Personal Pastoral Welcome
“Greet every saint in Christ Jesus”—Philippians 4:21
Let me extend a personal welcome to our congregation. We are a welcoming church with a fervent passion for the presence and glory of God in our worship, discipleship, relationships, devotion to God’s word, and powerful witness of the living God in our city. We are a church that has over 75 years of faithful gospel ministry locally and around the world. We are also a church committed to the future and what God is doing globally as well as here in Los Angeles.
CHURCH VISION AND DISTINCTIVES
MOORINGS: ADHERING AND PROCLAIMING THE FAITH ONCE DELIVERED TO THE SAINTS
In a rapidly changing and challenging world, we go forward with the Spirit-compelled boldness the gospel demands and the world needs, and we remain moored to Scripture and its consistent teachings as it has been preserved by the saints through the ages (2 Timothy 2:2).
WORD
The Bible is our immovable, unchanging and steadfast standard for teaching and practice. We are fully persuaded in its supernatural origins and abiding power and relevance. It is the primary standard in the governance and direction of our church. We are confident in the Bible’s sufficiency as our guide to life and practice (2 Timothy 3:16).
GOSPEL
The Gospel is the driving principle of the scriptures and in the church’s message and mission. It proclaims that Christ died and rose again for our sins so that by the Spirit we can live for Him as His righteous heirs and be His light in this world as we strive for His holiness and build His kingdom (Romans 1:16).
WORSHIP
Worship is what we, as people, are made for. The Lord has designed His day to renew and refresh His people who gather according to Scripture’s directions to ascribe glory to His name (Psalm 29:1). The Lord instructs us how to worship Him in His word. And it is He and the saving work of His Son which is the center of worship as we are renewed in our assurance of forgiveness and sonship. We seek to present ourselves as living sacrifices, offering our best in worship. We follow a more traditional format of old and newer hymns sung to organ, instrumental, and vocal accompaniment, rooted in the Reformation tradition of putting pious and lofty scriptural truth to impactful classic tunes (Ephesians 5:19).
CHURCH
We believe in the visible church: its offices, continuity, sacraments and spiritual reality. God communicates his transforming grace to his church. In a broken and cold world, God has ordained community and fellowship for our sustenance and benefit (Ephesians 4:11).
AFFILIATION
We believe in the perpetuity and universality of the church and its global mission. We are affiliated with the historic Protestant conservative evangelical denomination, the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), which is the second largest Presbyterian denomination. The PCA is also a member of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE). You can learn more about our denomination here: www.pcanet.org
DOCTRINE
Our church preserves and contends for the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3). We adhere to the oldest and most universally accepted reflection on the doctrine of Christ and Scripture: the Apostles Creed.
APOSTLES CREED: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He arose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic* church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen. (*that is, the true universal Christian church)
Furthermore, we are a church in the historic reformed Protestant tradition affirming the gospel of grace and adhering to the best known standards of Protestant doctrine in the English language: the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms. Please see below for more on our beliefs:
http://www.pcanet.org/beliefs/