Who We Are

The Journey Church is a conservative, Bible teaching, evangelical church. Our doctrinal heritage is rooted in the Protestant Reformation, Baptist theology, and the early church fathers' understanding of apostolic teachings.

STATEMENT OF FAITH

1. Scripture

1.1. The Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and sufficient Word of God and thus the ultimate authority for all matters of faith and practice. Though the various theological statements of the Church reflect the succinct summaries of biblical boundaries, it is the Bible itself to which we are in ultimate submission.

1.2. (Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 4:1-2; 17:19; Joshua 8:34; Psalms 19:7-10; 119:11,89,105,140; Isaiah 34:16; 40:8; Jeremiah 15:16; 36:1-32; Matthew 5:17-18; 22:29; Luke 21:33; 24:44-46; John 5:39; 16:13-15; 17:17; Acts 2:16; 17:11; Romans 15:4; 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 1:19-21)

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2. God

2.1. There is one true God who is one being and exists as three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

2.2. God is the creator of all things. He created the universe out of nothing, and He is currently holding all things together through his divine power. All things happen in accordance with the providence of God.

2.3. We affirm that the Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Spirit, the Spirit is not the Father, the Father is God, the Son is God, the Spirit is God, and God is one.

2.4. God the Father

2.4.1. God the Father is the first person of the Trinity. He is distinct from the Son and the Spirit in His role and function as Father, but He is equal with the Son and the Spirit in deity. The Father has ordained whatsoever comes to pass.

2.4.2. (Genesis 1:1; 2:7; Exodus 3:14; 6:2-3; 15:11; 20:1; Leviticus 22:2; Deuteronomy 6:4; 32:6; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Psalm 19:1-3; Isaiah 43:3,15; 64:8; Jeremiah 10:10; 17:13; Matthew 6:9; 7:11; 23:9; 28:19; Mark 1:9-11; John 4:24; 5:26; 14:6-13; 17:1-8; Acts 1:7; Romans 8:14-15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 4:6; Colossians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:6; 12:9; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 John 5:7)

2.5. God the Son

2.5.1. God the Son is the second person of the Trinity. He is eternally begotten of the Father and is equal in deity. Christ is truly God in every way and truly man in every way, yet without sin. He was conceived by the work of the Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.

2.5.2. (Genesis 18:1; Psalms 2:7; 110:1; Isaiah 7:14; 53; Matthew 1:18-23; 3:17; 8:29; 11:27; 14:33; 16:16,27; 17:5; 27; 28:1-6,19; Mark 1:1;3:11; Luke 1:35; 4:41; 22:70; 24:46; John 1:1-18,29; 10:30,38; 11:25-27; 12:44-50; 14:7-11; 16:15-16,28; 17:1-5, 21- 22; 20:1-20,28; Acts 1:9; 2:22-24; 7:55-56; 9:4-5,20; Romans 1:3-4; 3:23-26; 5:6-21; 8:1-3,34; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2:2; 8:6; 15:1-8,24-28; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; 8:9; Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:20; 3:11; 4:7-10; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:13-22; 2:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 3:16; Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews 1:1-3; 4:14-15; 7:14-28; 9:12-15,24-28; 12:2; 13:8; 1 Peter 2:21-25; 3:22; 1 John 1:7-9; 3:2; 4:14-15; 5:9; 2 John 7-9; Revelation 1:13-16; 5:9-14; 12:10-11; 13:8; 19:16)

2.6. God the Holy Spirit

2.6.1. God the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. The Spirit is not merely an essence or a power but a person. He is equal in deity with the Father and the Son, and He eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son.

2.6.2. (Genesis 1:2; Judges 14:6; Job 26:13; Psalms 51:11; 139:7; Isaiah 61:1-3; Joel 2:28-32; Matthew 1:18; 3:16; 4:1; 12:28-32; 28:19; Mark 1:10,12; Luke 1:35; 4:1,18-19; 11:13; 12:12; 24:49; John 4:24; 14:16-17,26; 15:26; 16:7-14; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4,38; 4:31; 5:3; 6:3; 7:55; 8:17,39; 10:44; 13:2; 15:28; 16:6; 19:1-6; Romans 8:9-11,14-16,26-27; 1 Corinthians 2:10-14; 3:16; 12:3-11,13; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 5:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:19; 1 Timothy 3:16; 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:14; 3:16; Hebrews 9:8,14; 2 Peter 1:21; 1 John 4:13; 5:6-7; Revelation 1:10; 22:17)

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3. Man

3.1. God created man in his image. As a result of bearing God’s image, the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.

