OUR BELIEFS
Statement of Faith
The following Statement of Faith outlines the central beliefs and necessary doctrines of the Uptown Church. Rooted in the Spirit and in Scripture, all worship and teaching from the pulpit affirms this Statement. The Uptown Church also affirms the early Christian creeds––Apostles’ Creed, Nicene Creed, Athanasian Creed, and Chalcedonian Definition––as essential summaries of Holy Scripture and boundary markers for preserving Christian orthodoxy and the ancient faith once for all delivered to the saints. The Uptown Church is committed to living out these eternal truths in personal devotion, community life, and global witness, to the glory of God.
Doctrine of God
Article 1. Holy Trinity
We believe in the one true God, the Holy Trinity––Father, Son, Holy Spirit––one God in three persons, coequal in divine nature, power, and perfection, neither blending their persons nor dividing their essence, but all three uncreated in coeternal majesty, fulfilling distinct yet harmonious roles: The Father is the source of all being; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father before all ages as the one mediator between God and man; and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father through the Son to unite humanity to Himself. One God in trinity and the trinity in unity, completely incomprehensible. The mystery of the triune God is the foundation of our life in communion with Him––the sole object of worship.
Genesis 1:1-2,26; Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 48:11–16; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; John 1:1-4,14, 4:24, 10:30, 14:26,28, 15:26; Romans 8:9-11, 9:5; 1 Corinthians 11:2-3, 15:27-28; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2,10-12; Jude 1:4-5
Article 2. God the Father
We believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, Creator of all things visible and invisible, who made the cosmos out of nothing and sustains it by His providence, infinitely perfect in His divine nature and attributes: uncreated, eternal, incorporeal, immutable, indivisible, simple (or without parts), self-sufficient, self-existent, immeasurable, incomparable, impassible, omniscient, omnipotent, omnibenevolent, omnipresent, transcendent, yet immanent. He is a wholly sovereign, holy, yet personal Being. He is the essence of glory, goodness, righteousness, justice, wisdom, joy, peace, grace, mercy, hope, faith, love, truth, and life. He cannot lie or be tempted by evil. He is the principal source of the Son and the Spirit, unbegotten without procession.
Genesis 18:25; Exodus 3:5-6, 14, 34:6-7; Deuteronomy 6:4, 7:7-8, 32:4; Numbers 23:19; Psalm 25:8, 90:1-2, 115:3, 139:7-10, 145:17, 147:5,8; Isaiah 6:3, 55:8-9, 57:15; Jeremiah 9:24, 23:23-24, 32:17; Malachi 3:6; Matthew 5:45, 10:29, 19:26; John 14:6, 15:26; Acts 17:24-28; Romans 8:35-39, 9:15-16, 11:33,36; 1 Corinthians 8:5-6; Ephesians 2:4; Colossians 1:15-17; 2 Timothy 2:13; Titus 1:2; Philippians 4:7; Hebrews 4:13,16, 6:18; James 1:13,17; 1 John 4:8,16; Revelation 4:8
Article 3. God the Son
We believe in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, who is truly God and truly man, with two natures, wills, and operations, united without separation, confusion, or mixture. Coessential with the Father in preincarnate glory, He existed eternally before time, and through Him all things were made. He came down from heaven and was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born incarnate by the virgin Mary, taught with divine authority, performed miracles, revealed the Kingdom of God and lived a sinless life as the image of the invisible God. He suffered under Pontius Pilate and voluntarily died by crucifixion on the cross as a substitute for sin once for all, descended into the realm of the dead, resurrected bodily on the third day as prophesied in Scripture, and ascended to heaven for the salvation of mankind, redeeming all those who truly believe in Him. He is seated at the right hand of God the Father, exalted as King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the sole mediator between God and mankind, interceding for the saints as High Priest and chief Shepherd. He will return in the way He left to judge the living and the dead, when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and reign over His kingdom forever.
