For generations, the United States sent missionaries to the far reaches of the globe. Ironically, the United States is now home to the largest population of un-churched and spiritually disconnected English speaking people in the world (130 million). The American church has seen a steady stream of people leaving, often citing spiritual restlessness, apathy, or a sense that there must be “more.” There is still a deep hunger for meaning, significance and deeper questioning, but the church is no longer the place our culture turns to explore those questions.

However, the global Christian story is very different from the American story. Christianity is experiencing a dynamic renewal and expansion in many other parts of the world, including Africa and Asia. America is now considered by many to be a mission field. In 2000, Through the courageous witness and leadership of Archbishops Emmanuel Kolini of Rwanda and Moses Tay of Southeast Asia, a church-planting movement was born to reach people in North America.

Over the 16 years the Gospel was proclaimed, scores of new Anglican churches were planted, dozens of distressed churches were given a place of effective service, new bishops were consecrated to serve the expanding movement, and many new clergy were raised up for Christ’s church. The Anglican Church of Rwanda served throughout that time as a source of spiritual encouragement, guidance and inspiration for this growing movement.  We have been shaped by their holistic missionary heart and through the remarkable work of reconciliation after the 1994 genocide.

Recognizing the work of God in the forming of the Anglican Church in North America, the Anglican Church of Rwanda released the American Churches into the Anglican Church of North America in June of 2016.  This was a move to strengthen the work of the church in North America as well as to keep strong connection with Rwanda.  In 2016 the diocese of the Rocky Mountains was formed as part of the Anglican Church in North America.

We embrace Word, Sacrament and Spirit.

• We are under the authority of scripture and place special emphasis on the reading and study of God’s Word. The Bible shapes our imagination, worship, values, practices and common life.
• We are shaped specifically by Reformational Anglican Theology which recaptures the ancient and biblical truths of the grace and good news of the gospel.
• We are rooted in the rhythms and beauty of worship shaped over the centuries – we have a story and we have a history that help us to be rooted and relevant.  We are sacramental and liturgical, practicing holistic Christian formation that involves the head, the heart, and the body, emphasizing imagination as well as information, and producing disciples with gospel-shaped desires.  We believe that liturgy is a form of hospitality, enabling people from all walks of life to participate together in worship.
• We are completely dependent on the Holy Spirit’s presence, power and movement. 

 We are shaped by the Global Church.

• There is a directional flow of spiritual vitality from the Anglican Church in the Global South, specifically Rwanda, where the impulse to gospel proclamation and basic faithfulness is strong.
• This spiritual vitality encourages and empowers us to be a Kingdom presence in our communities in a gospel centered, holistic, and relational way.
• These active relationships across cultures provide a prophetic mirror to our own needs and draw us into a deeper understanding of the gospel.
• We are encouraged, humbled and transformed by sharing a common story which spans culture and geography with Christians from across the globe.

We are defined by the Gospel.

• We are committed to an understanding of the gospel that brings God’s renewal of all things, including personal, societal, and cultural, as well as creation itself, through Jesus Christ, the risen King.  This renewal is a gift of grace, and not earned.
• We believe mission is holistic and that we are called to take risks for the Kingdom, serving creatively, sacrificially and compassionately.
• We love to see God at work in people and institutions. While we have modest expectations of our own abilities, we have enormous expectations for what the Lord will do.
• Our churches are programmatically simple, minimizing bureaucracy; community oriented, embracing the truth that healthy churches are inherently inefficient, because relationships are inefficient; led by equipperswho seek to empower people to fully utilize their gifts to be the presence of Christ in the world.
• We are flexible and committed to movement over structure, favoring organic over programmatic growth.

Core Values

The Gospel of Grace
We are grounded in the Good News of what God has accomplished for our salvation through Jesus in order to restore us and eventually destroy all results of sin.  We embrace the mission of being part of the renewal of all things – and we acknowledge that we have no ability, in ourselves, to be part of this work.  We rely on what Jesus has done, is doing, and will do – which means that we engage out of a place of rest.  This also enables us to be generous with our resources.

Churches are the Primary Places of Proclamation and Mission.
The diocese is to serve existing churches and plant new churches. The work of the church is carried out by the Kingdom of priests – there is no division between clergy and laity, there is distinction of offices, but all are ministers.  We prioritize relationships as all ministry is relational.  We need each other to be the Kingdom of God, we need our shared strengths and weaknesses.

Head and Heart
We value a passionate love for Jesus along with deep theological engagement. This allows us to engage with grace, to speak the truth in love, to be open to learning and correction, and to seek the Kingdom as a higher good than winning a debate.  We want to have a gospel posture as we hold gospel positions.

Operational Values

Structurally Lean
Our mission drives our structure. We only want the staffing necessary to be effective in our mission.  The different works of the Diocese are meant to catalyze mission, not get in the way of mission.  We believe in the principle of subsidiarity: things that can be done or decided at the local or church level should not be done or decided by the diocese. 

Flexibility
Our mission drives our strategies.  We need to adapt to different circumstances without compromising our mission and values.  We don’t do things because that is the way we have always done them; there is an openness to doing things differently that still uphold our identity, mission, and values.

Raising up Leaders
We want to not just create opportunities for new leaders, but to be active in raising up new leaders.  Our goal is the multiplication of leaders (lay and ordained) for the multiplication of the gospel.