3.2. Although man was created good, he sinned against God in the garden and therefore corrupted every aspect of his own nature. This sin has alienated man and placed a barrier between him and his Creator. As a result, all are born fallen, sinful creatures because of their sin nature inherited from Adam.

3.3. God created man as male and female. This biological nature is intrinsically linked to our nature as men and women.

3.4. Marriage is an institution created by God to glorify his covenant with the church. It is a covenant between one man and one woman for life. God designed the marital covenant to function with the man as the head of the wife in the same way that Christ is the head of the church.

3.5. (Genesis 1:26-30; 2:5,7,18-22; 3; 9:6; Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Joshua 24:15; 1 Samuel 1:26-28; Psalms 1; 8:3-6; 32:1-5; 51:5; 78:1-8;127; 128; 139:13-16; Proverbs 1:8; 5:15-20; 6:20- 22; 12:4; 13:24; 14:1; 17:6; 18:22; 22:6,15; 23:13-14; 24:3; 29:15,17; 31:10-31; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; 9:9; Isaiah 6:5; Jeremiah 17:5; Malachi 2:14-16; Matthew 5:31-32; 16:26; 18:2-5; Mark 10:6- 12; Acts 17:26-31; Romans 1:18-32; 3:10-18,23; 5:6,12,19; 6:6; 7:14- 25; 8:14-18,29; 1 Corinthians 1:21-31; 7:1-16; 15:19,21-22; Ephesians 2:1-22; 5:21-33; Colossians 1:21- 22; 3:9-11 1 Timothy 2:12-3:13; 5:8,14; 2 Timothy 1:3-5; Titus 2:3-5; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Peter 3:1-7)

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4. Salvation

4.1. As a result of man's sin he owes a debt to God that can only be paid through death. On the cross Christ died a sacrificial death as man’s substitute and paid the penalty that man owed to God. Christ physically died and physically rose from the dead proclaiming victory over death, sin, and Satan. As a result of Christ’s work on the cross, the good news of the gospel is that God offers reconciliation to all who will come to Him through faith in his Son.

4.2. Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God wherein He opens the eyes of the unbeliever to his sin and need of a Savior. It is a work of God that is wrought only by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin. Regeneration is a transformative act wherein the sinner becomes a new creation, and it produces the response of repentance and faith. Repentance and faith are inseparable acts through which the sinner receives salvation.

4.2.1. Repentance is an active choice wherein the sinner turns away from sin towards Christ.

4.2.2. Faith is a gift of God and an active choice wherein the sinner believes that the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ are the only works that are sufficient and efficient to reconcile man to God.

4.3. Justification is God’s act wherein he deems a sinful human to be righteous. Justification is a declarative act wherein God imputes the righteousness of Christ to the person so that they are positionally holy in His eyes.

4.4. Sanctification is the lifelong process that every believer experiences wherein they become more like Christ. The believer is empowered to this work through the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling within them. The process of sanctification begins with regeneration and continues until glorification.

4.5. Glorification is the culmination of an individual’s salvation wherein the believer is given a resurrected body and dwells with the Lord forever in the New Creation.

4.6. (Genesis 3:15; Exodus 3:14-17; 6:2-8; Matthew 1:21; 4:17; 16:21-26; 27:22-28:6; Luke 1:68-69; 2:28-32; John 1:11-14,29; 3:3-21,36; 5:24; 10:9,28-29; 15:1-16; 17:17; Acts 2:21; 4:12; 15:11; 16:30-31; 17:30-31;20:32; Romans 1:16-18; 2:4; 3:23-25; 4:3; 5:8- 10; 6:1-23; 8:1-18,29-39; 10:9-10,13; 13:11-14; 1 Corinthians 1:18,30; 6:19-20; 15:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20; Galatians 2:20; 3:13; 5:22-25; 6:15; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-22; 4:11-16; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians 1:9-22; 3:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; 2 Timothy 1:12; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 2:1-3; 5:8-9; 9:24-28; 11:1-12:8,14; James 2:14-26; 1 Peter 1:2- 23; 1 John 1:6-2:11; Revelation 3:20; 21:1-22:5)

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5. Church

5.1. The local church is a gathering of baptized believers who are in a covenant with each other through the fellowship of the gospel that observe the two church ordinances, namely Baptism and Communion (The Lord’s Supper), under the headship of Christ.