John 1:1-3,14, 3:16-21, 6:40, 8:23, 10:7-18, 20:8-9,17,27-29; Acts 1:9-11; Colossians 1:15-22, 2:9,14; 1 John 2:2, 3:5; 1 Corinthians 8:5-6, 15:3-4; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 1:1-3, 4:15, 5:8-9, 13:8; 1 Peter 2:24, 3:18-20, 5:4; Galatians 3:13; Romans 5:6-8, 10:9-10, 11:36; Ephesians 4:6,9-10; Luke 1:31-33; 1 Timothy 2:5-6, 6:15; Philippians 2:5-11; Daniel 7:21-22, 27; Isaiah 9:6, 53:6; Revelation 1:18, 19:16, 20:11-15, 22:5
Article 4. God the Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the giver of life and truth. He proceeds from the Father through the Son and is worshipped and glorified with Him. The Spirit is the Gift sent to apply the Son's redemptive work in and through the saints. He spoke through the prophets and apostles; convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment; baptizes and regenerates believers as new creations; empowers the saints to persevere in faith, obedience, and holiness; intercedes for the saints, according to the will of God; bestows spiritual gifts for ministry and good works, to do the will of God; testifies and unites us to Christ and His body, the Church, through the love of God; inspires proper worship and a love for Christ that desires to live like Him and glorify Him; teaches and guides believers into all truth, building up the Church in unity, purity, and maturity. Through Him we participate in the divine nature, as adopted children of our heavenly Father, growing in union with God, transformed into the likeness and image of Christ. He is the gift of eternal life and the seal of God who indwells believers, assuring their eternal inheritance through faith for the Day of redemption, raising them to life when Christ returns––justified, sanctified, and glorified.
Genesis 1:2, 2:7; Ezekiel 36:27; Matthew 10:19-20; John 4:24, 14:16-17,26, 15:26, 16:7-15; Acts 1:5, 2:38, 5:3-4, 19:6; Romans 6:23, 8:9-14,26-30, 10:8-15; Philippians 1:19; 1 Corinthians 12:4–7; 2 Corinthians 1:22, 5:5, 12:3; Ephesians 1:13-14, 3:4-6,14-19, 4:11-16,30; 2 Timothy 2:19; Titus 3:5-7; Hebrews 10:35-36; 1 Peter 1:2,10-12; 2 Peter 1:3-12; 1 John 5:6
Doctrine of Man
Article 5. Creation of Man
We believe in the historical Adam and Eve, specially created in the likeness and image of God, male and female, as the first marriage and sole progenitors of mankind, created in His image to glorify Him and be glorified by Him. God formed Adam from the ground and Eve from his side. They were made good and without sin to live in communion with God, but voluntarily disobeyed His command in rebellion with Satan, from which sin and death entered the world physically and spiritually. As a result, every descendant of Adam and Eve, that is all mankind, is subjected to sin and death, born into the world blemished, corrupted, and alienated from God. The image of God, therefore, is stained, marred, and broken by nature and by choice from sin. Mankind is completely incapable of restoring the image of God in his own natural strength and requires union with Christ through God’s grace to be set free and healed. Sin affects every aspect of human life, leading to death and eternal judgment apart from divine grace.
Genesis 1:26-27, 2:16-17,21-25, 3:6-24, 9:6; 1 Kings 8:46; Psalm 14:3, 58:3, 143:2; Proverbs 20:9; Matthew 7:11; Romans 3:9-10,23, 5:12-14,17-19, 6:16,23; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Colossians 1:13-15, 3:9-10; Ephesians 2:1-3,14-16, 4:20-24; Hebrews 2:14-15; James 3:9; 1 John 3:8-10; Revelation 12:9, 20:2
Article 6. Fall of Man
We believe mankind, through Adam’s disobedience with Satan, lost his holy purpose and inherited a corrupt nature, enslaved to the sickness of sin, the debt of which is death. Through Adam’s sin we are separated from the light of God and stranded in darkness, defenseless and exposed to the devil and the spiritual forces of evil. Therefore, mankind is evil, inclined to futility, vanity, depravity, idolatry, and enmity with God. Mankind is under God’s wrath, condemned to physical and spiritual death by nature and by choice, completely incapable on his own terms, works, or merit of pleasing God, freeing himself from sin, and saving himself from death. Without God’s grace, each person will remain sick and separated from Him, die in their sins, and then receive the condemnation that their sin deserves.
