Neighboring Together is Holy Cross Lutheran Church’s mission development journey — honoring the deep roots of our congregation while embracing new opportunities to connect with our neighbors, grow in faith, and build meaningful community together. As “A New, Old Congregation,” we are rediscovering what it means to be church in today’s world: welcoming, relational, and rooted in Christ’s love for all people.

Neighboring Together is more than a theme — it is the story Holy Cross is growing into. Grounded in faith and shaped by relationships, we are learning to walk alongside our neighbors, nurture belonging across generations, and partner with our community in meaningful ways. Through this mission, we are seeking not simply to preserve who we have been, but to faithfully become who God is calling us to be together.

This framework helps describe the journey Holy Cross is embracing through Neighboring Together. Rather than choosing between being an “established” or “intentional” congregation, we are prayerfully discerning how to honor the strengths of our history while growing into deeper relationships, shared ministry, spiritual formation, and community connection. It is an invitation to imagine what faithful church life can look like in a changing world — rooted in Christ and lived out together.

This part of the journey invites Holy Cross to think beyond maintaining structures and toward cultivating a living, active faith community. Neighboring Together challenges us to see church not only as a place we gather, but as a shared way of life — rooted in tradition while remaining open to growth, relationship, learning, and the movement of the Holy Spirit in our changing neighborhood and world.

This vision reminds us that Holy Cross has always been more than a building — it has been a gathering place for faith, relationships, and shared mission. Neighboring Together builds on that legacy by carrying the spirit of the “new old neighborhood church” into today’s world: connecting with neighbors, strengthening partnerships, nurturing belonging, and continuing Christ’s work in Duluth Heights and beyond.

The four pillars of Neighboring Together give shape to how Holy Cross lives out its mission in the community. Each partnership area represents a different way we build relationships, nurture faith, and serve our neighbors — from caring for those nearby, to supporting children and families, to strengthening community connections through shared ministry. Together, these pillars help move our mission from something we simply say into something we actively live: leading all people to a lifelong faith in Jesus Christ through welcome, connection, reform, and support.

Neighboring Together is not simply a program — it is a shared ministry shaped by relationships, collaboration, and leadership across the congregation. These leadership and pillar teams create the structure that helps our vision move from ideas into action, empowering people to work together around each mission pillar and strengthen Holy Cross’s presence in the neighborhood. Through shared leadership, intentional partnership, and faithful stewardship, we continue building a church rooted in faith, belonging, and community impact.

The work of Neighboring Together is just beginning. As Holy Cross builds leadership teams around each of the four mission pillars, this next season will focus on prayer, relationship-building, discernment, and meaningful community connections. Through sermons, team development, and emerging ministry opportunities, we are taking intentional steps toward becoming a more connected, neighborhood-centered church — rooted in faith, building belonging, and bearing fruit together.