St. John’s Values


Core Beliefs:

We believe …

  • Salvation is necessary, because humanity has fallen from its created estate of perfect relationship with God.
  • That salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone, for He is the only begotten Son of the Living God.
  • The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments in their entirety is God’s Word and is the standard by which we are to order our lives, express our faith, and function as a community.
  • That we, as part of Christ’s body (the Church) are committed to worship the Father by means of Word and Sacrament as we are empowered by the Holy Spirit.
  • Nothing of significance happens in God’s Kingdom in the absence of prayer. Therefore, we seek to make prayer a priority asking the Lord to lead, restore, heal and transform our lives, our churches, our communities and the world.

Core Values:

These are essential marks that shape our identity and guide our actions:

  • Commitment to Jesus Christ: We believe that salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone. He is the only begotten Son of the Living God. Through Him, all who come to Him by faith and repent of their sins, receive forgiveness through Christ’s death on the Cross and live in newness of life through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. This new life of faith is to be marked by a joyful obedience to Jesus Christ, to God’s Word, and to the leading of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 16:15-16; Ephesians 2:4-10; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 5:22-25).
  • Authority of Scripture: We believe that the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments in their entirety is God’s Word, and is the standard by which we are to order our lives, express our faith, and function as a community (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
  • Evangelism: We believe that we are to live our lives, to make disciples, and to grow our churches in a manner that expresses the loving and longing heart of God for those who are separated from Jesus Christ and His Church (Matthew 9:12-13; Luke 15; 1 Timothy 4:1-5).
  • Authentic Relationships: We are committed to one another in a fellowship which expresses the love, forgiveness, and unity of God as revealed in the relationship of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We are therefore committed to holding ourselves accountable before God and to one another (John 13:34; 1 John 4:11-21).
  • Worship: We are committed to worship in Word and Sacrament, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Our worship — in glorifying God — is to be authentic and meaningful to our cultural setting while remaining within the breadth of our Anglican Tradition (John 4:23-24; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Acts 17:22-24).
  • Servant Ministry: We believe that every Christian is created for ministry, gifted for ministry and needed for ministry. We are, therefore, committed to equip, empower and release each member of Apostles to use their spiritual gifts to glorify God and to build up the Body of Christ (Romans 12: 1 Corinthians 12-14).
  • Sacrificial Giving: We believe that we are to be generous with our time, gifting and money as we share with those in need, support the work of God among us, and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ (1 John 3:17-18; Ezra 2:68-69; Acts 2:44-47). In particular, we commit to strive toward biblical financial stewardship [the Biblical standard of the tithe].
  • Biblical Leadership: We are committed to identifying and training leaders who are committed to Jesus Christ and to reaching their generation with the gospel. This will require of them an authentic faith, godly character, and a servant’s heart (Luke 22:27; Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12-13).
  • Expectant Prayer: We believe that nothing of significance happens in God’s Kingdom in the absence of prayer. Therefore, we commit to making prayer a priority — inviting God to lead, restore, heal and transform our lives, our churches, our communities and the world (John 14:15-31; Luke 11:1-13).

Core Statements Of Faith And Practice:

What We Believe About The Bible

We believe in the faith that has been received and carried on by the one, holy, and catholic church throughout the centuries. Most importantly, this includes a commitment to:

  • the Bible as the revealed Word and Will of God the Father, the ultimate and absolute truth by which we order our lives,
  • the truth that in the Bible, Jesus Christ is demonstrated to be the unique Son of God, in whom salvation is found alone, through His sacrificial death and powerful resurrection, and,
  • the truth that the Spirit of Holiness is further revealed to be the sole means of both engendering faith and keeping it alive.

Our Historic Faith

The particular statements of our faith as Anglican Christians are found in:

  • The 39 Articles of Religion (here).
  • The Solemn Declaration (here).
  • The theology of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer as “the gold standard” of Anglican worship, defining the meaning and structure of worship for Anglicans (here).