Canvas Community welcomes everyone regardless of age, race, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and stage of belief or level of commitment to Christianity. All who come in peace, all who desire to explore the way of Jesus, are welcome to participate in all aspects of the church.

A word on how we aspire to engage with social issues:

Our community is made up of people who think differently and hold different positions on any number of social issues. We believe the church should be a diverse family, not a uniform corporation, which means we expect there to be differences when it comes to our convictions on complex issues. When it comes to social issues and biblical interpretation, some are progressive in their thinking, some hold traditional views, while others might describe themselves as open, learning, and in process. We consider this difference a sacred opportunity to practice listening, learning, and loving each other. We believe the church has the potential to help us see that differences don’t need to separate us but rather have the power to help us become more like Jesus. Instead of trying to craft definitive positions on complex issues, we are interested in imagining and creating a future where conversations on these topics look, sound, and feel like love.

We aren’t interested in arguing or labeling each other (liberal or conservative, this side or that) because this doesn’t lead to friendship or trust. Following the way of Jesus, we are interested in learning to welcome, include, and love those who are different from us, which is a challenge that applies to everyone in the mix. We consider this not a duty of tolerance, but the calling of love. We enthusiastically welcome all people because we serve a compassionate God who hears the cry of the outcast, the lonely, and the oppressed.

Our commitment is this: even when we disagree, we will relentlessly seek to create a loving, safe, and respectful space for all who would like to participate. This is a challenging trail to blaze, and we won’t do this perfectly, but with love as our common goal and grace and peace our guides, we endeavor to create a community where all are truly welcome. 

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In Christ’s family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ. – Galatians 3:28-29 (the message)

“If love is the answer, community is the context, and tenderness the methodology.”
– Gregory Boyle

“The truth is, the church doesn’t offer a cure. It doesn’t offer a quick fix. The church offers death and resurrection. The church offers the messy, inconvenient, gut-wrenching, never-ending work of healing and reconciliation.
The church offers grace.”
– Rachel Held Evans