WHAT WE BELIEVE
The following seven statements clarify what we feel are ‘essential’ to our faith.
We believe in one God who has eternally existed in three persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, coequal and coeternal. Every act of God is accomplished by the Trinity in Unity.
We believe God is self-existent, self-sufficient, omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, faithful, good, just, merciful, gracious, loving, holy, sovereign, and transcendent over all things.
[John 17:11, 1 Corinthians 3:16]
We believe that humanity was created in the image of God to live in holistic flourishing in relationships with God, humankind and creation. The image of God was, however, impaired through mankind’s sinfulness and willingness to live in disunity with God. The bible is clear that the wages of the sinfulness of mankind is death, and humanity is incapable of reuniting themselves to God, their own effort or ability. [Romans 3:23, Romans 5:12]
God’s Common Grace: We believe God has acted in grace toward all of humanity in his provision and generosity. God is the sustainer of life, gifting all of humankind with the goodness of his creation. [Psalm 145:9]
God’s Saving Grace: We believe God is compassionate toward humankind and desires that all of humanity would be reunited to him in the fullness of our relationship with him. For this reason, the Son, Jesus, humbled himself into the form of a servant through his incarnation, lived sinless in unity with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, was crucified on behalf of all who would place their faith in him, conquered the power of sin and death through his resurrection, and ascended to be seated at the right hand of God that all might be restored to unity with the triune God. [John 1:1-14, 1 Corinthians 15:1-8]
We believe the Church is the community of God and the body of Christ on earth functioning in the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. The local church exists to reach those who are far from Jesus and to disciple the believer. God has chosen to use the local church to bring and reveal the holistic restoration available through Christ to their surrounding communities. [Matthew 28:19-20]
We believe Scripture (the bible) is the inspired word of God and is authoritative, as it is totally truthful and fully trustworthy. We believe the bible is infallible, as it does not mislead us, but it is true and reliable. We believe the bible is inerrant, as it is free from all falsehood, fraud, or deceit. The Bible is the primary way God has chosen to reveal himself to humankind and is a life-giving source of revelation concerning the person of God.
[2 Timothy 3:16-17]
We believe that forgiveness of sin and the promise of eternal life is available to all people who accept the free gift of God’s grace through Jesus Christ
[John 3:16-17]
We believe that those who trust in Jesus should repent of their sins, confess their faith and will receive salvation through the atoning work of Jesus on the cross. Salvation is God’s gift to us (Eph. 2:8).
Summit Frequently Asked Questions
The following are questions frequently asked of our pastors and staff members. We believe clarity is kindness, therefore we have compiled our theological responses in the interest of those worshiping and/or serving within Summit Church. We seek unity in essentials, liberty in non-essentials and charity in all things. We are not elevating these beliefs over and above others, but simply responding to the questions we hear both within our church and the broader culture.
Summit is a part of The Foursquare Church. The term “Foursquare” stands for the four-fold ministry of Jesus Christ as the Savior, Baptizer with the Holy Spirit, Healer, and Coming King (Rom. 10:9; Luke 3:16; 1 Pet. 2:24; Acts 1:11).
The Foursquare Church, officially the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, was founded in Los Angeles by Aimee Semple McPherson in 1923. Today, there are tens of thousands of Foursquare churches and meeting places across the globe.
For more information on The Foursquare Church, click here.
We believe water baptism is an external declaration of an inner change that occurs when someone repents of their sin and puts their faith in Jesus Christ. We believe going under the water during baptism and being lifted out is a symbol of participating in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. (Acts 2:38; Rom. 6:3-5; Gal. 3:27)
We believe water baptism is not a salvific act, but a public act of obedience modeled through the New Testament church. Baptism is a response of an individual who has faith in Jesus and believes the gospel. (Mt. 3:13-17, 28:19; Acts 2:41, 22:16)
On the basis of this belief, we practice water baptism by full immersion as a personal decision exercised in the context of gospel community (primarily Sunday worship services). We baptize individuals in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, as prescribed in the Great Commission (Mt. 28:19).
