Many times over the last few months I have needed to take deep breaths and ground myself in the safety and possibility of the moment. I know I’m not alone in that experience. We are living in an extraordinary time — the future subject of books and movies and academic studies. Our experiences now and in the months and years to come will define us in ways we cannot fully understand now.

In the midst of all of this, our Anabaptist World team has chosen to take those deep breaths, to learn new tools and to push past the discomfort of uncertainty. We’ve done it all to deliver on our mission and connect you to Anabaptist communities around the world through news, stories and inspiring perspectives.

One of my joys has been to further define Anabaptist World’s core values.There are so many urgencies in creating a new organization. This makes it hard to dedicate time to defining not only what needs to get done but also the spirit of how it will get done. Our core values lay that out for us. They are our guide as we strive to be true to our name, which suggests we will represent the world on these pages.

These are the core values:

Christ-centered faith

As an Anabaptist journalistic ministry, we take Jesus’ words and actions seriously and attempt to model our work after his example.

To approach our work with Christ at the center means we are committed to treat others with respect, honesty and empathy.

We are committed to publishing content that inspires and facilitates conversations about but not limited to:

Human dignity

We believe that the stories we tell and images we share have power. They contribute to how people understand our world, and because of this power we put respect of human dignity at the center of our reporting. To this end, we are committed to challenge stereotypes and contribute to a positive understanding of the issues we cover.

Cultural humility

We are committed to the pursuit of deep understanding and respect for people and cultures, and this guides our choices about which stories we publish and the voices we invite. We strive to include perspectives that challenge the dominant culture’s narrative, which often excludes individuals who have not historically had opportunities to speak into current issues of the day.

Journalistic excellence

We strive to achieve journalistic excellence through the pursuit of truth, to minimize harm, to act independently and to be accountable and transparent. We believe independent reporting and respectful dialogue build a stronger and more faithful church.

To meet the challenge before us, we are committed to showing up every day grounded in these values to serve the Anabaptist communities.