We know that choosing a church to visit (short-term or long-term) is hard, and having some idea of the core values and beliefs of a place before you step through the doors, is really helpful! So let us give you an overview of the beliefs that underpin us as a church community.
Our name “Trinity” is the name given to ONE God, who is made up of THREE persons: The Father (God), The Son (Jesus) and The Holy Spirit. And so everything we do is to love and honour that God.
At the heart of our church are Biblical values. We believe that the core of what God calls His church to be, does not change (although its practical expression does change in response to changing circumstances) and so the way ‘Church’ is described in the bible (specifically, the book of Acts chapter 2, verses 42-47) shapes who WE are as a church.
Quite simply, we want to be a genuine family of enthusiastic worshippers, who are passionate about the truth and relevance of the Bible. We desire to live out the Bible’s message in authentic Christian lifestyles; representing and proclaiming the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to the world around us.
Want a bit more of the nitty gritty of the things we believe? Here we go:
- We believe that God made the world and sustains it, and is the rightful ruler of all things.
- We believe God revealed what He is like through the Bible, and so the Bible is the guidebook to how we as Christians, should live.
- The Bible shows us that humans all try to make their own rules instead of accepting God’s rules (also known as ‘sin’). Sin creates a barrier in our relationship with God; each other and the world around us. The only right and fair punishment for sin is death, and separation from God forever.
- BUT (the good news…) because God loves us, and doesn’t want to be separated from us, He sent His son Jesus Christ into the world to bridge the gap between us and God, that has been created by sin.
- Jesus was brought into the world in a miraculous way. Sent from God, but conceived by Mary who was a virgin, He was born like any other human. (We celebrate this at Christmas.)
- We believe that Jesus was 100% human AND 100% God. (Which is hard to get your head around, but amazing when you do!)
- Because Jesus was 100% God, He lived a sinless life. But He took the punishment that we deserved, and died on the cross, as a sacrifice on our behalf. (We celebrate this on Good Friday.)
- Three days later, He defeated death by raising from the dead, and physically coming back to life. (This is called the resurrection, and we celebrate that on Easter Sunday.)
- 40 days after His resurrection Jesus went back to heaven to reign with God, the Father. (This is often known as ‘The Ascension”)
- We believe that one day Jesus will return to Earth, and when He does, the world as we know it will end and will be created new again. On this day all the people; past and present, will stand before Jesus who will be their judge.
- Because we have all sinned, and none of us have followed God’s rules perfectly, our punishment when we stand in judgment on that day, should be separation from God. BUT, because Jesus died in our place, then defeated death by rising again, if we have said sorry to God (“repented”) and said our “yes” to following Him and living for Him, our debts have been paid, we are made good with God and are able to live with Him forever! (This Is very happy news.)
- Part of following God and living FOR Him, includes being in relationship with the Holy Spirit. We believe that the Holy Spirit shows us who Jesus is and helps us experience Him in our lives. He helps us to stop living for ourselves and to become more like Jesus in our day-to-day life, including helping us to tell others about Jesus.
- When you become a Christian (which means you say “yes” to following Jesus, and step into relationship with God) we become part of Jesus’ Church. There are wide variety of church styles and flavours, but most Christian Churches will agree on these central truths.
- We are a Baptist Church, and we believe that when you have said your “yes” to Jesus you are then Baptised. Jesus showed us this in the Bible, and so we follow His example by Baptising people by full immersion (completely drenched by water). It’s an incredible declaration of your love for God and your commitment to live a life for and with God.
- Once you have been Baptised, you can become a Church member.