THEOLOGICAL CONVICTIONS
&
SPIRITUAL PRACTICES

The following words are an attempt by the leadership of Sacred Grace Englewood to clarify some of the theological convictions as well as philosophical and practical distinctives of our church. We hope that this document will be useful for Staff, Elders, Parishioners, and community members beyond our church. 

We’ve borrowed from ancient creeds (e.g. Westminster, Apostles, Nicene), the Christian Scriptures (both testaments), as well as two thousand years of Christian tradition (preceded by centuries of Jewish tradition). We’ve also drawn upon denominational influence and language that resonates with the culture of our church.

The following words are not meant to be exhaustive or comprehensive. We created this for the simple purpose of clarity, believing that to be clear is to be kind. Although these are nothing more than words in their current state, we pray that as they are put into practice and as they continue to shape our community that they would be a light of hope in the midst of the darkness of despair.

These are the primary pillars of our belief. Many other beliefs and convictions stem from what is listed below, but these make up the load-bearing principles of our faith.

The ideological and theological convictions of our parishioners are not monolithic. We choose unity over uniformity, believing that diversity of thought and experience is one of our greatest strengths. We hold to a spectrum of interpretations with regard to the scriptures and theology, and agreement is never a prerequisite to belonging. 

The best way to understand what we believe is to come and see! Come and see theology in practice. Come and see our convictions lived out in community. The following words are merely the beginning; the foundation we build our lives on.

THEOLOGICAL CONVICTIONS

  • We worship one God in trinity; creator, sustainer, and giver of life. 

    God is 

    our gracious provider, God the Father,
    our redeeming light, God the Son,
    our healing breath, God the Spirit.

  • We believe that the Christian scriptures are the most comprehensive revelation of God available to humanity. These sacred texts enlighten us about who God is, who we are, and how the two intersect.

  • Through an incarnational act of love, born of a virgin, God became human. Jesus’ life, teaching, and ministry are a guide for morality, wisdom, and peacemaking. His birth, life, death, and resurrection accomplished our salvation. Through the work of the Messiah, we are saved from death, saved to life, and saved for the proliferation of light in the world.   

    Jesus is the light of the world, the word of God spoken over all of creation, the persistent hope of the gospel.

  • We are all made in the image and likeness of God, broken by sin, and healed by our Creator. We are designed for a life of worship, hope, generosity, and responsibility for our neighbors and neighborhoods.

The following adjectives finish the sentence WE ARE ________.  There is more to who we are than these descriptors; however, these are the primary distinctives that define Sacred Grace Englewood. These are not finished products of our church, but life-long aspirations that we are working toward and striving for every day by the grace of God.

SPIRITUAL PRACTICES

  • WE ARE RESPONSIBLE

    We take spiritual and social responsibility for our neighbors and neighborhoods by humbly pursuing justice, mercy, and shalom. This is a proactive approach to caring for our community that requires sacrifice, risk-taking, and uncomfortable love.

  • WE ARE GENEROUS

    We choose to be generous with all our resources; relationships, time, possessions, and money. We want to be generous because our Father is generous, and as God’s children we want to show the world what our Father is like. Generosity describes the primary posture we take with regard to Englewood or whatever community our parishioners call home.

  • WE ARE COMMUNAL

    We choose to give ourselves to one another in acts of care, service, and intention. We engage each other in dialogue, disagreement, encouragement, and friendship, going beyond superficiality and choosing depth and authenticity. Our commitment to each other, those of us who make up the congregation of Sacred Grace Englewood, is communal. We are committed to deep, self-sacrificing relationships, not simply surface, church-going acquaintances.

  • WE ARE SACRAMENTAL

    We engage in the sacraments of Communion and Baptism as historical and embodied acts of worship that lead us Godward. Our weekly liturgy is made up of songs, prayers, teaching, contemplation, and more. But these Sacraments represent the core of our belief-in-practice.