Core Values
What do we believe?
Maryland Presbyterian Church is a faith community of progressive, curious, and resilient people. We are grounded in our faith in God, who is both greater than we can understand and as close to us as our own breath. God’s power and presence comforts, strengthens, liberates, and sends us into the world to be a force of love and justice.
We are part of a long history of progressive Christians, and are connected to the PCUSA, a Protestant denomination that welcomes all, and has stood for racial desegregation, women in leadership, and LGBTQ+ marriage and ordination. We remain open to the Spirit’s call to reformation, and honor our church’s history of inclusion by seeking to open the doors ever wider to our neighbors. We are formed by scripture, the story of the Jewish and Christian understanding of God growing and transforming through the ages. The stories, law, poetry, and prose were inspired by the Holy Spirit and passed down through the centuries. We also find beauty and wisdom in secular traditions, science, our religious siblings, and creation.
How do we practice our faith?
At the heart of our progressive theology is a call to enact our faith in the way of Jesus, and help create a world where all can flourish and justice reigns. We do this in several ways.
Community. We believe that we cannot be Christians alone, and practice our faith in community. We are committed to caring for each other. When people among us are struggling, we pray for each other, visit one another, and show up with meals and support. And when they celebrate, we celebrate alongside them – at soccer games, birthday parties, baptisms and weddings.
Radical Welcome. We welcome all, particularly those who the Church has historically harmed, marginalized, or excluded. We believe that life in community is strengthened by diversity and by each person’s unique embodiments of gender, age, race, status, class, ability, and sexual orientation.
Spiritual Growth. We believe spiritual growth is life-long and intergenerational work. Through worship and sacrament, education, service, and play we open ourselves to the mystery and love of God.
Justice, Care, and Peacemaking. Through financial and direct support of our ministry partnerships in Baltimore County and the wider state of Maryland, we seek to disrupt unjust policies and systems that keep people from flourishing. We also believe God’s justice and care extend to creation; through stewardship of our own forest and apiary, advocacy for just ecological policy in Maryland, and sustainable practices in our church and individual lives, we work to protect and heal the Earth and promote the wise use of its resources. We believe that God calls the Church to end conflict and suffering, and so MPC’s members have a historical commitment to peacemaking through advocacy, education, and action – from as far as El Salvador and Northern Ireland during conflicts, to as close as our own homes.