What We Believe

There are four plot points that give direction to how we imagine ourselves as a parish. 

At All Souls Anglican Church we are…

Apostolic

To be apostolic means we are in line with the Apostles, that we remain under the authority of their teaching. We find ourselves taking part in a story that began long before us and will continue long after our days on earth. We hold to the historic Christian faith that was handed down from Christ to his Apostles and the early Church, set out in the books of Scripture, articulated in the three early creeds (Apostles’ Creed, Nicene Creed, and Athanasian Creed) and The Thirty-Nine Articles.

To be apostolic also means that we are sent. We’ve been given a commission to carry on the work of Jesus, spreading the news of his resurrection and reign as far and wide as possible. The Church exists as an outpost of God’s kingdom, for the sake of others.

Sacramental

Being sacramental is more than having a certain worship style, though we are shaped by an ancient form of the liturgy. Being sacramental is more than taking communion every week or believing certain things about baptism, though the Eucharist meal and the entrance rite of baptism tell us who we are in the deepest places of our being. To be sacramental is to understand that the entire world is an epiphany of God, an unveiling of the mystery and greatness of the Holy Trinity. As sacramental people we believe that God uses things as humble as bread and wine, and people as broken as us to convey himself and his beauty to a world that is beauty-starved. We believe that he is already at work in our neighborhoods and offices and friendships. As sacramental people we don’t rush in with our own agenda, instead we seek to uncover the work that the Spirit of God is already doing in our midst and then move with Him.

Eschatological

Being eschatological means we’re defined by how the story ends. We believe that the story of the world is headed toward new life; that the end of the story is a commencement, the beginning of something new where all that has been ripped apart will be knitted back together. To be eschatological is to long for a home we’ve not yet been to; it’s to be filled with a joy that feels like sorrow, a joy from beyond the walls of the world. To be eschatological is to be filled with hope even in the midst of pain and sorrow.

Gospel-Centered

To be people of the gospel is to be people who exist in grace. We are people who have been brought from darkness and death to light and life. We are people who had lived in rebellion but have now been welcomed as children – not because of what we have done, but because of Jesus. To be people of the gospel is to be people who exist in faith. We believe that Jesus trampled down death by death, that in his death and resurrection we have been sealed for life eternal.

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