Vision & Beliefs

At Kirk Crossing, We’re All In!

What does ‘All In’ mean?  It primarily means two things:

First, it means that we fully trust in Jesus Christ alone as Savior. 

Second, it means that we seek to fully walk in obedience to Jesus Christ as Lord.  

These are the basic commitments of the Christian faith and are the basis for everything we are and do as a church.  We want everyone who is a part of Kirk Crossing to be ALL IN!

With that as our starting point, everyone at Kirk Crossing is committed to growing in three defining areas – as followers of Jesus, we are found:

IN CHRIST

What does it mean to be ‘In Christ’? 

First, to be ‘in Christ’ is to fully know and experience the new-creation life of Christ in us. 

Second, to be ‘in Christ’ is to be continually transformed by the Holy Spirit in character, knowledge, wisdom, and practices.

2 Corinthians 5.17 tells us that if we are ‘in Christ’ we are a “new creation.”  The same God who created us in the first place re-creates us when we trust Jesus for salvation.   We are new people who must learn what it means to live the new life God has given us.  We don’t do this alone, however!  We do it in community with others.

IN COMMUNITY

What does it mean to be ‘In Community’?

First, it means that we are to fully know and experience the new-community fellowship of God’s people.

Second, it means that we are to be actively engaged in worship, group life, serving, and giving.

In Romans 12.5, we are reminded that, in Christ, we are part of something bigger than ourselves.  We are told that in God’s Church, “each member belongs to all the others.”  God saves us individually but we are then connected to others with whom we share life, growth, and responsibility.

IN THE WORLD

What does it mean to be ‘In The World’?

First, being ‘in the world’ means to fully know and embrace the new-world mission of God’s kingdom.

Second, to be ‘in the world’ is to be actively engaged in personally sharing faith with others and participating in gospel ministry locally and globally.

Before he ascended to heaven, Jesus gave his Church a vital mission, recorded in Mattthew 28.16-20: to go into all the world and make disciples.  At Kirk Crossing, we want everyone to engage in this mission both close to home and to the ends of the earth.

Denomination & Beliefs

We are a Presbyterian Church

‘Presbyterian’ comes from the Greek word for ‘elder’.  Ruling Elders are elected from the congregation and serve three-year terms during which they oversee the ministry of the church.  Pastors are also called Teaching Elders and serve along side the Ruling Elders.

We are a member of the E.P.C.

The Evangelical Presbyterian Church (E.P.C.) is a reformed denomination made up of more than 600 churches committed to the authority of God’s Word and the world-wide proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. More information about the EPC is available at epc.org.

We are Reformed in theology.

The theology of the Protestant Reformation emphasizes (among other things) the authority of God’s Word, the sovereignty of God over all things, and salvation by grace through faith. The Westminster Confession of Faith is our doctrinal standard (more information is available at epc.org.)

The Essentials of Our Faith

All Scripture is self-attesting, and being Truth requires our unreserved submission in all areas of life. The infallible Word of God—the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments—is a complete and unified witness to God’s redemptive acts culminating in the incarnation of the Living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible, uniquely and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, is the supreme and final authority on all matters on which it speaks. On this sure foundation, we affirm these additional essentials of our faith.

1. We believe in one God, the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To Him be all honor, glory, and praise forever!

2. Jesus Christ, the living Word, became flesh through His miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit and His virgin birth. He who is true God became true man united in one Person forever. He died on the cross a sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. On the third day He arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven where, at the right hand of the Majesty on High, He now is our High Priest and Mediator.

3. The Holy Spirit has come to glorify Christ and to apply the saving work of Christ to our hearts. He convicts us of sin and draws us to the Savior, indwelling our hearts. He gives new life to us, empowers and imparts gifts to us for service. He instructs and guides us into all truth, and seals us for the day of redemption.

4. Being estranged from God and condemned by our sinfulness, our salvation is wholly dependent upon the work of God’s free grace. God credits His righteousness to those who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation, and thereby justifies them in His sight. Only such as are born of the Holy Spirit and receive Jesus Christ become children of God and heirs of eternal life.

5. The true Church is composed of all persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit are united together in the body of Christ. The Church finds her visible yet imperfect expression in local congregations where the Word of God is preached in its purity and the sacraments are administered in their integrity, where scriptural discipline is practiced, and where loving fellowship is maintained. For her perfecting she awaits the return of her Lord.

6. Jesus Christ will come again to the earth personally, visibly, and bodily—to judge the living and the dead, and to consummate history and the eternal plan of God. “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).

7. The Lord Jesus Christ commands all believers to proclaim the gospel throughout the world and to make disciples of all nations. Obedience to the Great Commission requires total commitment to “Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.” He calls us to a life of self-denying love and service. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

The Essentials are set forth in greater detail in the Westminster Confession of Faith.

In Essentials … Unity.
In Non-Essentials … Liberty.
In All Things … Charity.