Disciples Making Disciples | Beliefs of St. Paul's Findlay

BELIEF

St Augustine said, “Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.” What we believe about God, ourselves, and this world is based on faith (Hebrews 11:1) in the infallible, inerrant, and complete Word of God and His general and special revelation. It is the bedrock of our faith, and the foundation on which we build our church.

MISSION

Our mission at St Paul’s Church in Findlay is to be disciples making disciples. It’s a simple mission that comes straight from Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19), and we strive to keep it clear and ingrained in all that we do. This process is called discipleship, and it informs how and what we do at St Paul’s Church, all the way from greeting people on Sunday morning to in-depth Bible studies – we are focus and intentional in walking with people on the journey to becoming like Jesus in all that we say and do. This process is life-transforming for individuals, families, society, and the world. Ref John 13:14-17, 15:5-8, Acts 1:8.

VISION

The vision of each ministry of our church is the specific way in which the mission is played out. Therefore there will be multiple visions in our church, that are all driven by the same mission. Each ministry’s vision is nuanced and specific to their objectives as it relates to making disciples of Jesus Christ of each person it is designed for.

THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST

What is it?

The gospel is the good news of God’s grace invading the brokenness and darkness of this world caused by sin, which entered the world in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3). It is the grand narrative of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation ordained by God and orchestrated through the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, who was fully God and fully man. His brutal death on the cross, burial, and resurrection is the heartbeat and power of the gospel. Christ’s death is a substitutionary (in our place) and propitiatory (for us) sacrifice to God for our sins (for us to be reconciled to Him).
It satisfies the demands of God’s holy justice and appeases His holy wrath. It also demonstrates His mysterious love and reveals His amazing grace. Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and man. There is no other name by which men can be saved. Ref Acts 4:12, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, Romans 1:16-17.

How should I respond to it?

Now, everyone everywhere is called by God to believe the Gospel by putting their faith in Jesus Christ as their savior and Lord, repenting of their sin and living for Him. This is God’s will for everyone, with no exception, and it is the only way people can receive eternal life. We are all called to be missionaries wherever we are, proclaiming the Good News to everyone God puts in our path. Ref. 1 Timothy 2:4, John 3:16, Acts 4:12, Mark 15:15.

WE AFFIRM THE FIVE SOLA’S OF THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION

SOLA SCRIPTURA — The Bible is the sole written divine revelation and alone can bind the
conscience of believers absolutely (Matt. 4:4; 2 Tim. 3:16).
SOLA FIDE – Justification is by faith alone. The merit of Christ imputed to us by faith is the sole
ground of our acceptance by God, by which our sins are remitted (Rom. 5:1; Gal 2:16).
SOLUS CHRISTUS – Christ is the only mediator through Whose work we are redeemed (John 14:6; John 3:16).
SOLA GRATIA – Our salvation rests solely on the work of God’s grace for us (Rom. 2:4; Eph. 2:8-10).
SOLI DEO GLORIA – To God alone belongs the glory (Isa. 42:8; Col. 3:17).

WE AFFIRM THE WESLEYAN QUADRILATERAL

The W.Q. is a theological mechanism to describe the whole of the Christian experience, utilizing four (“quad”) areas that John Wesley believed that define the Christian faith for believers. Although Wesley did not formulate this mechanism himself ( it was later coined by Albert Outler), it helps Christians to better understand the foundation of our faith.

The four areas are (1) Scripture, (2) tradition, (3) reason, and (4) experience. In no particular order, this mechanism shows us that Scripture is considered the primary source and standard for Christian doctrine. The tradition of the historical church is the witness of development and growth of the faith through the past centuries and in many nations and cultures. Experience is the individual’s understanding of how their Christian faith plays out in their own life. Lastly, through reason the Christian brings to bear on the Christian faith discerning and cogent thought. These four elements taken together bring the individual Christian to a mature and fulfilling understanding of the Christian faith and the required response of worship and service. Cited: Glossary Wesleyan Quadrilateral, The

DOCTRINE AND THEOLOGY

Doctrines are our beliefs that stem directly from the Bible, the Word of God.
Theology is the science (“ology” study of) of God (“theo”).

TRINITY

We believe in one God who eternally exists in three distinct Persons; God the Father, God the Son, & God the Holy Spirit. Each member of The Trinity is distinct in their person and role, but co-exist eternally in full communion and community with each other. One God – Father, Son, & Holy Spirit – is the foundation of Christian belief and faith.

BIBLE

We believe that the Bible, the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament, are the inspired, written Words of God through human authors throughout the ages. God, through the Holy Spirit spoke through people to pen the Scriptures in a specific context and time, yet these words provide authoritative truth through all contexts and times. The Protestant (Christian) canon contains various literary forms that have timely and timeless content and applications for all mankind. We believe that the Bible, in its original form, is free from error in all it’s teachings and provides the truth and rule for all of life. The Bible is the full authority for the Christian life and should be submitted to in all circumstances, cultures, and peoples. The Bible is fully sufficient, therefore nothing should be added or subtracted from its teachings. The Bible is a divine revelation of God and the Gospel and is the source for all of our teaching, belief, and doctrine. This conclusion is held by faith and for faith.

