About Us
Who We Are
Olive Branch is a new outreach community of Mount Olive that seeks to be ‘church’ in creative, adventurous ways.
We are especially open-hearted to anyone who has been hurt by the church and has been smart enough to not go back. We appreciate creativity in its many forms and make space for wild, artistic expression. We strive to be ready to take risks, actively serving and reaching outward. Our gatherings in person and online tend to be orbited by theology, the arts and relationships.
We are based out of Rochester, MN, but our online community extends throughout North America and beyond. If you want to, get in touch.
What We Believe
Like everything else about humans (our bodies, thoughts, haircuts), faith naturally evolves ever our lifetimes, and this is a good thing. We all are progressing from somewhere, and it's good to be connected with other people on the journey.
We are grounded in the ELCA Lutheran tradition. This means a couple of doctrinal compass points, namely the overwhelmingly generous love of God, and the call to embody the compassionate and justice-driven life of Christ. We recognize the interconnectedness of all things, and wonder at the mystery of the Spirit when we are inspired, moved, or bothered by music, film, conversation, politics, Instagram feeds, soup, and our most intimate relationships.
Olive Branch tends not to use ancient creeds. Rather, we seek new and expansive ways to express how we experience the Divine in our world. In other words, we don’t all need to believe the same things to be in community.
We Practice
Questioning: We value courageous inquiry, a lifestyle of wonder, and supporting one another when beliefs change.
Reconciliation: An olive branch can symbolize an offering of peace. Where the institutional church has a history of harming, judging, excluding, Olive Branch strives to be worthy of forgiveness so we can be in authentic relationships with those willing to give the church a(nother) chance.
Community: Faith is a participatory experience. We need each other. Olive Branch values vulnerability, generous listening, laughter, and honesty about hopes and fears.
Art: The intersection of imagination and theology is just about our favorite place to live! Practicing painting, photography, drawing, mosaics, music, film, poetry, what have you-- these are ways of exploring the deepest part of a rich, meaningful life.
Pie: Because we're sure Jesus did.
Community Commitments
Anti-racism: We denounce white supremacy and practice anti-racism.
Feminism: We celebrate and emphasize the creativity, wisdom and strength of women and girls.
Full celebration of LGBTQIA+ persons: It’s staggering that we live in a time when this needs to be stated explicitly.
Anti-consumerism: In a society that values individualism, productivity, consumption and status, we say, “Let’s not.”
Creation and ecology: We strive to be good neighbors with the ecosystems of soil, sea, and sky and the myriad species living in them.
Non-Jerk Christianity: We celebrate the reality of the many spiritual traditions (or no tradition) in the world.
