Leading People Into a Transforming Relationship With Jesus.
To lead an ONLY GOD movement that transforms the soul, the city and the world.
Creating Moments That Lead to Movements
Everyone is accepted… Everyone is expected to Grow. Grace and growth are inseparably connected.
We are compelled by the audacious grace of the gospel that accepts all people, and we are committed to the never-ending work of the gospel that challenges us to expect that we will never stop growing. In other words, grace and growth are inseparably connected. (John 15:16 Message Version)
We believe that all people are created from community – Father, Son, Spirit – for the purpose of community. We believe that we were designed to live deeply with one another, praying for and confessing our sins to each other, bearing burdens, sharing possessions, celebrating and mourning, reflecting truth, and righting the wrongs of the world as we walk through life together. (Acts 2:42-47)
We believe that the Bible teaches the full equality of men and women in creation, redemption and spiritual gifting, and we are called to treat one another regardless of race, gender, or belief with esteeming respect and care.
(Gen 1:26-28, 2:23, 5:1-2; 1Cor 11:11-12; Gal 3:13, 28, 5:1).
We are compelled to develop the people of Soul City to make a profound impact in the city and around the world. We will help people learn how to engage and shape culture, be distinctive in their vocation, serve their families and friends with excellence, and lead with the heart of a servant. We are committed to developing emotionally healthy leaders that lead with humble authority and holy ambition.
(2 Timothy 2:2)
The church is better seven days of the week, instead of just one.
We believe that 7 days of the week have more potential than just one. Far too many people describe church as a service they attend or a building they visit. We long for the church to have an incarnational impact on our community every day of the week. Our hope is that the city rejoices over our presence and partnership in bringing renewal and restoration.
(Proverbs 11:10, Isaiah 1:17)
There are few things more clear in scripture than God’s love for the oppressed, overlooked, and under resourced. When it comes to our neighbors in need, God has not wavered in Justice, Mercy, and Compassion…why should we? Soul City strives to be Good Neighbors and Active Advocates by generously sharing our time, resources, and privileges with those who have little, less, or none. We believe that this is our clearest and most compelling apologetic to a hungry, hurting and skeptical world. (Isaiah 58:10)
Offering the best of who you are and what you have.
Excellence simply put is doing the very best with what you’ve been given. This both raises the bar and takes the pressure off. Meaning, we strive to offer our very best of what God entrusts us with – whether it be spiritual gifts, resources, facilities, ministries, or the moments we have together. We believe this kind of excellence quite simply and powerfully honors God and inspires others. (Colossians 3:17)
Our Creator is a Creative God who has created us in His image to be Creative. We seek to be Creative and Innovative in everything we do and in every way we do it. The cement will always be somewhat wet around Soul City, and we’re okay with that. (Genesis 1:27)
WHAT we do and HOW we do it are intricately connected and equally important. We strive to be grateful, wise, innovative and responsible with the resources God has entrusted to us. We seek the deepest and highest return on every one of our investments, whatever they may be. This is how we honor God and remind ourselves that all this stuff is not ours, but rather on loan. (Matthew 25:21)
“In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity.”
Rupertus Meldenius
There is a difference between Essential Theology and Non-Essential Theology. In other words, not all things have the same spiritual “weight” in the Bible. That is not to say that the things that “weigh less” than others in the Bible are unimportant, it just means that they are not central (essential) to a saving and transforming relationship with Jesus. It means that there is room for different interpretations and expressions of Non-Essential things within the large and diverse body of Christ.
At Soul City Church, we affirm that the doctrine/theology of the Trinity, the full humanity and full deity of Christ, the atoning work of Christ on the cross and His bodily resurrection, the filling of the Holy Spirit, the Bible as the inspired word of God and salvation by grace through faith are Essential. In other words, they are central to our faith.
We also acknowledge that there are peripheral, or Non-Essential, doctrines/theologies that are important but not central (essential) as it relates to a saving and transforming relationship with God. Some of these doctrines or interpretations include such things as forms of baptism, Complementarian or Egalitarian views of leadership and marriage, the exact timing and nature of the rapture, the extent and use of certain spiritual gifts, the relationship between election and free will in salvation, who can marry whom, and forms and methods of receiving Communion, among others.
While our Church is diligent to study God’s word, listen to the Holy Spirit and teach clearly and consistently on the Essentials, we will not allow Non-Essential doctrines or theologies to cause division within our Church. We welcome into our body those who have differing interpretations of Non-Essential doctrines and theologies, but we will not allow those of a different opinion or interpretation to fracture the beautiful and delicate unity of our Church. We celebrate diversity (ethnic, political, social conviction and theological) and are better because of it. We will ultimately always pursue unity in our Church and encourage everyone to listen in love and learn from others who they might differ from or disagree with. We believe that when we learn to live in love with those we might disagree with, we become better and have something better to offer our divided and divisive world.
I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will 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
A quick message for those joining us in person this weekend:
Recently, the CDC shared new guidelines for wearing face masks in public and in indoor settings to promote safety in areas with substantial risks of transmission. Therefore, we are requiring that masks are worn while in the building on Sundays.
We are continuously reviewing the CDC guidelines and what our next steps will be – as your safety remains our priority.