Genesis 1:27, 2:16-17, 8:21; 1 Kings 8:46; Psalm 14:3, 38:3-7, 51:1-5, 58:3, 143:2; Proverbs 8:36, 20:9; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Isaiah 1:5-6, 43:8, 44:18, 59:2; Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 7:11, 9:11-13; Mark 2:17; John 3:17-19, 8:34; Romans 1:18-32, 3:9-10,23, 5:12,19, 6:16,23, 7:9, 8:8, 9:14-18; Ephesians 2:1-10, 4:18-19, 6:12; Colossians 1:13-14,21-23, 2:13-14, 3:9-10; Titus 1:15; Hebrews 2:14-15, 11:6; James 1:14-15; 1 John 1:8-10, 3:4
Article 7. Call of Man
We believe God commands all mankind to turn from sin in repentance and believe in His Son, Jesus Christ, to be reconciled and live in sacred fellowship with Him forever. There is no other name under heaven by which man must call upon to be saved. For there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus: No one comes to His Father except through Him. God is drawing all people to His Son for the forgiveness of sin and salvation from death, to destroy the works of the devil. God loves the world and desires everyone to be healed, sending His Son to save the world, not condemn the world. God’s divine nature and invisible attributes are plainly evident in the things that have been made––there is no excuse to reject Him, His Word, or to worship anything or anyone other than Him alone. The gift of eternal life comes solely by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, initiated and sustained by the Holy Spirit, and preserved through the body of Christ, His Church. Therefore, those who outright reject the mercy of God and the gift of eternal life through Christ’s cross will persist in evil and the works of darkness, facing God’s wrath and condemnation, while the repentant, by grace through faith, receive mercy and union with Him, inheriting eternal life. The Son of God became the Son of Man so that the sons of men may become sons of God.
Psalm 107:17-22; Matthew 22:14; John 3:16-21, 6:44, 12:30-36, 14:6; Acts 2:38-39, 3:19, 4:12, 17:30-31; Romans 1:18-20, 5:6-8, 8:29, 10:9-13, 11:30-32, 15:8-9; Ephesians 2:8-10; Colossians 1:20-23, 2:14, 3:9-10; Galatians 3:13; 1 Timothy 2:4-6, 4:10; 1 Corinthians 15:49; 2 Corinthians 3:18, 5:17-21; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12; Hebrews 3:7-8,15, 12:17; 1 Peter 2:24, 3:18; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 John 1:5-10, 2:2, 3:4-10, 5:12
Article 8. Salvation of Man
We believe the saints are saved, being saved, and will be saved, solely through the sovereign grace and mercy of God, chosen in Him before the foundation of the world: justified once for all by Christ’s blood, progressively sanctified by the Spirit into His likeness, and finally glorified at His return. There is salvation through no one else––Christ alone is the way, the truth, and the life. Therefore, the faithful—participating in grace—repent and believe, are baptized and born again by the Holy Spirit, and united to Christ as partakers of the divine nature through His body, the Church. Through union with Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, we grow in the love of God, to love Him and our neighbour—even our enemies and those undeserving—but especially our brethren conforming to the image of His Son—repenting and forgiving with a pure heart, persevering in purity and holiness, battling sin, overcoming trials and persecution by His blood, bearing fruit and good works that glorify His name, and maturing in the assurance of our destined salvation, eagerly awaiting the bodily resurrection of the dead and adoption of sonship: the full restoration of our body, soul, and spirit into His glorified image. All in all, the hope of eternal life in the world to come—a new heaven and new earth—free from sin, sorrow, suffering, and death, to reign with Jesus Christ in glory forever.
John 1:12, 3:16, 10:28-29; Colossians 1:15,20–21, 3:9-10; 1 John 3:4-9, 5:1-5,12; 2 Peter 1:3-11; Hebrews 1:3, 10:14; Isaiah 60:19; Matthew 13:43; Romans 5:1,8,21-24, 8:15-17,21,23,27-30, 10:9-13; 1 Corinthians 15:20-23,49; 2 Corinthians 3:18, 5:17–21; Ephesians 1:3-5; Galatians 4:4-5, 5:6; Ephesians 1:4-5, 2:8-10; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14, 4:13-17; Philippians 3:20-21; 2 Timothy 2:12, 4:1; Titus 3:5-7; Revelation 12:11, 20:4-6, 21:1-4,22-26, 22:1-5
Doctrine of Scripture
Article 9. Purpose and Sufficiency
We believe Holy Scripture, consisting of the Old and New Testaments, was written to bear witness of Jesus Christ and be fulfilled in Him, the Word of God made flesh, for the salvation of mankind, plainly and sufficiently teaching God’s gospel plan of salvation through His Son and Spirit. Scripture is profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that a believer may be proficient and complete in doctrine and discipleship, equipped for every good work to be sanctified and conformed to the image of Christ through the transformative power of the Holy Spirit. There is no doctrine independent of Scripture that is necessary for salvation. Scripture is from salvation for salvation.