5.2. Baptism is a church ordinance that serves as a sign of the new covenant, and it is administered by the local church to believers through immersion. For more information see our doctrinal distinctive on Baptism as a Prerequisite to the Lord’s Table.

5.3. Communion is the second church ordinance that serves as a sign, seal, and display of the new covenant. For more information please see our doctrinal distinctive on Baptism as a Prerequisite to the Lord’s Table.

5.4. The church has two offices that still function today: elder and deacon (the term elder is synonymous with the word pastor). Only men as qualified by Scripture may be appointed to the office of pastor/elder. The governance of the church is vested in the elder body. Both men and women may be appointed to the office of deacon. The deacons function as servants who help the elder body by meeting practical needs within the congregation.

5.5. Those who make up The Journey Church body are the church members. Church membership is a bilateral covenant wherein the congregation is accountable to the elders and the elders are accountable to the congregation, all under the headship of Christ.

5.6. The Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to Christians for the edification of the church and the glory of God.

5.7. The mission of the local church is to expand the kingdom by proclaiming the gospel, making disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that Christ has commanded them.

5.8. (Matthew 3:13-17; 16:15-19; 18:15-20; 26:26-30; 28:19-20; Mark 1:9-11; 14:22-26; Luke 3:21-22; 22:19-20; John 3:23; Acts 2:41-42,47; 5:11-14; 6:3-6; 8:35-39; 13:1-3; 14:23,27; 15:1-30; 16:5; 20:28; Romans 1:7;6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 3:16; 5:4-5; 7:17; 9:13-14; 10:16,21; 11:23-29; 12; Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 3:8-11,21; 5:22-32; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:18; 2:12; 1 Timothy 2:9- 14; 3:1-15; 4:14; Hebrews 11:39-40; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Revelation 2-3; 21:2-3)

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6. Future

6.1. Jesus Christ will one day physically return to earth and he will judge the world in righteousness.

6.2. Christ’s return will herald the final restoration of all things where believers will dwell with him forever.

6.3. At the final judgment, all who died in their sins when Christ returned will be condemned to eternal judgment, and all who died in Christ will be brought into the New Creation.

6.4. (Isaiah 2:4; 11:9; Matthew 16:27; 18:8-9; 19:28; 24:27,30,36,44; 25:31-46; 26:64; Mark 8:38; 9:43-48; Luke 12:40,48; 16:19-26; 17:22-37; 21:27-28; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11;17:31; Romans 14:10; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 15:24-28,35-58; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Philippians 3:20-21; Colossians 1:5; 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 5:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:7; 2; 1 Timothy 6:14; 2 Timothy 4:1,8; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 9:27-28; James 5:8; 2 Peter 3:7; 1 John 2:28; 3:2; Jude 14; Revelation 1:18; 3:11; 20:1-22:13)

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7. Creeds and Confessions

7.1. We affirm the Chicago Statement.

7.2. We affirm the Athanasian Creed.

7.3. We affirm the Chalcedonian Definition.

7.4. We affirm the Nashville Statement. 

7.5. We affirm the Danvers Statement.

7.6. We affirm the Dallas Statement.

7.7. We affirm the Apostles' Creed.

7.8. We affirm the Nicene Creed.

7.9. We affirm the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.

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8. Members have the responsibility and opportunity to engage church staff on areas of theological disagreement. However, membership carries with it the implicit understanding that the elders shall function as the interpretive authority on biblical meaning and application for the purpose of church doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline.

Gospel Rich Theology

God Glorifying Diversity

Great Commission Inspired Ambition

Pompous Free Realness

Mission Focused Simplicity

The Journey Church exists to show Jesus as incomparably glorious.

Build Up | Send Out

This vision will effectively build mature disciples and send them into a world where desperate people face a Christless eternity.