This page is divided into 3 sections:
What we Believe
What we Practice
and Our Convictions
WHAT WE BELIEVE
TRINITY
We believe in one true God eternally existing in three distinct persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) each of Whom is fully and equally God, possesses all of the divine nature and attributes, and is totally worthy of our worship and service.
(Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; John 1:1-4, John 10:30; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
(Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; John 1:1-4, John 10:30; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
GOD
We believe that God is the creator and sustainer of the universe. (Genesis 1:27)
We believe that God loves lost people and desires them to be saved. (John 3:16; 2 Peter 3:9)
We believe that God loves lost people and desires them to be saved. (John 3:16; 2 Peter 3:9)
JESUS CHRIST
We believe that Jesus of Nazareth (as prophesied in the Old Testament and described in the Gospels) is the Messiah. He is God in human form. We believe the virgin-born Son of God died for our sins, was buried, rose from the dead and is coming again. We believe He is both fully God and fully man. (Isaiah 7:14, 9:6; Micah 5:2-3; John 1:1, 14; John 14:7-11; Philippians 2:5-7; Colossians 2:9)
We believe in the literal, bodily resurrection of Christ from the dead as prophesied. We believe He was physically present with His followers before He ascended into Heaven to be with His Father. (Acts 1:9-11; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8)
We believe in the literal return of Jesus as promised. (John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 2 Peter 3:3-4, 10, 13; Revelation 19:11-16)
We believe in the literal, bodily resurrection of Christ from the dead as prophesied. We believe He was physically present with His followers before He ascended into Heaven to be with His Father. (Acts 1:9-11; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8)
We believe in the literal return of Jesus as promised. (John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 2 Peter 3:3-4, 10, 13; Revelation 19:11-16)
HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that when a person receives Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior he also receives the Holy Spirit who leads and directs the believer through God’s Word and ministers to the believer, sanctifying, shaping, and guiding him to the truth. (John 16:13; Acts 2:38; Romans 8:9-11; 1 Corinthians 12:13)
We believe spiritual gifts are given to all believers by the Holy Spirit for works of service to benefit and build up the body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:1, 4-7; Ephesians 4:11-16)
We believe spiritual gifts are given to all believers by the Holy Spirit for works of service to benefit and build up the body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:1, 4-7; Ephesians 4:11-16)
SCRIPTURE
We believe that the entire Bible is the inspired Word of God and that men of God “were moved by the Holy Spirit” to write the very words of Scripture. The Bible is therefore without error (inerrant) in its original manuscripts. God has supernaturally preserved the Bible, and it is the sole and final authority for faith and life, providing encouragement, guidance, comfort and instruction for training in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
MANKIND
We believe that man was created in the image of God by direct act of God and for His glory. Because sin entered the world through the disobedience of Adam, man is born with a sin nature, is separated from God, and is incapable of saving himself by his own effort or merit. Man can only overcome sin through accepting Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. (Genesis 1:26; Isaiah 43:7; Acts 4:12; Romans 3:23-24, 5:6-12; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Ephesians 2:8-9)
SALVATION
We believe that Jesus Christ judges every person when they die. Because “everyone has sinned,” and “the wages of sin is death” (eternal separation from God), a person must confess his or her sins, repent and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior in order to be cleansed from sin and receive eternal salvation. (John 3:16; Acts 3:19; Romans 3:23, 6:23, 10:9-10; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 20:11-15)
We believe that salvation is a gift from God based upon His grace and not on our works. (John 10:27-29; Ephesians 2:8-9)
We believe that salvation is a gift from God based upon His grace and not on our works. (John 10:27-29; Ephesians 2:8-9)
BAPTISM
We believe that every believer should be baptized by immersion as a public symbol of his or her identification with Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. (Matthew 3:13-17, 28:19; Mark 1:9-10; Acts 8:36-39; Romans 6:3-4)
MARRIAGE
We believe that God created and approves of marriage between one man and one woman by joining them in a “one flesh” union, which reflects Christ’s relationship with His Church. (Genesis 2:18-25; 1 Corinthians 7:2; Ephesians 5:22-33)
THE CHURCH
We believe that the Church is a body of believers united under Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit. Members of the church must care for one another with the peace of Jesus Christ ruling through their hearts. (Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:25-27; Ephesians 4:4; Colossians 3:15)
The mission of the church is to make disciples who love God, love people, and reach the world. (Matthew 28:18-20; John 13:35; 1 Peter 4:8; 1 John 4:8,11)
The mission of the church is to make disciples who love God, love people, and reach the world. (Matthew 28:18-20; John 13:35; 1 Peter 4:8; 1 John 4:8,11)
THE LORD'S SUPPER
We believe that the Lord’s Supper (Communion) is a ceremony commanded by Jesus for believers to remember His sacrificial death for our sins. Before participating in the Lord’s Supper, a person should examine himself and never forget the tremendous price paid by our Savior for our salvation. (Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:27-29)
WHAT WE PRACTICE
SOLITUDE
We are a community of peace and quiet in a culture of anxiety and noise, through the practice of solitude.