Luke 24:44-47, John 1:1-3,14, 5:37-40,45-47; Galatians 5:22-26; Ephesians 2:8-10; 2 Timothy 2:15, 3:14-17; Acts 24:14
Article 10. Divine Inspiration
We believe Holy Scripture, which was not spoken nor written by the limited and fallible will of man, was superintended and spoken from the will of God, as men conforming to God’s image were inspired and carried along by the Holy Spirit, using mutable human language over time and place as a progressive means of divine revelation. While the origin of Scripture is divine and, therefore, true and reliable in all that it teaches and addresses, the mode of divine inspiration, that is the distinctive personalities and literary styles of the writers whom God had chosen and prepared, is a mystery.
Isaiah 40:8, 55:8-11; Numbers 23:19; 2 Samuel 7:28; Jeremiah 1:9; Psalm 12:6, 19:7-11, 119:105; Matthew 4:4, 5:18, 24:35; Mark 13:11; John 10:35-36; Acts 2:2, 27:15; 2 Peter 1:21, 3:15-16; Galatians 1:11-12, 3:16; 2 Timothy 2:15, 3:14-17; Hebrews 6:18; 1 Thessalonians 2:13
Article 11. Divine Inerrancy
We believe Holy Scripture, and all its parts, is God-breathed by the Holy Spirit––who is Himself Truth. Scripture is sacred, authoritative, infallible, and inerrant, wholly and verbally free from all falsehood, fraud, or deceit in all that it teaches, down to the very letter of the original text, having been perfectly inspired by the Holy Spirit, uncorrupted by sin and creaturely fallibility. The authority, infallibility, inerrancy, unity, consistency, and continuity of all Scripture is grounded in divine inspiration and is, therefore, vital to sound doctrine, integral to understanding, and indispensable to the application of the whole Christian faith. Scripture cannot contradict itself because God cannot lie. Therefore, Scripture is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.
Joshua 1:8; Numbers 23:19; 2 Samuel 7:28; Psalm 12:6, 19:7-11, 119:105; Isaiah 40:8, 55:8-11; Jeremiah 1:9; Matthew 4:4, 5:18, 22:29, 24:35; Mark 13:11; John 10:35-36; Acts 2:2, 27:15; Galatians 1:11-12, 3:16; Colossians 3:16; 2 Timothy 2:15, 3:14-17; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Peter 1:21, 3:15-16
Article 12. Authority and Primacy
We believe Holy Scripture, all sixty-six original autographic books comprising the Old and New Testaments, is the inspired and inerrant Word of God, the first and final authority for doctrine, the primary rule of faith and practice. Scripture contains divinely revealed saving truths––the nature and character of God, His eternal plan of salvation, the testimony and teachings of Jesus Christ, the prophetic and apostolic deposit of faith, the foundational authority of the Church, as well as the creation, meaning, purpose, and destiny of mankind––all of which are essential for conforming to the image and likeness of Christ to guard and guide correct biblical interpretation, teaching, and belief. The Bible is not to be interpreted or translated in isolation but in the Spirit with conciliar fellowship, alongside the faithful consensus of teachers gifted by God’s grace across time, ensuring fidelity to the ancient faith once delivered. Therefore, the canon of Scripture is the preeminent and supreme authoritative standard of saving truth––incontrovertible, irrevocable, indispensable.
