The following words have often been used to describe Christ Church, Otsego:  young, active, friendly, contemporary, generous, evangelical, spirit-filled, prayerful, youth and family focused, community-based, mission minded, transformational, Lutheran.  Each of these words is subject to a wide range of understanding and interpretation.  The following descriptions may provide some greater definition regarding our congregational identity. 

Demographically, we are primarily a congregation of young families, with children and youth representing about 50% of our 1,400 members and attenders.   Middle-aged and older adults are also a growing and committed part of our church family.  We represent nearly 20 communities in the northwestern quadrant of Minneapolis, MN, USA and suburbs, the largest number of participants coming from Otsego, Elk River, and Rogers.  The average age of our congregation is reflective of the average age of approximately 33 in these communities. Our primary service area is expected to grow by at least 20% in the next 5 years. 

Theologically, we are a conservative, evangelical Christian congregation with membership in the Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC).  We are committed to preaching and teaching the eternal truth of God’s Word, especially “salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ,” with practical application for daily living. 

Our Lutheran heritage provides this biblical and theological grounding, although practically speaking, our focus is on preaching and teaching the basics of Christianity rather than our denominational affiliation.  This philosophy is so core to our identity that we recently returned to “Christ Church” as the operational name of the congregation, the name by which we were first established.    

Programmatically, we are contemporary in worship style, incorporating music and worship teams, drama and video presentations, personal testimonies, and a variety of biblically-based sermon series.  We are youth and family focused, with a significant investment of staff, leadership, and resources being provided for a broad range of youth and children’s ministries.  We also have a growing commitment to adult discipleship through leadership training and small groups that we call “Life Groups.”  Our fellowship is creative and informal.  We are always open to new opportunities for inspiration, relationship building, and spiritual growth, often welcoming guest speakers, musicians, and mission partners. 

Organizationally, we continue to develop a flexible church structure that is responsive to new ministry opportunities and the ever-changing dynamics of our local communities and world.  In 1997, Christ Church reduced the size of its Church Council from twelve to seven.  This elected body works together with the pastoral staff to provide the “big picture” visioning and strategic planning, staffing, budgeting, and administrative oversight. 

We also abandoned the traditional Committee structure of many congregations.  The heart of our organization today is dynamic Ministry Teams that combine the leadership of the staff and the talents of many congregational members to carry on the mission of the church.  These Ministry Teams have the authority to manage their ministry areas within the context of our overall mission and vision.

Missiologically, we embrace the Great Commission of Matthew 28 and believe that “every member is a minister” who is intended to use their gifts to serve others and be a witness to the world.  Our Mission Statement is simply, “Sharing Christ’s Love.” We are committed to reaching our families, friends, neighbors, class-mates and co-workers with the Good News of God’s love in Jesus Christ. 

Our vision is to be a Transformation Church.  A Transformation Church develops transformed followers of Jesus who are being used by God to transform their church, community and world.  Our discipleship process centers around three words; Worship, Connect and Serve.

We believe that a transformed follower of Jesus is:

• a person who is growing in Worship, God’s Word and Prayer.
• a disciple who is connecting to God and others through meaningful relationships.
• a servant who is using their gifts “Sharing Christ’s Love” in the church, community and world.

We share in this mission with the Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC), with other churches, denominations and para-church organizations in our geographical area, as well as mission partners around the world.  Christ Church is strategically partnered with the Pray Elk River movement and the International Transformation Network to fulfill this wider mission of the church.  We support more than 20 Outreach ministries locally and world-wide.