We understand that in matters of belief, there will always be differences. We are challenged in Ephesians 4: 2 & 3: “...with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love…to eagerly, deliberately and with every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in our community.”
In this spirit of maintaining the unity of our community we view our beliefs with varying degrees of firmness and flexibility. Confessional Beliefs: Absolute truths that all Christians should share in common. These are embodied in our Statement of Faith. Core Convictions: These are beliefs we hold to be true but realize not all Christians share this in common. Positions we currently hold: These are beliefs we hold and realize that at times may change and that all of our community may not share the same position. We hold these positions with the understanding that we might be wrong.
For more information on conflict resolution and working through differences,
see Appendix C
Living out our beliefs, convictions and positions
What follows is our attempt to briefly describe, in a practical way, how we live out some of our beliefs, convictions and current positions as we follow the way of Jesus together.
‘Emmanuel’ - God With Us
There are many places where you can hear a powerful sermon or moving worship music. There have never been more tools for Christians to access and dive deeper into scripture, theology or our faith heritage. However, we hope that ECC can be a place where we work these concepts out in real life, together. At the core, we believe the Kingdom ethic is best understood in relationships, together. Rather than display a picture-perfect version of people who have it all figured out (because quite honestly, we don’t) we hope that people coming through our doors will find a community committed to learning together what it means to follow Jesus today, here and now.
This community will take a lot of different forms over the years. It looked very different when we started than what it looks like today. It will likely look very different 50 years from now.
A Welcoming Community
Sunday Services
Our goal for a Sunday Service is to create an environment that is welcoming to all, wherever they are on their life journey and to provide meaningful opportunities to encounter Jesus, receive teaching, worship and prayer.
We value informality, authenticity and friendliness during our services. We encourage diverse forms and styles of worship, which cultivate our awareness of His presence in our midst. Our worship ought also to allow for a balance of expression, which engages our spirit, mind, emotions, and body.
A Multi-Generational Community
At the heart of who we are is a multi-generational community. Everyone is welcome to participate and have a role, from the oldest to the youngest. Practically, this means that children and youth are an active part of our worship services and community events. Although we have specific ministries geared towards children and youth, we believe strongly that they are not separate, but that they are part of the greater community and are encouraged to share their gifts on Sunday mornings, during community gatherings throughout the week and within other ECC ministries.
ECC believes that children are the future church and are an integral part of the community today. Jesus demonstrated valuing and prioritizing children and we strive to model his actions in how we approach community life at ECC.
We believe that parents are primarily responsible for the spiritual growth and development of their children. In particular, ECC Children’s Ministry desires to come alongside parents to support and encourage them in this journey. ECC seeks to provide children with age-appropriate teaching to help them grow in their knowledge, love, and devotion to Jesus. This growth is supported and encouraged by committed leaders who nurture their developing faith and provide many opportunities to develop friendships in a faith community that is fun, supportive and responsive to each child’s unique needs.
In the same way, we believe that you’re never too old to use your gifts to serve, mentor, care for others or be involved in our ministries. We believe that the seniors in our congregation offer invaluable wisdom and we want them to speak actively into the lives of the other generations
Followers of Jesus
Jesus-Centered
Everything we do is centered around Jesus Christ. We believe God's son who took on flesh to be with us, taught us to love God & one another and died for our sins on a cross (more on this in our “Statement of Faith”). We believe that he is inviting all to follow him into his new way of life where He is making all things new.
Renewal
We believe God is working to renew or transform us into the image of His Son Jesus. Spiritual renewal is intended to touch every aspect of our lives and our community’s life. Individually, God desires to transform our thoughts, attitudes, words, actions to be more like Jesus. Corporately, God’s work within us will result in all of us fully expressing our gifts to serve God and those around us.
The Bible and Holy Spirit
We believe that two of the primary ways God speaks is through the Bible and His Holy Spirit.
We believe that the Bible is the authoritative book that guides our community. Because of this, we commit to learning from the teachings of the Bible every Sunday and encourage all community members to actively engage with it in their lives.
As the Holy Spirit was essential in the inspiration of the Bible, so too the Holy Spirit is essential in helping us, individually and corporately, to apply the Bible, to grow in love for God and one another, to worship and more. It is this work of the Holy Spirit that enables the Bible to bring freedom rather than bondage in legalism. Therefore, as a community, we seek to develop an intimate knowledge of both the Bible and the Holy Spirit.
Baptism and Communion
We believe that Jesus has given two ordinances to the church: baptism and communion.
In Baptism, an individual gives testimony of having personally accepted Christ by faith and of being united with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. This is open to anyone who has accepted Jesus as their Lord and wants to publicly declare that faith by being immersed in water as a symbol of the new life they have found in Jesus.
ECC celebrates Communion, known also as the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist, weekly as a central part of our Sunday worship. Communion on Sunday mornings is overseen by the leadership team but can be led by anyone at any time during the week in formal or informal gatherings.