Deuteronomy 31:9-13,24-26; Luke 24:44; John 10:35-36; Acts 24:14; 2 Timothy 3:14-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21, 3:15-16; Revelation 19:10
Doctrine of Church
Article 13. Nature and Purpose
We believe in the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, the body and bride of Christ, mother of all the saints, called out from the world by the sovereign grace of God to reflect His glory in all the world. The Church is the household of God and pillar of truth, the assembly of saints united to Christ from all times and places, both visible and invisible, being built into His holy temple upon the foundation of the prophets and apostles, with Christ Himself being the cornerstone and head, growing into the full stature of Christ in purity, maturity, and unity––the continuation of the incarnation. Local assemblies ordinarily gather on the Lord’s Day, where the repentant and faithful, indwelt by the Spirit, are united with Christ and one another in sacred communion with our Heavenly Father, growing in grace, holiness, and love, in the image and likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ, anticipating the fullness of His Kingdom when He returns in glory with all His saints, revealing through the sons of God His manifold wisdom to the heavenly powers. The Spirit of Christ bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ. There is no salvation apart from the body of Christ. Where the Church is, Christ is––one Lord, one Spirit, one faith, one body, one baptism, one God over all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Mark 16:15; Matthew 5:14-16, 16:18, 18:15-20, 28:18-20; John 17:20-23, 18:20; Acts 2:38-47, 14:23; 20:28; Romans 8:14-19; Ephesians 1:22-23, 2:19-22, 3:10-11, 4:3-6,11-16, 5:25-32; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, 12:12-27; 2 Corinthians 5:20; 1 Thessalonians 3:13; 1 Timothy 3:1-15; Titus 1:5-9; Hebrews 12:22-24; 1 Peter 2:4-9, 5:1-4; 1 John 5:12; Jude 1:3; Revelation 19:7-8, 21:2-3,9-10
Article 14. Authority and Governance
We believe Jesus Christ alone is the Head and King of the Church. He holds supreme and sovereign authority over the body through His Word and Spirit, committing to her the keys of the Kingdom for binding and loosing in matters of doctrine, discipline, and ministry. The Church's authority, then, flows from Christ's authority, guided by the Holy Spirit, which He has entrusted to elders and deacons, appointed by grace according to the apostolic pattern, governance structure, and spiritual qualifications mandated in Scripture. All leadership is accountable to Christ and one another in collegial humility and brotherly love. Elders, guided by the Spirit in prayer, discern spiritual truth and interpret Scriptural doctrine in conciliar fellowship with the faithful consensus of saints across time, such as the historic creeds––Apostles’ Creed, Nicene Creed, Athanasian Creed, and Chalcedonian Definition––ensuring fidelity to the ancient faith once for all delivered to the saints. Creeds, confessions, and statements of faith (such as this one) serve as essential summaries of Scripture and boundary markers of orthodoxy, integral for teaching and unity, but never contradictory nor equal to the Word of God. Holy Scripture, therefore, remains the first and final authority for doctrine, the preeminent and primary rule of faith and practice. The congregation, as a holy nation and royal priesthood, holds the responsibility to participate in the spiritual life of the Church as well as recognize, honour, and submit to God’s ordained leadership and discipline in mutual humility and love, all to the glory of God. His Kingdom come, His will be done.
Matthew 16:19, 18:15-20, 20:25-28; Acts 6:1-7, 14:21-23, 15:2-6,22-23,28, 20:28, 21:18; Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:27-31; Ephesians 1:22-23, 4:11-16; Colossians 1:18; 1 Timothy 3:1-13, 4:14-16, 5:17-23; 2 Timothy 1:6, 3:14-17, 4:1-5;; Titus 1:5-9; Hebrews 13:7,17; James 5:14; 1 Peter 2:4-9,25, 5:1-5; Jude 3; Revelation 1:5-6
Article 15. Ministry and Sacraments
We believe in the universal priesthood of all believers, who offer spiritual sacrifices to the Most High God through Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God and great High Priest, who redeemed us with His most precious blood. By His wounds we are healed to live in peace and righteousness. The Church is a spiritual hospital, and its elders and deacons are spiritual physicians, set apart to remedy the infirmities of sin and Satan through Word, sacrament, prayer, and service. In His mercy, Christ ordained ministries essential to the spiritual life, healing, and nourishment of His mystical body. The Church worships God in spirit and truth, preaches the pure Word of God, proclaims the gospel of salvation, prays for all people, makes disciples, equips the saints, casts out demons, serves in charity and mercy, and administers the dominical sacraments according to Christ’s ordinance—Baptism and Communion––together with the apostolic sacraments of Reconciliation, Anointing, Ordination, and Matrimony. These holy ministries are means of grace in the one mystery of the gospel that serve the calling, healing, and sanctification of the saints. Baptism and Communion stand at the center as signs and seals of the gospel: outward and visible signs of inward and spiritual grace, through which the repentant and faithful, by grace through faith, truly partake of Christ and the benefits of His redemption, encounter the real presence of God, and receive the blessings the Holy Spirit conveys: union with Christ and His body, and conformity to His image. Administered in sanctity and reverence to those who profess genuine faith, all these ministries nourish God’s children, that we may become partakers of the divine nature—the mystery of the gospel revealed in Christ.
