer meals to the hungry in Kansas City, to cultivate community in our church, and to support our initiatives worldwide.

…that God reaches out to us in different ways. God is the creator of the universe and giver of all that is good. God is the savior—known boldly and intimately in Jesus and his life, death, and resurrection—who shows us how to live and love. God is the Spirit who enables us to make a difference in our world and in the lives of others.

…that the Bible is the primary source of Christian doctrine. We believe that its message of grace matters most when we live it out in a way that our lives are changed.

…that spiritual practices like prayer, reading the Bible, participating in small groups, fasting, and tithing are vital to our faith.

…that sin, both what we have done and what we have failed to do—the Bible calls it “missing the mark”—describes the reality that things are not as they should be: we are self-obsessed, broken, fearful, and oppressive. It’s what Jesus came to save us from.

…that grace is the unearned love, honesty, and compassion that God freely gives and shows us in Jesus. It’s how Jesus saves us, heals us, sets us free, and increases our capacity for love.

…that we need each other. Whether single, married, divorced or widowed, it’s better to follow God with friends than it is by ourselves.

…that the goal of church is not to make people more religious but to help people fall more in love with God and therefore become more fully human.

…that we are called to reach out to our neighbors both locally and globally and serve them in ways that make a difference.

We are a United Methodist congregation, and we welcome people from all religious (and non-religious) backgrounds. You don’t have to be United Methodist to come here, and you don’t have to become United Methodist to belong here.

United Methodist Church