(from the BCMS Report, p. 3–4)

Identity

Why has God called us into existence as a diocese?

We, the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota, are a communion of Christian congregations and other ministries, rooted in the breadth of the Anglican tradition, called by God and empowered by the Holy Spirit to share in Christ’s ministry of reconciliation.

Therefore…

• We must continually discern the Spirit’s movement in our rapidly-changing state and world.

• We believe that God has a mission in the rural areas, small towns, cities and suburbs of our state in which we have a particular role.

• In light of the Spirit’s movement and God’s mission, the primary focus of our ministry is congregations and the communities they serve.

• We gather in congregations in order to experience Christ’s love, forgiveness, and healing, to be challenged by his Word and fed at his table, and then sent out in ministry to the world.

• As we celebrate our diversity, we will seek Christ’s reconciliation of our divisions and share Christ’s ministry of reconciliation with the world.

• We are bound to one another at all levels in an interdependent life of mutual partnership, sacrificial support and accountability that reflects the life of the Trinity.

• We intentionally engage our members to live out their baptismal vocation by discerning their spiritual gifts to serve in ministry in all the spheres of their lives.

Purpose

What has God called us to do?

Our purpose as the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota is to seed and cultivate vibrant congregations of maturing Christian disciples, equipping and emboldening them to be Christ’s heart, hands and voice in the world.

Therefore…

• We take seriously God’s mission in the world and our responsibility to participate in it.

• In light of God’s mission, our primary commitment will be developing healthy, vital congregations.

• We will attend deeply to the necessary spiritual transformation of our congregations and shared life together.

• Following the example of our Native American community’s practice of Gospel-Based Discipleship, we will dwell together in the biblical narrative, allowing our imaginations to be shaped and inspired by God’s story.

• We will raise up leaders capable of forming fully- committed disciples of Jesus who are equipped for ministry.

• The church’s primary missionaries are its lay members in their daily life and work.

• We are called to an active, public presence in our communities for the common good.