WHAT WE BELIEVE
We stick to the basics. We believe Jesus Christ is our Savior and we accept the Holy Scriptures, the Old and New Testaments, as the word of God and the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine, and conduct. We intend to live as faithful followers of Christ and members of the church and denomination.
affirmation of women
The Evangelical Covenant Church has ordained women as full partners in ministry since 1976, welcoming the entire body of Christ to offer their gifts as a blessing to the church.
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From Called and Gifted, A reaffirmation of the Biblical basis for the full participation of women in the ministries of the church:
"We believe in the Holy Scriptures, the Old and the New Testaments, as the word of God and the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine and conduct. Our tradition, therefore, has always been to ask,
"Where is it written?" on matters of faith, doctrine, and conduct. Our position on women in ministry flows from our high view of Scripture and is not derived from cultural or societal trends. We believe that "women ought to minister not because society says so but because the Bible leads the Church to such a conclusion."
To read the entire document, click here.
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Additional resources regarding the full inclusion of women in ministry:
All God's People: An Exploration of the Call of Women to Pastoral Ministry
A Biblical and Theological Basis for Women in Ministry, Occasional Paper
commitment to justice
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8
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From its inception the Covenant Denomination has been concerned with helping hurting people (love mercy), and addressing the causes of that hurt (do justice). The mission of the Love Mercy Do Justice (LMDJ) organization is to "join God in making things right in our broken world." Our goal is to resource and equip the local church in its call to love, serve, and work together with people at the margins toward holistic individual, family, and community transformation.
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The Journey is the midst of intentional discipleship efforts to expand our understanding of the history of injustice in our country, including the complicit role of the church in many of its darkest times. Pastor Kyle and Pastor Heather are in their second year of participation in cohorts of fellow pastors who gather on a monthly basis to reflect on articles, books, and videos on a variety of issues of justice. The church leadership team recently completed a study of the book Rediscipling the White Church by David Swanson. Small groups within the church have studied Jemar Tisby's book The Color of Compromise. As a white congregation, we recognize that we have much to learn about the experience of communities of color in our country and we seek to continue to learn.
Our culture
At The Journey:
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You don't have to dress up, put on a face, or pretend to be someone you aren't.
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We don't care about your political party, or who you voted for in the last election.
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Our desire is to grow together toward the goal of becoming authentic in Christ.
You see, we believe church should be a place of grace, where our loving God meets seeking people who are far from perfect. That means that anyone is welcome, no matter where you are on your spiritual journey.
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So we encourage you to ask questions.
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Seek.
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We believe that God can handle it. In fact, we believe he encourages our seeking and wants to be found. And it is often in the asking of hard questions that God is found. And the amazing thing about finding Jesus is that He loves you just the way you are, but loves you too much to leave you hurting.
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Join us as we grow in Christ together... it's a journey worth taking!
what we value
Centrality of Scripture:
Celebrating the story of God's love for all people.
Good News:
Inviting everyone to flourish in a relationship with God.
Intentional Transformation:
Learning to think and act like Jesus.
Love Mercy Do Justice:
Joining God in making things right in our broke world.
Radically Relational:
Showing up authentically, treating each other equally, honoring our differences.
Restoration:
Offering a place of healing and hope.
