Beliefs

What do we believe?

What a community believes about God, themselves, and the world around them is important.  Most of the well-documented evils the church has either condoned or actually been a part of, from slavery, the crusades, to some of our current challenges with the environment and our global economy, are all the fruits of a community that believes the wrong things.  There is a growing number of people asking if religion in general, and Christianity in particular, does more harm in the world than good.  We would argue that the only hope for the world is for a great diversity of communities following the life and teachings of Jesus.  At Restoration, we believe that theology is very important, not as an abstract set of truth, but a robust, living truth.  We believe this is what Jesus meant when he said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life,” (John 14), and why the Holy Spirit is so vital to the church.     {read more}

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What does it mean to be a Covenant Church?

On one level, the answer is quite simple. When new members join a Covenant church, they are asked two questions about belief: “Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior and promise to follow him as Lord?” and “Do you accept the Holy Scriptures, the Old and New Testaments, as the word of God and the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine, and conduct?” They are then asked if they intend to live as faithful followers of Christ and members of the church and denomination.

That’s all. That is enough.

But on another level, of course, the answer is a good deal more complex.     {read more}

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Who are we as a church, and what is the mission that drives Restoration Covenant Church?

Have you ever tried to name a church? I hadn’t either. You should try it some time, just for fun. It’s hard to navigate through the cliches and come up with a name that doesn’t sound like a strange cult or retirement village. It’s like naming a child, knowing that the name you choose will have an effect on their identity and that they will have to live with it forever. When we chose the name Restoration, we wanted it to embody our deepest core values. On this one word hangs our identity that we hope seeps down into our very DNA. Restoration comes from our desire to embody a complete Gospel; a reaction against the idea that the message of Jesus is just that He came to offer us as individuals forgiveness of sins. While we affirm that Jesus alone offers forgiveness of sins, the Gospel is about much more.     {read more}

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How does our church & denomination (the ECC) view human sexuality?

God is the Creator of human beings (Genesis 1:26-31; Genesis 2:4b-25). The creation of human beings includes our sexuality, the genders of male and female, the companionship of male and female in an intimate marriage relationship, and the gift of procreation. By God’s own statement for all of creation, sexuality is good. Sexuality in marriage is celebrated in the Song of Solomon. Chaste singleness is blessed by the life of Jesus Himself, who models loving relationships. The Apostle Paul affirms both marriage and the single life as callings and gifts from the Lord (1 Corinthians 7).

We human beings misuse God’s creation of sexuality and distort its role in our lives. In I Corinthians 6:9-10 and Romans 1:24-27, Scripture succinctly declares this sin and God’s judgment on it.¹ Throughout the Scriptures we see how sin in sexual relationships damages relationship with God and others. We live in a society characterized by imperfect and sinful sexual relationships of many kinds.     {read more}