CHURCH

St Paul’s Church is a local body of believers who are part of the global church (Christians everywhere; “catholic” by it’s original definition), beginning at Pentecost (the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2), and participants in the New Covenant through the shed blood and resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
“Anchored in our belief in Jesus Christ, the Church is of God and will be preserved to the end of time to worship God in spirit and in truth, to faithfully preach God’s Word and offer the holy sacraments, to edify all who believe and encourage them to grow in their lives of holiness and service to others, to minister to those who are in special need, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, to present the world with a clear and compelling invitation to accept Jesus Christ as Lord. All those of every age and station stand in need of the grace that God has promised to extend to others through His Body, the Church. While it is ultimately the work of the Holy Spirit to change the hearts of individuals, ours is the task of sharing the good news of God as we respond to the summons of Christ in Matthew 28: “As you are going, make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you,” even as Christ has promised to remain with us always, “even to the end of the age.”
Following the example of early Methodists, we believe God has raised us up in order to “spread scriptural holiness across the land,” embodying that “grand depositum” of the faith that John Wesley believed had been entrusted to “the people called Methodists,” the continued striving for entire sanctification in our lives. As individual believers in Christ, and as those gathered together in local congregations, our calling is to connect with the communities and the world around us, extending both grace and mercy. Growing in our personal faith, and effectively discipling others, are both life-long expressions of loving the Lord with all of our hearts, all of our being, and all of our minds, as well as loving our neighbor as ourselves.” Cited from the Global Methodist Church (https://globalmethodist.org/what-we-believe/)
Clergy and laity: God has entrusted His work in this world to the whole people of God. All Christians are called through their baptism to be in ministry to others, both as individuals and as a part of the church, using the gifts and graces with which they have been equipped by the Holy Spirit. Every layperson bears the responsibility for carrying out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), but likewise each have been given the power by God to do so. For like the variety of spiritual gifts described in the scriptures, the diversity of our outreach efforts knows no limit either when we serve Christ with joy and thanksgiving. With other heirs of the Protestant Reformation, we embrace the notion of “the priesthood of all believers” and we call upon both laity and clergy to work together in a partnership of servant hood. As suggested in Ephesians 4:12-13, Christ has not given to pastors the task of doing the ministry by themselves, but of equipping those in the church for such works of service, so that “the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

We believe that it is only as each individual, whether lay or clergy, bears witness to God’s grace that the world may come to know Christ and respond to His invitation to have life in abundance. Each member is therefore expected to be a witness for Christ in the world, a light and leaven in society, and a reconciler in a culture of conflict, identifying with the agony and suffering of the world and radiating and exemplifying the Christ of hope. As the people of God, we must either win the world to Christ, or abandon it to those forces that oppose Him. Beyond the diverse forms of ministry is this ultimate concern: that all persons will be brought into a saving relationship with God through Jesus Christ and be renewed after the image of their creator (Colossians 3:10). This means that all Christians are called to minister wherever Christ would have them serve and witness in deeds and words that heal and free. Toward that end, the full participation of all who believe is vital and cannot be evaded if the gospel is to be heard and received. Cited from the Global Methodist Church.

WORSHIP

God is the focus and main recipient of our worship gatherings
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We sing songs rich with theology that express our thankfulness to God, joy in the Holy Spirit, and our experiences in Christian living. Our liturgy has confessions and prayers based on the Word of God. The sermons (homilies) are Spirit-filled exhortations, admonitions, and encouragements from scripture for the building up of the Body of Christ, and evangelism for sinners (people who don’t know Jesus yet).
We structure our services to lift up the Person and salvific work of Jesus Christ, and provide spaces for people to respond to the move of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

SACRAMENTS

A sacrament is practice that provides a visible symbol of a spiritual reality. In the Christian faith it is a rite of obedience to Jesus’ teachings that distinctly marks us as children of God, and reminds us of our identity in Christ. It is important to remember that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone (see the Five Sola’s above), and not by practicing the sacraments; otherwise salvation would be by works (what we do).
We believe scripture teaches that the Christian church practices two sacraments: baptism and communion (The Lord’s Supper).
There are two sacraments in Scripture: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Baptism: Baptism is a sacrament replaces circumcision from the Old Testament, which identifies those who have been born again in Christ (Col. 2:11-12, Acts 2:39). It is done in obedience to Jesus’ command (Matthew 28:19), and is a sign and seal of the New Covenant given in Christ Jesus and also of entrance into the visible church. However, baptism does not save anyone. Rather, it is a public sign that one has been saved already. At St Paul’s Church we practice both sprinkling and immersion, both as acceptable forms of baptism.
Communion: The Lord’s Supper is a practice of remembering the Lord Jesus Christ’s last meal with the twelve disciples that symbolize the New
Covenant he establishes with all believers. The Jewish Passover, as an Old Covenant meal, corresponds to the Lord’s Supper, as is made clear in the Gospel accounts of its institution (Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22).
Bread and wine represent the body and blood of Jesus. Worthy receivers of this meal are those who profess faith in Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 11:26-30). By faith in Christ alone, believers spiritually feed on Christ, show forth His death, and receive nourishment as they partake of the two elements (John 6:35, 53; 1 Cor. 11:26).
At St Paul’s Church we typically, but are not limited to, partake of Communion on the first Sunday of the month in our worship gatherings. We believe that God is glorified in this sacrament by pouring out His Holy Spirit on our local church body as we remember that we are partakers of the New Covenant in Christ.

MEMBERSHIP

Membership in a local church (body of believers) is different than any other membership on earth (ie. a social club, or affnity group). We are a diverse
group of people from various socio-economic backgrounds, races, levels of education and ages…with one new identity: Christians. That is our unifying identity and it carries a high level of commitment, with eternal benefits.
At St Paul’s Church we take membership very seriously for the sake of discipleship and growth as a church body in all of it’s ministries and mission.
We share the view of membership of the Global Methodist Church, that members are “1. The baptized membership of a local church shall include
all baptized people who have received Christian baptism in the local congregation or elsewhere, or whose membership has been transferred to the local church subsequent to baptism in some other congregation.
The professing membership of a local Global Methodist church shall include all baptized people who have come into membership by profession of faith through appropriate services of the baptismal covenant in the ritual or by transfer from other churches and who profess the vows of membership in ¶ 319.

Our Beliefs