PRAYER
We are a community of communion with God in a culture of distraction and escapism, through the practice of prayer.
COMMUNITY
We are a community of love and depth in a culture of individualism and superficiality, through the practice of community.
SCRIPTURE
We are a community of courageous fidelity to orthodoxy in a culture of ideological compromise, through the practice of Scripture.
FASTING
We are a community of holiness in a culture of indulgence and immorality, through the practice of fasting.
GENEROSITY
We are a community of contentment in a culture of consumerism, through the practice of generosity.
SERVICE
We are a community of justice, mercy, and reconciliation in a culture of injustice and division, through the practice of service.
WITNESS
We are a community of hospitality in a culture of hostility, through the practice of witness.
SABBATH
We are a community of rest in a culture of hurry and exhaustion, through the practice of Sabbath.
Our Convictions
In addition to our beliefs and practices, we have 7 convictions that our church leaders are committed to.
Fidelity to Orthodoxy. We hold to the historic faith with joy, boldness and confidence in a time of widespread theological and ethical compromise, particularly in the areas of scripture, sex, money and power. We are committed to the Gospel of the Kingdom of Jesus.
Moving in the power of the Spirit. We embrace the gifts and ministry of the Spirit to equip the church for fruitful missional engagement. We seek to be a people of God’s manifest presence, so that many may say, “surely God is among them.”
Contemplative: Practicing Counter-Formation. We practice a slow-down spirituality in a hyper-connected, over-busy, and exhausted world. Recovering ancient practices of sabbath and contemplative prayer. Living by a rule of life, and aiming to becoming desert fathers and mothers in the city.
Contextual: Thoughtful engagement with secular culture. We preach the Gospel in a way that deconstructs cultural idols and proclaims the Gospel as the fulfillment of all personal and existential longings in our cultural moment. We seek creative mission and ecclesiology that fit the context and reach the lost.
Contending: Seeking spiritual awakening. We pray fervently for an outpouring of the Spirit, that brings revival to the church, and a spiritual awakening in the larger culture.
Compassionate: Remembering the poor. We will live among and serving the poor, overlooked, and marginalized in a way that embodies the way of Jesus and seeks to find God in the face of those on the outside.
Communal, category defying relationships. We will cultivate deep, loyal, and united friendships across the boundaries of race, class, politics, and sex, in a world that seeks to polarize and divide based on categories of power or privilege.
(These come from a group of like-minded pastors and leaders at Searock Session).
Fidelity to Orthodoxy. We hold to the historic faith with joy, boldness and confidence in a time of widespread theological and ethical compromise, particularly in the areas of scripture, sex, money and power. We are committed to the Gospel of the Kingdom of Jesus.
Moving in the power of the Spirit. We embrace the gifts and ministry of the Spirit to equip the church for fruitful missional engagement. We seek to be a people of God’s manifest presence, so that many may say, “surely God is among them.”
Contemplative: Practicing Counter-Formation. We practice a slow-down spirituality in a hyper-connected, over-busy, and exhausted world. Recovering ancient practices of sabbath and contemplative prayer. Living by a rule of life, and aiming to becoming desert fathers and mothers in the city.
Contextual: Thoughtful engagement with secular culture. We preach the Gospel in a way that deconstructs cultural idols and proclaims the Gospel as the fulfillment of all personal and existential longings in our cultural moment. We seek creative mission and ecclesiology that fit the context and reach the lost.
Contending: Seeking spiritual awakening. We pray fervently for an outpouring of the Spirit, that brings revival to the church, and a spiritual awakening in the larger culture.
Compassionate: Remembering the poor. We will live among and serving the poor, overlooked, and marginalized in a way that embodies the way of Jesus and seeks to find God in the face of those on the outside.
Communal, category defying relationships. We will cultivate deep, loyal, and united friendships across the boundaries of race, class, politics, and sex, in a world that seeks to polarize and divide based on categories of power or privilege.
(These come from a group of like-minded pastors and leaders at Searock Session).