WHAT WE BELIEVE

Aaron Burden

CREATION

GOD'S GOOD WORK

God, Father, Son & Spirit, is the creator of all things. Without Him we would not exist. He made human beings to know Him and enjoy Him forever. Everything He made is good.

REBELLION

HUMANITY'S BIG PROBLEM

We have all rejected God’s good rule and try to live without Him. This has led to death, disease, division between people and the spoiling of God’s world. We have chosen death instead of life, and all face God’s just judgment.

RESCUE

JESUS CHRIST

We may have given up on God, but God has not given up on us. He took the initiative. In the Old Testament, he called Abraham and promised to bless all the families of earth through him. Finally, He sent his own Son, Jesus of Nazareth, to fulfill that promise.

Jesus is God in the flesh. He came to die on the cross in order to take the judgment we deserve. He rose to new life, so he can make everyone who trusts in Him into a new person.

The church is God’s family; it is His new community of people restored to relationship with God and one another through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

RESTORE

GOD'S FUTURE PROMISE

One day, Jesus Christ will physically return to judge the world and make the creation new again. All that is evil, and everyone who rebelled against God’s rightful rule, will be condemned. All who trust in Jesus will spend forever in His perfect New Creation.

THE SMALL PRINT ABOUT WHAT WE BELIEVE

We are a catholic and orthodox church (in the true sense of those words), in that we believe what has been held in common by Christians of all backgrounds through the centuries, as expressed in the classic creeds of the church, such as the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed.

We are a church that takes the Bible seriously as God's word. We try by the power of the Holy Spirt to live out what it teaches. We work with like-minded churches, for example in the South East Gospel Partnership. A good summary of what we believe is found here at The Gospel Coalition.

We are a Reformed Presbyterian church, which means we hold to the system of teaching rediscovered in the Reformation of the 16th Century. This is expressed in our official doctrinal basis, the Westminster Confession of Faith.

We are part of a family of churches known as The International Presbyterian Church.

VISION AND VALUES

OUR VISION

That by God’s grace, Immanuel Church will be a vibrant reformed church in Brentford, with a passion to plant further churches in West London, for the glory of God.

OUR VALUES

Dependent on God’s Grace

This will be seen in our worship, as we adore our gracious Triune God; in our teaching as the word of God’s grace will be at the centre of all we do; in our commitment to prayer; and in our welcome and compassion for outsiders. As those who know our own dependence upon God’s grace, we will be willing to admit our own helplessness, and offer grace to others. Our Lord Jesus welcomed and cared for little children, so we treat the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adullts as matter of great importance.

Interdependent in God’s Family

Western culture stresses independence, and equates maturity with self-sufficiency. In contrast, God adopts us into His family by grace, and we grow as Christians together because Christian maturity is never individualistic. It is always about the whole church together (Ephesians 4:10-16). Our interdependence is also expressed in giving and receiving hospitality and mutual discipleship.

Involved in Brentford and our Communities

We love Brentford and want to be involved in this place in Jesus’ name. We do not all live in Brentford, but we all seek to build relationships with individuals here and in the places God has put us. We hope by God’s grace to be salt and light influencing Brentford, as well as our workplaces and neighbourhoods.

Speaking God's word with our neighbours

Hearing and believing God’s good news message is what has changed our lives, so we long for the same for others. Faith comes by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17). God’s word is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). So, we prayerfully and winsomely try, not just build relationships, but speak God’s life changing word with our neighbours.

Engaged in God’s World Mission

We have the privilege of being part of what God is doing around the world. So we pray for, and give to, mission work. We will also train up leaders, and work towards planting another church in the next 5 years.