We believe the act of communion (also known as the “Eucharist” or the “Lord’s Supper”) was instituted by Jesus Christ as a symbolic reminder of his body given for us and his blood shed for us as a new covenant. (Mt. 26: 26-28; Luke 22:19-30; 1 Cor. 10:16-27, 11:23-25)
We believe partaking of communion is a proclamation of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and his forgiveness of sins. It is an act done in communion with God and with one another. Communion is an opportunity for us to examine our hearts and continually receive the forgiveness and grace offered by Jesus Christ. We believe participation in communion is for those who believe with their hearts and confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord, and ought to be a regular rhythm in the life of the church. (Acts 2:42; Rom. 10:9-10; 1 Cor. 11:26-28)
On the basis of this belief, we partake of communion through eating a wafer (the bread) and drinking grape juice (the cup). We practice communion as a gospel community on a monthly basis during our Sunday worship services. However, communion is by no means limited to this context, and we invite believers to partake in communion whenever they feel led.
Participation is done at the discretion and conviction of the individual believer. We would encourage those who do not proclaim Jesus Christ as their Savior to wait to participate in communion until they confess Him as Lord of their life.
These beliefs are what you will see taught at Summit and practiced within our church community. It grieves our hearts when any person’s experience with the church does not reflect the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. We recognize that this has been a reality for many who consider themselves sexual minorities, and we deeply desire for Summit Church to be a place where every person feels welcomed to worship with us and experiences the grace of God.
We believe God created humanity to bear his image, and all people hold inherent value and worth. We believe that God intentionally designed us within the bounds of biological sex, as male and female. We believe that he sees us and desires for us to bring our whole selves, including our biological sex and sexual expression, under the lordship of Jesus Christ. (Gen. 1:26-27, 5:1-2; Ps. 8:4-6, Ps. 139:13-16; 1 Cor. 6:12-20)
We believe marriage is designed by God and created to be an exclusive, covenant relationship between two sexually different persons (one man and one woman). Sexual intimacy is to be experienced solely within this one-flesh union. (Gen. 2:24-25; Matt. 19:4–6)
We believe any sexual intimacy or expression outside the marriage covenant is sin and is not what God desires for His people. As Christians, we are called to a life of holiness: we are to flee from sin, including all illicit sexual expression. (Matt. 5:8, 27-28; 1 Cor. 6:12–7:5)
We believe the marriage covenant is not designed to be broken, and that reconciliation between spouses reflects Christ’s reconciliation with the church. However, we also acknowledge that the Bible grants divorce in unique circumstances. While these circumstances do not require divorce, they do permit it. We believe that consideration of divorce and/or remarriage should be done within the context of gospel community and alongside pastoral counsel. (Matt. 18:15-17, 19:1-12, 1 Col. 1:19-23)
We believe both marriage and singleness are divine gifts and worthy vocations. Marriage and singleness distinctly reflect the hope of eternity and our communion with God. It is our desire to be a church that upholds and honors those who are single, whether that is a temporary or life-long calling. It is our desire to be a church that supports and honors those who are married, and champions life-long, covenant commitment. (Matt. 19:9; Matt. 19:10-12; Matt. 22:30; Eph. 5:22–33; Heb. 13:4; 1 Cor. 7:6–9)
We believe God created men and women as equal partners to bear His image in the world. Men and women are alike in their humanity and yet distinct in their genders: essential others. Together they are counterparts created to reflect the goodness and glory of God. (Gen. 1:26-28; Ps. 8:4-8)
We believe the creation narrative paints a picture of both man and woman equally partnering together with God to do His work on earth. We believe the elevation or subordination of either gender is a disruption of harmonious partnership and a result of the fall. (Gen. 1:27-28; 2:18; 3:16)
We believe God pours out His Holy Spirit on men and women alike: empowering and gifting both genders equally and without distinction. In the Bible we see both women and men gifted and called as ministers, evangelists, teachers, prophets, and apostles. (Joel 2:28-29; Acts 2:17-18, 18:26, 21:8-9; Rom. 11:13-14, 16:1-7; 1 Cor. 11:5; Phil. 4:3)
While there are a handful of texts in the New Testament that may give some pause in regard to women in leadership roles, we believe those texts are temporary instructions (descriptive) to specific churches within their cultural context, and they are not universal commands (prescriptive) for the global church. (1 Cor. 11:2–16, 14:34–35; 1 Tim. 2:8-15, 3:1–7; Titus 1:6–9)
On the basis of this belief, we not only permit but we pursue and deeply value having both men and women at every level of leadership: including pastor, preacher, and elder. We have a deep respect for our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who interpret these passages differently, and we are honored to worship and follow Jesus alongside them.
