What we believe
We hold to and are committed to the teaching of the Church of Ireland as expressed in the Prayer Book and upheld in the Canons of the Church and the 39 Articles of Religion. We are motivated by and teach our faith in alignment with an evangelical doctrinal understanding of the Gospel. Therefore, we are committed too:
1. The sovereignty of the one true God, who is to be honoured, obeyed and glorified. We express our love for God regularly in worship and in prayer, both personally and corporately (Ps 95:6; Eph 6:18; Col 1:15-20).
We believe that the Lord our God is one: Father, Son and Holy Spirit and there are no other Gods but Him.
2. The inspiration, authority and truth of the Bible which is to be read regularly and which guides our work (Ps 119; Is 40:8; Matt 5:17-19; 2 Tim 3:16-17).
We believe that all Scripture, canonically the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is ‘God breathed’ and as such is Inspired, Infallible and Inerrant. It is to be used to teach, rebuke, correct and train the church in righteousness and in calling the lost to Christ.
3. The supremacy of Christ, his atoning death, the necessity of personal repentance and faith, and of bearing witness to Christ in word and deed. We are commissioned to share our faith regularly with others (Matt 28:16-20; Acts 2:38; 1 Pet 3:15-18, Eph 1:22-23).
We believe we are called to repent and believe the ‘good news’ that Christ died for sins once for all; the righteous for the unrighteous to bring us to God. Christ is ‘head over all’ and we must make this known to all. We are called to make Christ known to the lost.
4. That new birth means we belong to God, that our true identity is found 'in Christ' and that the Holy Spirit dwells in us (1 Cor 3:16; Eph 2:10; 1 Pet 2:9; 2 Cor 5:17, Eph 1:13-14, John 3:5).
We believe that all must be born again and sealed with the Holy Spirit to inherit the Kingdom of God. This new birth is expressed in the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion and in works of service.
5. That God created all human life in his image, and therefore every person is sacred and worthy of dignity and respect. That God loves and cares for all people in their physical, cultural and ethnic diversity. That human beings are created to love, worship and honour God, and to relate to one another with love, justice and compassion (Gen 12:3; Lev 19:15; Deut 16:19, 24:19; Amos 5:24; Jn 15:12).
We believe we are called to be a loving, welcoming church family for all, where we seek to train and grow disciples to live according to the will of the Lord as made plain in Scripture.
6. That God created human beings in his image, both male and female. Man and woman are distinct, possessing equal value, made to glorify him and together reflect his image. As Christians, we are called to live in accordance with his creative intent, in which the human body, including biological sex determined by God at conception, is integral to personhood and not intended for change (Gen 1:27; Gen 2:23; Eph 5:21-33; 1 Cor 6:19).
We believe we are called to uphold the sanctity of human life.
7. The importance of friendship, family and marriage. Marriage is a gift from God intended to be a self-sacrificial, life-long covenant between one man and one woman, and is the proper place for sexual relations. God calls for fidelity within marriage and chaste singleness outside of marriage (Gen 2:20-24; Mal 2:13-16; Matt 19:1-12: 1 Cor 6:9-10; 1 Cor 7:8-16).
We believe we are called to uphold the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman and are committed to empowering God’s church to honour Christ in all our relationships.
8. The importance for the Christian life of participation in the local church, while framing local participation within the context of the church universal (Rom 12:3-21; Eph 4:11-16; 1 Pet 4:10-11).
We believe we are called to regular attendance at worship and corporate prayer and Bible study gatherings. We are committed to serving Christ through local and global evangelisation, concern for the poor, discipleship and missionary endeavour. We are committing to growing leaders and to sending mature disciples into the ‘Harvest Field’.
9. The importance of prayer and discipleship. In prayer, we recognise our dependence on God and our need to listen to the Holy Spirit. We also recognise the importance of discipleship that nourishes the spiritual life and is fully committed to developing it. (Matt 28:16-20; Jn 3:1-21; Eph 6:18; 2 Tim 2:2, 1 Corinthians 1:23).
We believe we are called to a spirit-filled, prayerful and Word based biblical expository ministry, which preaches Christ crucified. We seek to call and equip believers to live a life worthy of our calling heavenward in Christ Jesus through the careful discipleship of all church members in the context of spirit-filled prayer and reliance on the Lord.
10. The importance of choices and actions that are informed by love for, and a concern to look after, the good creation that God has made and entrusted to us.
We believe we are called to be good stewards of the natural world (Gen 2:15; Ps 8).