The Mission of Christ Presbyterian Church

We are a church that is ambitious for the glory of God by GROWING in the truth and grace of Jesus Christ, ACTING as a faithful witness in the greater New Haven community and world, TRUSTING in the grace and power of the Holy Spirit.

Our Total Christ Spirituality

We want this to be all about Christ—his work, not ours, as the basis of our relationship to God and one another, and his glory, not ours or any popular leader, as the object of our ultimate affection and respect. It is our desire to experience total Christ, not just one or another brand of Christ.

The term "Total Christ" originates from the 5th-century pastor-theologian St. Augustine, who described the relationship of Christ's incarnational ministry (past) to his ongoing ascension ministry (present) as "the Word was made flesh, and dwelled among us; to that flesh is joined the church, and there is made total Christ, both head and body."

The Five Marks

1. Gospel-Centered: Trust in the gospel motivates us to be humble because we know Christ's work to us is purely a gift, but also boldly confident in the face of shame and sin because it's based in God's power! This grounds us in God's finished work on the cross, where he forgave our sins and reconciled us to himself. Everything we do is motivated from and by the gospel. Think: Humble, honest, authentic, gracious, safe, desire to be truly known and loved by God and others

2. Missional: More (though not less!) than being evangelistic, we strive to be missional because God promises to dwell with His people in all their God-given cultures, languages, and demographics through the church. This grounds us in God's global presence, where the church is the evangelist for a whole new way of life, showing the world who Jesus is and what it means to follow Him in all our relationships. Think: Culturally self-aware, open & inviting, purposeful, holistic evangelismsafe

3. Confessional - Christ as our Prophet: We are not the first ones to consider what church should be (thank God!). We humbly submit to God's revelation in the Word as it has been historically interpreted, seeking to be united in belief across generations and cultures. Officially, we subscribe to the documents of Westminster (c.1630) as the summary of our faith. This grounds us in Christ as our Prophet who still speaks. Think: doctrine that is alive and an unwillingness to be distracted by cultural fads

4. Sacramental - Christ as our Priest: We desire an emphasis on sacramental spirituality wherein Christ our Priest is "fleshed out" in a carefully designed four movement worship service that follows the four movements of the gospel and culminates every week in a participation in eucharistic communion with Christ as "fleshed out" in cultural styles specific to each local community (1 Cor. 10:14-17, Heb. 12:22-24, Rev. 4-5)! Think: Friendly, worshipful, mysterious

5. Communal - Christ as our King:Christ did not leave us as orphans, but joined us with Himself to the church, so to be a Christian is to be a part of the redeemed community. Many of us experience Christ first through the love of his body. We also take church government as an instrument of mercy seriously. This grounds us in Christ as our King. Think: loving, humble, one-anotherings

Our Commitments

We seek to be radically grounded in the good news that though we are more sinful than we may ever dare to believe, we are more loved in Christ than we can ever dare to hope. A community united in the love of Jesus changes lives and communities. We hope that Sunday worship is the touchstone of our lives and that it bleeds into how we treat each other inside and outside of the church. Many of us didn't grow up Presbyterian - or even Christian - so please feel comfortable coming with lots of questions. We hope to be a community that knows we are all in need of God's mercy and have the privilege to embody it in the church.

Our Five Basic Commitments

1. Scripture - We are committed to the Old and New Testament Scriptures as our only rule of faith and practice. While believing that God powerfully manifests his infinite glory in a general way through creation, our Christian faith and practice is grounded in God's works of redemption in history as explained to us through the divinely appointed means of inspired Scripture. We believe that all things necessary for salvation are sufficiently revealed to us by the Holy Spirit speaking through the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. It is, therefore, our ambition to teach the whole counsel of God's word, not adding to, or subtracting from, anything contained within it, recognizing no other source for divine revelation, whether by ecclesiastical traditions or private revelations.

WHY SHOULD I CARE? To liberate all of us from oppressive, human-made opinions and guard the gracious gospel against manipulation and self-serving abuses. We want the God of grace and glory to be our only Lord.

