Bethlehem exists to provide a Word and sacrament ministry to the Indianapolis community.

Historically, Lutheran congregations have maintained that the Christian Church is "the assembly of all believers among whom the Gospel is preached in its purity and the holy sacraments are administered according to the Gospel." (Art. VII, The Augsburg Confession).

While this definition of purpose still remains valid, every generation of believers must restate the purpose of the Church in terms which reflect the specific needs and opportunities of its unique cultural setting. Therefore, the following is an attempt to articulate Bethlehem's reasons for being in terms that are relevant for the twenty-first century.

Bethlehem exists to promote healing.

Bethlehem is an institution called into being by God who works through it to draw people to himself for healing. Once healed, God sends these people out again renewed and strengthened for the task of leavening that part of the world in which they live and work.

Bethlehem exists to promote faith development.

Faith is much more than rational assent to a set of religious doctrines. It involves a fundamental shift in our perception of the human situation—a shift in our basic attitudes and feelings toward God, his creation, ourselves and others. We must come to believe and feel that at the very center of existence is a power that is trustworthy; that love, life and integration have primacy over their opposites.

Finally, despite all appearances to the contrary, we come to experience that the entire creation is fundamentally and ultimately cared for. It is this change in our perception of God, the creation, others and ourselves that constitutes faith development. As a center for faith development, our congregation becomes a setting in which, by the grace of God, people constantly have their basic trust in life renewed.

Bethlehem exists to serve as a transforming arena.

A Christian congregation is an arena in which a part of the ministry process takes place. It is the setting in which people are related to God and prepared to enable others to be related to him in the larger arena in which ministry occurs—the community. Therefore, we need to be concerned for the worship, preaching, teaching and fellowship that form the interior structure of our congregation.

These components give the gathering congregation its foundation. They create the transforming arena where the work of relating people to God and to one another occurs. However, we need to be clear that this transforming center is not the ministry nor measure of discipleship required by our Lord, but rather the arena that strengthens and equips persons for ministry and discipleship in the world.

Bethlehem exists to change the world as its members respond to the Spirit's call.

For whatever reason and in whatever social-psychological state, people who come to a Christian congregation come in response to the Spirit's call. As they return to their daily lives, they carry with them what they have found in the congregation. They have been redeemed and changed, and as they participate in the world, they bring redemption and rebirth to those whose lives they touch. In this way, the congregation changes and shapes society through the lives of the people its members influence.

Bethlehem exists to conduct an effective rather than a successful ministry.

The ministry of Bethlehem has two focuses—first, those who participate in it as members; and second, the people, processes and structures of society that are touched by these individuals. The congregation's goal is to motivate its members to work for a society where all people are loved and are loving, where justice and compassion characterize relationships. It is on this basis alone that the success of a congregation can be measured.

Therefore, we believe that the final test of Bethlehem's effectiveness lies not in how many people enter its doors, or in how many programs it conducts, but in what its members take with them as they go back out into the world. If we accept all who enter unconditionally, relate them back to their places of residence and employment equipped and motivated to make those arenas more loving and just, we will have done our job.