Our denomination is the Christian Reformed Church in North America (www.crcna.org).  We believe that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God and contains all that people in any age need to know for their salvation. We call the Bible God’s Word, believing that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, God speaks to us through this book. Reformed believers summarize this biblical story in four major chapters:

• Creation - In the beginning God created a world where everything was in perfect harmony. Relations between God and humans and the creation were good and whole.
  
  
• Fall - Through pride, humans were enticed by Satan into rebelling against God. Their disobedient act opened the door for the “sin virus” to enter the world. This virus contaminates everything: no person, no creature, no institution, no relationship or individual action is free from the totality of this contamination. The results of sin are evident in such things as greed, violence, and oppression as well as pollution, sickness, death, and weeds. The most devastating effect of sin is alienation from God. Still, sin cannot obliterate the “image of God” in us that longs for God and for wholeness.
  
  
• Redemption - But God did not allow sin to have the last word in this story. Because of his great love for humans and for the whole creation, God set out to redeem the world from its sinful condition. God called Abraham and Sarah and their descendants, the people of Israel, to be his partners in blessing the whole world. Finally, he sent his only Son, Jesus the Messiah, to live a fully human life and then die, thus paying the price for humanity’s sinful actions. But death could not defeat Jesus. God raised him from the dead to show that he had conquered sin and death. Now God’s kingdom is growing and spreading in this world, and Christians are part of that great work.
  
  
• New Creation - One day, Jesus is coming back again to extend God’s reign on earth completely. He will do away with any traces of sin and its effects. There will be no more sickness, no more suffering, no more alienation from God, no more death. Evil will be eradicated. God himself will dwell with humans and all creation will be fully restored. Praise God!

We believe that the Old and New Testaments are the inspired Word of God, the only infallible rule for faith and life. We affirm three creeds—the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed—as ecumenical expressions of the Christian faith. We also affirm three confessions—the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Canons of Dort—as historic Reformed expressions of the Christian faith, whose doctrines fully agree with the Word of God. Along with these historic creeds and confessions, we recognize the following Reformed expressions of the Christian faith, adopted by synod as contemporary testimonies: the call for unity, justice, and reconciliation of the Belhar Confession and the witness of Our World Belongs to God: A Contemporary Testimony. We use the NIV Bible in our worship services.
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Our Values (why we do what we do)
Relationships: The ministries of our church spring from God’s relationship with us and our relationships with others. We aim to be a community that deeply knows and cares for one another and embraces people of all ages, races, ethnicity, and languages.
 
Reconciliation: We recognize that our relationships – with God, ourselves, our neighbors, and creation – are often broken as a result of sin. Life in Christ involves the process of reconciliation – calling ourselves and others to repentance and healing in Christ’s name.
 
Nurture: We nurture Christ-likeness in people through teaching, training and disciple-making.  We also seek to identify how God has gifted people, to mentor and empower them to use their gifts to strengthen our ministry, and to equip all our members for leadership and service.
 
Neighborhood: We understand that we are a unique part of our 9th and 9th neighborhood and we are committed to the well-being of the local community in which God has placed us. This includes neighborhoods where we live, but especially our 9th and 9th community.
Hospitality: A significant part of our past and present identity involves welcoming new-comers to Salt Lake City, the state of Utah, and the United States as well as offering a home to believers no matter where they come from. We welcome and make room for guests God sends us.
 
Commitment: We celebrate the Gospel which has a simple outline: Guilt – Grace – Gratitude. Our response to God’s grace must grow into commitment to Jesus Christ and his church. We must therefore act as faithful stewards of our lives and our world for Christ’s glory.

Our Mission (what we do)
GATHER, GROW, SERVE IN GOD’S LOVE
 
Long Term Vision – Life in Christ 2040 (where we are headed)

• Flourishing community of disciples who grow in grace, go deep together, and through meaningful relationships, multiply Life in Christ.
• Faithful witness to our neighbors, proclaiming the Gospel in Word and life,loving broadly and serving our neighbors in Jesus’ name.
• Beautiful, revitalized campus serving our community and other congregations,where the Spirit moves, the city flourishes and God is glorified.

 
Short Term Vision – Life in Christ 2027-2030 (where we are headed)

• Evangelism and Engagement
• Next Generation
• Discipleship and Prayer
• Leadership and Execution

Our “One Thing” – Focus for 2024 (revised each year)
Sunday + 1: inviting people to engage their faith beyond Sunday with at least one activity
Next Gen: not at the expense of older folks, but rallying the whole church to pass on the faith