ABOUT US
Learn about our values, culture, beliefs and partnerships at WCEC
Our Purpose
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Curious
We are a curious church. We ask questions and pursue answers with an open mind, seeking to become ingenious as Solomon, the wisest man in the world in his day. We apply intelligence and develop wisdom, as in Proverbs, and we model Christian maturity best we can. We provide a supportive environment for asking and discussing challenging questions.
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Optimistic
We are future oriented and order our behavior around building for the next generation. We put on the outlook of Isaiah, the prophet whose vision for world peace is inscribed on the wall of the United Nations headquarters. We are optimistic, aiming to provide a strong spiritual heritage for the next generation, while pursuing human flourishing through education, excellence, and capital formation at the same time.
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Harmonious
Because we believe in tranquility, we actively practice humility and treat each other with dignity and respect. We maintain alignment of purpose, as John, author of the greatest gospel, would have it. We seek unity, even when we disagree. We communicate thoroughly to keep everyone in the loop, sacrificing efficiency as necessary.
DISTINCTIVES
How We Differ
Evangelical yet Flexible
Being cross-cultural, cross-generational and cross-denominational, we are flexible to build and maintain good relationships. This is an ideal environment to stretch our spiritual muscles, within the bounds of evangelical Christianity.
Old Testament Applicability
As Jeremiah says, the New Covenant is "not like" the Old; nonetheless, as Paul says, the Old Testament is a “schoolmaster” bringing us to Christ. Therefore, we strive to understand both Testaments in light of the other, as the adage goes “the Old is the New concealed; the New is the Old revealed.”
Consensus Leadership
Jesus is the head of the church; we trust him to speak through team leadership (leaders in dialog with each other), as he does in Acts 15. Our elder and deacon board makes our key decisions.
Patience
We partner with God to gradually restore the world to what he intended; we pray His will be done on earth as it is in heaven, more and more, day by day. We do our best, and we wait on God to do the rest, in his timing.
East Meets West
Just as the New Testament is a coming together of Judean and Roman cultures (“Jew and Gentile”), so we embrace the challenges of accommodating and learning from a blending of cultures. At this church, most of us have experienced more than one culture, and we enjoy and thrive in that interplay.
Grow the “Big C Church”
God works through many, other than ourselves, fulfilling his promise that “as the oceans are filled with water, so the world will be filled with people who know the Lord” (Isaiah 11:9). We cooperate with other churches and ministries, through missions, conferences and church planting. Our door is always open.
CHARACTERISTICS
Our Church Culture
Though every church shares the essentials of the Christian faith in common, each local church has distinct characteristics, a culture.
BELIEFS
Our Church's Statement of Faith
While the Bible is our only infallible rule of faith and practice, we are also committed—and accountable—to a specific statement of faith that represents a summary of the teaching of Holy Scripture.
Of The Scriptures
We believe that the Holy Bible, as originally written, was verbally inspired and the product of Spirit controlled men, and therefore has truth without admixture of error for its matter. We believe that it is the true center of Christian union and the only infallible rule for all human conduct. (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21)
Of the True God
We believe that there is only one living and true God, infinite in every excellence; that in the
unity of the Godhead there are three personal distinctions- the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit- yet one in substance and equal in every divine perfection. (Exodus 20: 2-3; 1 Cor. 8:6; 1 John 5:7)
We believe in the absolute Deity of the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ; that He was divine as no
other man can be, being very God of very God, existing from all eternity co-equal with the Father and the Spirit; that He never ceased to be God for one instant and that His humiliation did not consist in laying aside His deity; that as a man He was miraculously begotten of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. (Matt. 1:20; Luke 1:26-38; John 1:1-2; 1 John 5:20)
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person, equal with the Father and Son and of the same substance and nature; that He convicts of sin, righteousness and judgment, bears witness to the truth, is the Agent of the New Birth and that He seals, endues, guides, teaches, witnesses to, sanctifies, and helps the believer, indwelling every true child of God. (John 14:16-17; Romans 8:14-27; 2 Cor. 13:14)
