Our Beliefs

What We Believe

The Word of God, the sixty six Books of the Old and New Testaments, verbally inspired in all parts, and therefore wholly without error as originally given of God (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21)

Existing eternally as three persons the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:22; Matthew 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14)

His preexistence and deity (John 1:1-3), incarnation by virgin birth (John 1:14; Matthew 1:18-23), sinless life (Heb. 4:15), substitutionary death (2 Cor. 5:21), bodily resurrection (Luke 24:36-43), ascension into heaven and present ministry (Heb. 4:14-16), and coming again (Acts 1:11).

His personality (John 16:7-15), and deity (Acts 5:3-4), and His work in each believer: baptism and in dwelling at the moment of regeneration (1 Cor. 12:13; Rom. 8:9), and filling (Eph. 5:18) to empower for Christian life and service (Eph. 3:16; Acts 1:8; Gal. 5:22-23). 

His direct creation in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-28), his subsequent fall into sin resulting in spiritual death (Gen. 3:1-24; Rom. 5:12), and the necessity of the new birth for his salvation (John 3:3-5).

A complete and eternal salvation by God’s grace alone received as the gift of God through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work (Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-7; 1 Peter 1:18-19).

One true church, the body and the bride of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-32), composed of all true believers of the present age (1 Cor. 12:12-13); and the organization of its members in local churches for worship, for edification of believers, and for world wide gospel witness, each local church being autonomous but cooperating in fellowship and work (Eph. 4:11-16).

A life of righteousness, good works and separation unto God from the evil ways of the world (Rom. 12:1-2), manifested by speaking the truth (James 5:12), maintaining the sanctity of the home (Eph. 5:22-6:4), settling differences between Christians in accordance with the Word of God (1 Cor. 6:1-8), not engaging in carnal strife but showing a Christ like attitude toward all men (Rom. 12:17-21), exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23), and maintaining a life of prayer (Eph. 6:18; Phil. 4:6), including the privilege, when sick, of calling for the elders of the church to pray and to anoint with oil in the name of the Lord (James 5:13-18).

The Christians should observe the ordinances of our Lord Jesus Christ which are (1)baptism of believers by triune immersion (Matt. 28:19) and (2)communion: consisting primarily of the bread and the cup to remember Christ’s sacrifice for the atonement of sin (1 Cor. 11:23-26).

His existence and personality as the great adversary of God and His people (Rev. 12:1-10), his judgment (John 12:31), and final doom (Rev. 20:10).

The personal, visible, and imminent return of Christ to remove His church from the earth (1 Thess. 4:16-17) before the tribulation (1 Thess. 1:10; Rev. 3:10), and afterward to descend with the Church to establish His millennial kingdom upon the earth (Rev. 19:11-20:6).

The conscious existence of the dead (Phil. 1:21-23; Luke 16:19-31), the resurrection of the body (John 5:28-29), the judgment and reward of believers (Rom. 14:10 12; 2 Cor. 5:10), the judgment and condemnation of unbelievers (Rev. 20:11-15), the eternal life of the saved (John 3:16), and the eternal punishment of the lost (Matt. 25:46; Rev. 20:15).

Growing Together

<span style="color: #c01d2e">get it</span>

get it

1 Peter 2:2
Learning through observing, in grace and truth, and for depth and maturity.

<span style="color: #0e75bc">got it</span>

got it

1 John 2:6
Imitation of Christ’s mind, walk, and mission

<span style="color: #7dc243;">give it away</span>

give it away

Matthew 28:18-20
Service out of love, through evangelism, and through teaching

Communion + Baptism

Pastor Jason and Pastor Lawrence teach on what we believe about communion and baptism at WRGC.

Core Values

Biblical Authority

We will value its authority and our need to pattern  our lives after it.

- 2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:21  

Passionate Reflection

We will value the spiritually disconnected  and justice for the oppressed.

- Luke 19:10, Psalm 140:12  

Authenticity

Pursuing truth together is the best opportunity  for living out and applying truth.

- Acts 2:42-47 & 4:32-35  

Unified Service

Unified Service  We recognize that Jesus empowers common people  to accomplish uncommon things.

- Romans 12: 4-8  

Coming Generations

We will leverage our influences on coming generations…  helping them see life from God’s point of view.

- Deuteronomy 6  

Excellent Experiences

We cannot change people. We embrace our role to create  experiences where the spiritually disconnected can  experience the grace of Jesus.

- Colossians 3:17  

What is the Gospel?

The Gospel is the good news of God's salvation through Jesus Christ, offering forgiveness of sins and eternal life to all who believe in Him.

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Position Statements

These three statements were adopted July 2018 and reaffirmed July 2023.

These Position Statements have been deemed necessary and helpful for the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches to address or clarify specific issues of culture, theology, or practice within the ministry context of North America. Each Position Statement will require reaffirmation by the delegates every five years (next review date = 2028).

We affirm that human life is sacred and worthy of respect. From the moment of conception, human  life is precious and deserves protection from murder, suicide, abortion, and mercy killing. We affirm  that those who are terminally ill deserve appropriate medical care, including palliative care and pain  management, but medically-assisted suicide is not a moral or biblical option.

We believe God created marriage to be a public covenant relationship, normally consummated by the  union of sexual intercourse, between two consenting people one man and one woman. This covenant  is to endure as long as both are living; for the purposes of mutual joy, mutual edification, procreation,  and symbolizing the covenant relationship between Christ and His church to all generations. We affirm  that all sexual relations of any kind that occur outside the boundaries of marriage are immoral and  contradict God’s design for humanity.

We affirm that men and women are both created in the image of God, are equal in value and  personhood and are designed to be inter-dependent in life and ministry within the local church. We  believe that the leadership position in our local churches corresponding to the biblical role of  elder/overseer/pastor is reserved for men who meet biblical qualifications.

Our Fellowship

Western Reserve is apart of a bigger network of churches called the Charis Fellowship.

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