Who We Are | MNYS Values
God destined us for adoption as God’s children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of God’s will, to the praise of God’s glorious grace that was freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. —Ephesians 1:5
“Who are you?” No doubt this question has been asked of you at one time or another in your life. It can be asked with curiosity or interest. Depending upon the circumstances, the question can lead us to stop for a moment and consider how best to answer. What is it about us that the question seeks to find out, and that we choose to reveal?
The question can have the greatest impact when we ask it of ourselves. “Who am I? Which, of the many aspects of my personhood, most truly defines me?” It’s a good question, and one that can bring insight and enlightenment.
It’s also a good question for us to ask as Metro NY Lutherans. “Who are we? And how does that identity define and guide us and our behavior?” Closely tied to identity is purpose. Who we are and how we define ourselves should determine how we act and what we do.
As part of the 2025 Vision for our Synod, I have prayed over clear, memorable, and faithful core values that guide our lives as “God’s adopted children, through Jesus Christ, who have freely received grace upon grace, according to God’s pleasure and for God’s glory.” (See the verse above.) Here are those core values:
Following the example of Jesus, we will…
Live the Gospel.
Love all people.
Serve God’s children together.
It is my hope and prayer that these straightforward and Biblically-grounded values will provide us with a renewed sense of our identity and call, and guide our work together, as we are called to be the Body of Christ for such a time as this. I look forward to discovering together the transformative power of knowing, through God’s eyes, who we are and who it is we are called to be.
Yours in Christ,
+Bishop Egensteiner
Our Values
Our synod's core values are the basis for setting, developing, resourcing, and delivering all ministries of the Metropolitan New York Synod.
Following the example of Jesus we will:
Live the Gospel
God chose the church to live the Gospel in the world. We live the Gospel in the word and actions for the people of the Metropolitan New York area.
It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me: Galatians 2:20
Love All People
All people are children of God. We grow as children of God by loving others as children of God. A critical expression of this truth is our synodical anti-racism and anti-bias work.
For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen: 1 John 4:20
Serve God's Children Together
God wants to unify, not divide. We will come together as a diverse group of people to understand, serve, and advocate for those in need.
That all of them might be one, Father, just as You are in me and I am in You: John 17:21