What We Believe
We talk a lot about Jesus.
We are a people who have been changed by knowing Jesus. We believe He is the centre of this incredible good news we're all talking about. Our lives were a mess and He found us and began transforming us. Because God loved us, we believe love is the most important thing we do.
Love marks us all.
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Jesus changes every willing heart. Are you willing to encounter Jesus?
We're part of a bigger community.
We're part of a bigger family called the Mennonite Brethren. We get that could sound weird, and no, we aren't Amish. We come from a group of Jesus-followers from way back.
In the 1500's, the Church was in desperate need of reforming and a few groups broke off and tried to renew things. One of those groups was the Anabaptists. They were passionate about following Jesus in a way laid out in the Bible, not just in religion.
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Eventually, the Mennonites were forged. As a people who were deeply committed to living in apprenticeship to Jesus, caring for one another and living as peacemakers in the world, they came to have a strong identity and purpose.
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These are our roots and the legacy of our heritage.
Our Confession of Faith
And yes, we do have most of the stuff we believe written down. This "confession" is where we expressed how we understand and apply the Bible to what we believe. It wasn't written by just one person, but lots of people working together to articulate our shared beliefs.
1. GOD
We believe in the one true God, the source of all life, who reigns over all things as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and lovingly cares for all creation. God the Father planned the redemption of humanity and sent Jesus Christ the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Jesus proclaimed the reign of God, bringing good news to the poor and triumphing over sin through his obedient life, death, and resurrection. God the Holy Spirit empowers believers with new life, indwells them, and unites them in one body.
2. REVELATION OF GOD
We believe God has made himself known to all people. Beginning with creation and culminating in Jesus Christ, God has revealed himself in the Old and New Testaments. All Scripture is inspired by God and is the authoritative guide for faith and practice. We interpret Scripture in the church community as guided by the Holy Spirit.
3. CREATION & HUMANITY
We believe God created the heavens and the earth, and they were good. Humans, God’s crowning act, were created in the image of God. Sin has alienated humanity from the Creator and creation, but God offers redemption and reconciliation through Jesus Christ.
4. SIN & EVIL
We believe sin is individual and corporate opposition to God’s good purposes and leads to physical and spiritual death.
5. SALVATION
We believe God saves all people who put their faith in Jesus Christ. Through his obedient life, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection, Christ delivers people from the tyranny of sin and death and redeems them for eternal life in the age to come. All creation eagerly awaits its liberation from bondage into the freedom of the glory of God’s children.
6. NATURE OF THE CHURCH
We believe the church is the covenant community called by God through Jesus Christ to live a life of discipleship and witness as empowered by the Holy Spirit. The local church gathers regularly for worship, fellowship, and accountability and to discern, develop, and exercise gifts for ministry.
7. MISSION OF THE CHURCH
We believe the mission of the church is to make disciples of all nations by calling people to repent, be baptized, and love God and neighbour by sharing the good news and performing acts of love and compassion.
8. CHRISTIAN BAPTISM
We believe baptism by water is a public sign that a person has repented of sin, received forgiveness, died with Christ, and been raised to new life through the power of the Holy Spirit. Baptism is also a public declaration of a believer’s incorporation into the body of Christ as expressed in the local church.
9. THE LORD'S SUPPER
We believe that in obedience to Christ, the church observes the Lord’s Supper as a remembrance of his atoning death and to celebrate forgiveness, new life, and the fellowship and unity of all believers.
10. DISCIPLESHIP
We believe Jesus calls people who have experienced the new birth to follow him in a costly life of service to God. The power of the Holy Spirit transforms believers from the unrighteous pattern of the present age into a life of joyful obedience with God’s people.
11. SINGLENESS, MARRIAGE & FAMILY
We believe that singleness and marriage are honoured by God and should be blessed by the church. God instituted marriage as a lifelong covenant between a man and a woman for the purpose of companionship, encouragement, sexual intimacy, and procreation. Children are gifts from God and should be nurtured by parents in the ways of God.
12. SOCIETY & STATE
We believe that God instituted the state to promote justice and to maintain law and order. Christians’ primary allegiance is to Christ’s kingdom. Believers are called to witness against injustice, exercise social responsibility, and obey all laws that do not conflict with the Word of God.
13. LOVE & NONRESISTANCE
We believe that God in Christ reconciles people to himself and to one another, making peace through the cross. We seek to be agents of reconciliation, practice love of enemies, and express Christ’s love by alleviating suffering, reducing strife, and promoting justice. Because violence and warfare are contrary to the gospel of Christ, we believe we are called to give alternative service in times of war.
14. SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE
We believe that God is Creator and giver of life and highly values each person. Procedures designed to take human life are wrong. We oppose all attitudes that devalue human life, especially the defenceless lives of the unborn, disabled, poor, aging, and dying.
15. STEWARDSHIP
We believe the universe and everything in it belong to God the Creator and that we have been entrusted by God to manage its resources. All God’s gifts, including money, time, abilities, and influence, are to be received with thanksgiving, used responsibly, and shared generously.
16. THE LORD'S DAY, WORK & REST
We believe God’s act of creation provides the model for work and rest. In work, we use our abilities to glorify God and serve others. In rest, we express thanks for God’s provision and trust in God’s sustaining grace. In worship, we gather to commemorate the resurrection through worship, instruction, fellowship, and service.
17. CHRISTIANITY & OTHER FAITHS
We believe God’s atoning work in Jesus is the only means of reconciling people with God. God has not left any without a witness to the Creator’s goodness and power. Christians treat people of other faiths with respect but urgently proclaim Christ as the only way of salvation.
18. CHRIST'S FINAL TRIUMPH
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ will return triumphantly at the end of this age to destroy all evil powers, condemn all who have rejected Christ to eternal punishment, and unite believers with Christ to reign forever with God in glory.