2. Teachings of Grace - We are committed to the teachings of grace as they are summarized in the historic Westminster Confession of Faith. Teachings of Grace - We are committed to the teachings of grace as they are summarized in the historic Westminster Confession of Faith. Whereas the Holy Scriptures is our only rule of faith and practice, Church unity is predicated upon a consensus about what the Scriptures principally teach. Our consensus is reflected in the 350-year--old Westminster Confession of Faith. In summary, it affirms that God is no less sovereign in our salvation than He is sovereign in our creation, to the praise of God's glorious grace! This means that we are accepted by God, from beginning to end, not by our own works or attempts to perform for God, but by faith alone in the perfect and all sufficient work of Christ on our behalf, faith itself being the free gift of God.

WHY SHOULD I CARE? To affirm the sovereignty of grace, to connect us to wise men and women who have gone before us, and to prevent as much as possible our historical and cultural blind-spots.

3. God-Centered Worship - We are committed to God-centered worship designed after a covenantal pattern, where Christ promises to be present through Word and Sacrament. In every period of redemptive history, God has chosen to be with his people through the divine institutions of word, sacrament and prayers. Today, through the sacraments of the Lord's Supper and Christian Baptism, together with the preaching of God's word and corporate prayers (both sung and unsung), God has promised to be with us until the end of the age. Our worship is set to the pattern of covenant initiation and renewal including the weekly participation of the Lord's supper. Our music and style of worship is "blended" to reflect the vernacular context of those God has brought to our city. Our desire is for our worship to be as God-centered as our theology, communicating the truth and grace of God to the nations. We welcome all believers together with those who are searching.

WHY SHOULD I CARE? Not only is it biblical, but it keeps us grounded in the gospel every week, secured upon Christ's redemption accomplished. Our worship embodies the gospel as we experience God's presence.

4. Multi-Cultural Church and Church Planting We are committed to being a multi-cultural church and church planting movement. We believe that the church, the household of God, is an essential element of the gospel into which people of every tribe and nation are welcomed. While affirming that every follower of Christ is called to be a witness to the truth and grace of God revealed in Jesus Christ, we also believe that true evangelism is best accomplished through church planting. It is therefore our ambition to be not only a growing church, but also a growing church planting movement. While holding to a time-honored understanding of faith, we are strategically progressive. Our aim is to plant churches that reach the different cultures in our city, New England and the world. For more info on church planting, visit anabaino.org.

WHY SHOULD I CARE? Because no one culture is closer to God than another, you don't have to become American (or Western, or whatever!) to become Christian, and the communal witness of the gospel is the best testament to its power!

5. High View of Christian Calling - We are committed to a high view of Christian calling as reflected in the vocational spheres of family, church, and public service. We believe that God has given us roles that reflect his own sovereign design to accomplish his work in the world, which extends into the spheres of family, church and civil vocations. We desire to help people find a balance that is unique to their individual callings and spheres of service. While believing that the Christian Scriptures does not address all things pertaining to life in this world, we do affirm that we should take "every thought captive to the obedience of Christ" and that the Christian worldview is applicable and relevant to all spheres of life.

WHY SHOULD I CARE? Because God didn't make us just one way or with one part of ourselves, but made ALL of us, and he deserves it all to be offered as thankful worship.

Christ Presbyterian Church, New Haven, is a member of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). As one of many communions in the church universal, the PCA may be distinguished by its affirmation of what has been described as the "Reformed system of faith" as reflected in the Westminster Confession of Faith. The PCA is characterized by its emphasis on both personal revival and theological reformation. By promoting reformation and revival, we seek to carry out the Great Commission with Biblical integrity and personal authenticity unto the glory of God.

Staff

Mission Anabaino

Mission Anabaino (MA) seeks to fulfill the "greater things" in relation to Christ's great expectations regarding his ascension ministry today. It involves participating in the real and personal advent of Christ through church planting and the ecumenically-oriented rediscovery of missional ecclesiology.

Session

Women's Leadership Board

Servant Leadership Board