Our Beliefs
Restoration is a non-denominational church. Rather than focus on the issues that divide Christians we choose to focus on fundamental beliefs that bind us together. This is why, rather than putting forth a list of doctrines about specific topics, we summarize our beliefs with the Apostle’s Creed.
The Apostle’s Creed
The Apostle’s Creed is one of the most ancient and foundational belief statements in Christian history. It serves as an excellent statement of what we believe about the life and work of Jesus Christ.
We believe in God,
the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
We believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord
conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died,
and was buried; he descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy universal church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.
More Beliefs
The Bible
We believe the Bible is the holy and inspired word of God. This means that the Spirit of God is present and active in its words to reveal Christ, our Savior, to us. The Bible also provides us a true guide for holy living. Our teaching, preaching, and pastoring are all Bible-based. While the Bible teaches us many things about life, the most important thing it teaches us is how we are restored in Christ and how He can be revealed in our lives.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Baptism
We believe that baptism is a vital step to beginning life with Christ. It is a personal act of surrender to Jesus and a public declaration of faith. It is also a special way the Holy Spirit plants the Spirit of Christ within our hearts. We encourage everyone who understands who Christ is and desires to live an active life with Him to be baptized.
To be baptized is to enact several truths regarding our life with Jesus. When we respond, “I do” to the question, “Do you believe Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior?”, we profess our faith publicly. When we go down into the water, we enact our surrender to Christ (that we commit to “die to ourselves”). And when we rise out of the water, we enact our rising into new life in Him. To be baptized is to ask Christ to be revealed in our lives and to invite His restoration work to begin.
“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)
The Lord’s Supper
Our centermost act of worship is communing with Christ at His table. That’s why we celebrate communion every Sunday. We believe that it is through sharing the bread and the cup that Christ makes Himself uniquely present to us. The table at Restoration Park Church is “open.” That means you don’t have to be baptized or be a member of our church to share in this meal. Everyone who examines their heart and approaches Christ in faith has a seat at His table.
“The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” (1 Corinthians. 10:16)
Worship
We believe worship is a journey of the heart into the presence of God. This journey begins when we turn to Him in praise. Singing is one way to do this. To sing is to lift up our thoughts and emotions to God in adoration and praise. When we worship, God is glorified and we delight in His presence. Each person worships differently, and we as a church embrace freedom in worship. At the same time, worship is far more than singing and music. It is ultimately a way of life.
“The day is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23)
Our Values
Value #1
BRING
YOUR
MESS
We don’t gather as a church to pretend that we are perfect or have it all together. Life is messy. People are messy. All of us. We believe Christ shows up when we are honest about this and approach Him in faith to receive His healing. Restoration doesn’t happen when we act like we’re “perfect people.” It happens when we bring our mess to our Savior. When we do this, He does something wonderful with us. He changes our brokenness into something beautiful. We begin to experience restoration as Christ is revealed in our lives.
Value #2
WEAR
YOUR
BOOTS
The second core value is “Wear Your Boots.” Why? Because the work of Christ Revealed and People Restored isn’t clean or easy. We all come with baggage, and it takes time to be free of it. And it takes work. That's why we ask you to “put your boots on.” That means we ask you to serve, to step deeper into worship, and to pray like it matters, because it does. We also ask you to be there for one another. We don’t want to be a church of “anonymous pew sitters” but a true fellowship of friends. We challenge you to take the higher (and messier) road. We ask you to act upon your faith to the point of sacrifice. We expect that you come ready to spiritually “wear your boots.” But honestly there’s no greater work than this! As Jesus declared, “The Kingdom of God is near, change your ways!” What an amazing invitation! Let’s put on our boots and get to work!
VALUE #3
LISTEN
THEN
JUMP
We believe that the life of the disciple of Jesus is forged by listening to Christ and then taking leaps of faith in response. Every step forward happens like this: “listening” and then “jumping” in faith. We learn to listen through prayer, reading the scriptures, and seeking the Lord’s will for our lives. We learn to “jump” when we act obediently in response to what we hear and risk stepping out of our comfort zone in Jesus’ name. This is why you will hear our pastors teach a lot about prayer and scripture. It’s through these that we learn to listen. And we will also challenge you to act on your faith through giving, service, and works of compassion. Occasionally, we will even challenge you to risk something big in Jesus' name. All because Christ reveals Himself and restores people in just this way.
Value #4
KEEP THE
DOOR
WIDE OPEN
Sadly, many people have experienced the church as a place with a closed door. You must look the part, speak the part, and think the part to be at home. We are totally against this. Christ alone matters. So we don’t get hung up on political debates, doctrinal hairsplitting, or social stances. It’s not that these aren’t important, it’s just that our unity in Christ is more important. Christ’s final request, after all, was that we might be one (John 17:21-23). We are all on a journey, not all of us are in the same place, and that’s alright. No matter who you are, the door is open. Pull up a chair. Christ welcomes you to His church.
That's the nitty-gritty. If you have any questions beyond this chat with our pastor. He loves theology and would have a ball answering any questions you might have.