Who We Are

We are committed to the process of faith, especially the questions.

 

We take faith seriously; seriously enough to question, challenge, wrestle, reinterpret, and rename it, if necessary. And, as difficult as that may be, we believe it necessary and good and worthwhile.

Furthermore, we do not believe that this is something a person simply sets out to do. Instead, this process of standing back, asking questions, disengaging from some faith practices while simultaneously engaging more deeply with others, is as much something that happens to us as something we choose to pursue—it is part of the mystery we call faith.

We cannot stop the process because it is more than what we do, it is who we are.

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Meet The Founder & Director

Amanda Oster has training and experience in pastoral ministry, holds ordination status through Amercian Fellowship Church, and holds a master’s degree in Missional Leadership. Over the past 15 years she has had the opportunity to speak to various groups of people on a wide variety of topics pertaining to Christianity, the church, and spiritual life. She has served in various church roles, including Senior Pastor and church planter, and has served on various boards for community and non-profit organizations.

It was her own deconstruction that initiated and contributed to her passion for Nones, Dones, and SBNR (spiritual but not religious), eventually leading her to turn a failed church plant into a ministry that was more aligned with her personal spiritual values and the growing group of those she encountered who were/are deconstructing and reconstructing in their faith journeys. Lyra Ministries is her attempt at trying something different and inviting others to join along, filling an ever-growing need in the Christian community.

She lives in rural North Dakota with her one husband, two teenagers, and three+ cats. She loves coffee, red wine, buying books (sometimes reading them), and the idea of being outdoorsy.

5 Core Practices

Though Lyra Ministries is committed to a Christian ethic, it also acknowledges that what it means to be “Christian” is a deeply personal and nuanced way of belonging, behaving, and believing. We seek to embrace the diversity of spiritual thoughts and experiences that make up those within the Lyra community, and we recognize and respect the changing, questioning nature of those who are wondering what “Christian” means for them. As such, rather than a statement of beliefs, the following 5 Core Practices guide the ethos and activities of all this ministry seeks to be and do.

5 Core Practices

  1. Worship

  2. First Fruits

  3. Hospitality

  4. Community

  5. Service

 

Hospitality

Hospitality flows from the biblical conviction that all are created in the image of God; therefore, true hospitality values diversity and equality and validates the image of God in all.

Hospitality is the practice of welcoming and inviting others into transformative relationships.

Worship

Worship is the intentional practice of focusing on and responding to the Divine—generally and specifically— in the daily living of our lives.

We do this by partnering with God in common activities and by partaking in religious rituals such as prayer, meditation, Scripture intake, etc.

 

community

Community is based on the belief that spiritual growth does not happen in isolation, but is, instead, a result of dynamic, intentional relationships.

The practice of community values relationship over religion, is mutually edifying, and involves working with others toward a more beneficent world.

first fruits

First fruits is our faithful response to all that we have been given as worshipers—giving, as stewards, our first and our best.

First fruits is the practice of excellence and stewardship in all things, including, but not limited to: time, money, relationships, creation care, etc.

 

service

Service is rooted in the habit of unleashing our unique giftings for the sake of others and the world. In our service, we are co-creators with God in leaving the world better than we came into it.

Service may include giving out of areas beyond giftedness and strengths, serving beyond the self.

“you either walk inside your story and own it, or you stand outside your story and hustle for your worthiness.”

— Brené Brown