Of the Creation
We believe that God created the heavens and the earth, including all life, “each after its own kind.” (Gen. 1 and 2; John 1:3; Col. 1:16-17)
Of the Devil, or Satan
We believe that there is a distinct personality called Satan, that he is the unholy god of this age, author of all darkness and sin, and is destined to the judgment of an eternal justice in the lake of fire. (Matt. 4:1-3; 2 Cor. 4:4; Rev. 20:10)
Of the Fall of Man
We believe that man, in the person of the First Adam, was created in innocence but by
voluntary transgression fell into sin thus plunging the whole race into condemnation and death, so that now all mankind is born in sin and shaped in iniquity, and become willful sinners with the first expression of personal choice, and so are without excuse before God. (Gen. 3; Rom. 5:10-19)
Of the Redemption from Sin
We believe that the only escape from the condemnation of sin is through the redemption wrought by Jesus Christ, when He voluntarily took upon Him a human body and nature, yet without sin, and by His suffering, death and resurrection made full satisfaction to the justice of God for the sin of man; that the blessings of this salvation are given on the grounds of grace to all who believe and confess that it is the immediate duty of all to accept these offers of mercy. (John 1:1-3, 14; 3:1-7; Acts 16:30-33; Heb. 10:4-14)
Of Salvation by Grace
We believe that faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ is the only condition of salvation from sin, and this salvation is wholly by grace; that no works, however good, make that salvation more secure. (Acts 16:31; Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-7; Rom. 10:9-13)
We believe that all who take Christ as their Savior are born from above and are eternally secure in Christ. (John 10:28-29; Rom. 8:35-39; Phil. 1:6)
Of the Church
We believe that the church is established by Jesus Christ. He is the Head of the church and the church is His body for service and His bride for glory. We believe that the church universal is constituted of all born-again believers and is manifested through the local church, which is a congregation of baptized believers, associated by the covenant of faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws; exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in the church by His Word; that its officers are Elders (including Pastors) and Deacons; that it has the absolute right of self-government directed by the Holy Spirit and it is answerable only to Christ, and that in all matters of membership, policy, government, discipline and benevolence the will of the local church is final. (Matt. 16:18, 18:15-17; Acts 2:41-47; Rom. 16:26; 1 Cor. 1:2, 6:4, 7:17, 11:16, 12:12-28; Eph. 1:22-23, 3:21, 4:11-12, 5:23-33; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 1 Tim. 3:1-15)
Of the Ordinances
We believe that there are two church ordinances; Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism sets forth in a beautiful and solemn way our faith in a crucified, buried and risen Savior, with the effects of that faith in our lives as it produces death to sin and resurrection to a new life. The Lord’s Supper, the commemoration of our Lord’s death until He comes and our continual fellowship with Him, should be preceded by baptism and always by careful self-examination. (Acts 8:36-39; Rom. 6:3-5; 1 Cor. 11:23-32)
Of the Righteous and Wicked
We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked; that only such as through faith are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and sanctified by the Spirit of God, are truly righteous in God’s esteem; while all such who continue in impenitence and unbelief are in His sight wicked, and under the curse; and that this distinction holds among men both during life and after death, in the everlasting conscious suffering of the lost. (Mal. 3:18; Matt. 25:34-41; Luke 6:25; Rom. 6:17-23)
Of the Return of Christ
We believe in the bodily, personal return of Jesus Christ. He will come to judge the living nations and to set up His kingdom on Earth. (Matt. 25:31-46; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Rev. 19: 11-21)
Of the Resurrection
We believe in the resurrection of the bodies of the dead; that believers who sleep in Jesus will be raised at the coming of Christ; and that the wicked dead will be raised at the judgment to receive their final doom. (John 5:21-30; 1 Cor. 15:51-54; 1 Thess. 4:16; Rev. 7:9-17, 20:11-15)
Of Marriage
We believe in the Biblical teaching of marriage that the covenant of marriage, instituted by God, is a union between one man and one woman. When God created mankind, He made them male and female, and the fundamental family structure of marriage is defined as a covenantal union between one man and one woman. Therefore, we believe that a marriage relationship between one man and one woman, a husband and a wife, is the intended family unit established by God. Furthermore, we believe this structure is the will of God and it is established for the well being of human society. (Genesis 2:21-24, Matthew 19:4-6)