At ECC, Communion is a representative meal. Its primary purpose is to remember and respond to Jesus and His death. We remember Jesus’s sacrificial death on a cross by eating bread, a tangible reminder of Christ's body broken given for us, and drinking juice, a tangible reminder of Christ’s blood shed for us. In Communion, we, in unity with the world-wide church, respond to Jesus by thanking him, trusting him and proclaiming that He has forgiven our sins. We are also responding in hopefulness of what He is still doing in our lives today.
Because Communion is an act of remembering and responding to Jesus, we invite all who wish to participate to consider their response to Jesus and come to him with reverence and trust. All those who are not in a place of trusting Jesus are welcome to pass the elements by.
Children are welcome to take part in Communion with the blessing of their Christian parents. When children join in the act of Communion (much like Jewish children have an actual role in the Passover meal), they join in the wonder of what the bread and the juice represent, at their level of understanding. When parents explain the importance of this act, in age-appropriate words, this can be a very meaningful time for both children and parent/s. Participating in Communion reaffirms children’s inclusion in the community.
Everyone Has A Role
Priesthood of All Believers
A core value at ECC is that you don’t just belong here but that everyone can express their God-given gifts and abilities through this community. The theological phrase for this is the “Priesthood of All Believers."
This is a way of saying that everyone has a role and a voice in the ECC community because of what Jesus has done. Where you see the phrase “Priesthood of All Believers” you can substitute it for “having a role, and a voice in the Church because of what Jesus has done.”
The Priesthood of all believers means that ministry is not the prerogative of a select few professional workers but the privilege and responsibility of every believer. Every believer can, and ought to minister to/serve their fellow believers and those outside the body of Christ. Our vocation in the “secular” world is equal in its capacity to glorify God as is the vocation of those in the “spiritual” world. There should be no division between the secular and the spiritual for the believer.
Every believer (Christian) has access directly to God the Father through Christ without the need of any other earthly mediator ie a priest.
The function of a priest is to present the Word of God to people under their care. It is through the Spirit-inspired Word of God that the Spirit works in people’s lives. Every believer can bring the Word of God to another. Some “priests” in the body of Christ are set aside to minister the Word of God authoritatively through teaching.
Connecting / Growing / Serving
As a community, we are committed to the equipping of all people to maturity in the faith as they follow Jesus and fulfill Jesus’ Great Commission (see Matthew 28:16-20). We desire to be witnesses in our individual lives, to be a light as a community of believers within Richmond, and to support the work of missions worldwide. Although we believe in supporting those in our community and world who do this full-time, we believe that all of us, with our priestly calling, are called to the work of carrying out God’s mission in the world.
Marriage & Sexuality
As a Christian community living together and in the world, we believe, according to our Statement of Faith, that we are made in the image of God, and are called to reflect God’s image in all relationships. We all have sinned, and are in need of God’s grace and forgiveness. Without casting any judgment on one another for our failures, we will celebrate family, faithful heterosexual marriage, and celibate singleness.
Eschatology
Eschatology is the part of Christian theology that deals with the “last things”: death, judgment, eternity, Christ's return, etc. Scholar John Frame has said: “…every Bible passage about the return of Christ is written for a practical purpose –not to help us develop a theory of history, but to motivate our obedience.” Our desire is to be found ready and obedient, like the example Jesus gives in Matthew 25 where he concludes: “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” Matt 25:13 (ESV)
Leadership Structure
ECC is an “Elder Led Church” supported by and leading in concert with the pastoral staff. We are one among equals. The Elders also fulfill the Board of Directors role for the Charity. The Elders along with the Pastoral Staff make up the Leadership Team who works as one body to provide pastoral care, vision and leadership to the community. We are egalitarian, believing both men and women should serve in all levels of leadership, including pastoral roles and on the board of Elders.
ECC is governed by a board of Elders. Elders are volunteers who are called from the ECC community to provide leadership to the church. The term “elder” comes from the Bible (1 Peter 5), where early church leaders were given the responsibility to govern and shepherd their local churches. Likewise, ECC’s Elders have the same two primary functions: governance and shepherding.
From a governance perspective, the Elders fulfill the Board of Directors role as set by the BC Societies Act. The Pastor(s), although fulfilling the Biblical role of “elders”, are not on the Board of Directors. On the Leadership Team, the Elders collaborate with the Pastor(s) on ECC’s vision, personnel and budget, and the Elders retain final authority in these areas.
The shepherding role is shared by the Elders and the Pastor(s) on the Leadership Team. Shepherding refers to the spiritual, pastoral and managerial oversight of the church. Other people with shepherding gifts may be identified and appointed by the Leadership Team.
ECC’s Pastor(s) have been given the delegated responsibility to lead ECC’s Sunday morning services, oversee ECC’s children’s, youth and adult ministries, support key ministry volunteers, give pastoral support to community members, and provide general spiritual oversight for the community. Pastors are paid staff, with the associate pastor reporting to the senior pastor.