Genesis 1:27, 2:22-24; Matthew 3:8, 4:23-24, 9:35, 19:4-6, 28:19-20; Mark 1:15, 6:12-13, 16:16; Luke 9:6,11, 10:9, 13:3; John 4:23-24, 6:53-58, 20:21-23; Acts 2:38, 8:36-39, 10:38, 19:1-6, 26:20; Romans 6:1-13, 8:1-16,26-27, 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 11:23-29; James 5:13-16; 1 Timothy 2:1-8; 2 Timothy 1:6; Hebrews 6:1-2; Ephesians 5:25-32; Galatians 5:6; 1 Timothy 2:1-2, 4:14-16, 5:22; Titus 1:5; 1 Peter 2:24-25; 1 John 1:9; Isaiah 53:5-7; Proverbs 28:13; Joel 2:12; Revelation 22:3
Article 16. Blessed Hope and Future Glory
We believe the Church is the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven, militant and triumphant. The Church militant is a spiritual fortress, equipping the saints with the full armour of God to wage the good war and fight the good fight against the powers of darkness––the passions of the flesh, the ways of the world, and the works of the devil. Yet in all these things, we take heart; we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Though now we suffer temptation, trial, and tribulation, we also participate with the Church triumphant in heavenly worship through Word, prayer, sacrament, and service, eagerly awaiting the Day of our Lord’s glorious return, the resurrection of our bodies, the final judgment, and the consummation of all things, where Christ reigns supreme and God will be all in all. At His appearing, the last trumpet will call, the dead in Christ will rise first, and the living believers will be transformed. Christ, commander of the Lord’s army, together with all His saints, will destroy the works of lawlessness and the antichrist by the breath of His mouth, and cast Satan into the lake of fire. He will judge the living and the dead on His great white throne, when the last enemy––Death––will be destroyed. In that Day, our created purpose will reach its fulfillment: the bride of Christ will be presented to Him in triumphant glory—holy, spotless, and radiant—to consummate the marriage of the Lamb and fulfill the mystery hidden for ages in God––the two shall become one flesh. We, the faithful, will be wholly sanctified and glorified in body, soul, and spirit, restored in the image and likeness of God in the fullest sense, sharing eternally in the uncreated life, love, and light of the one true God, united in perfect communion with Him as fellow heirs with Christ in the new heaven and new earth, free from sin, sorrow, suffering, and death, where righteousness and joy reign forever, beholding our Heavenly Father’s face in unending adoration and delight.
This blessed hope purifies the Church now, as we await our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who will establish His Kingdom in fullness and make all things new to the everlasting praise of God's grace––to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Psalm 18:2, 27:3, 91:1-16; Isaiah 54:17; Luke 10:19; John 16:33; Romans 8:35-39, 16:20; 2 Corinthians 10:3-6; 2 Corinthians 10:5; Ephesians 6:10-18; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; 1 Timothy 1:18-19, 6:11-12; 2 Timothy 4:7; James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8-9; 1 John 3:8, 4:4; Revelation 12:11; Romans 8:18-23,29-30; 1 Corinthians 15:20-28,35-55; Ephesians 5:27-32; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 3:13, 4:13-18; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4,8-12; Titus 2:13; Revelation 7:13-17, 12:10-12, 19:6-9,11-21, 20:1-15, 21:1-4,9-27, 22:1-
On Church Leadership
The Spiritual Call of Elders and Deacons
We believe Scripture demonstrates two ordinary, perpetual offices of Church leadership in the Pastoral Epistles: Elder/Overseer and Deacon. The terms “elder” and “deacon” convey broader categories of oversight and servitude. Under examination, the term “elder” (presbyteros) is used interchangeably with the term “overseer” (bishop, episkopos) and the term “pastor” (shepherd, poimēn). The apostles Peter and John refer to themselves as Elders, and Paul uses overseer and shepherd to describe the work of Eldership. The term Elder is also the ordinary title of the local leaders in the apostolic church, men of tested character and standing––well-respected, wise, and spiritually mature leaders from the community––while the terms “overseer” and “pastor” describe the functional and symbolic aspects of Eldership: leading and shepherding. Click here to keep reading the PDF.
For more information on why the Uptown Church holds only two offices, please read: The Senior Pastor is Not a Pope.
For further information on why only men are Elders, please read: Why Male Eldership?
On the Ancient Creeds
Clarifying Controversial Terms and Doctrines
The Uptown Church affirms the early Christian creeds––Apostles’ Creed, Nicene Creed, Athanasian Creed, and Chalcedonian Definition. These historic statements of faith were written in the first half-millennia as foundational beliefs of the faith and summaries of Holy Scripture, acting as guard and guide of doctirnal orthodoxy against heresy. These creeds, however, have a rich, yet controversial history in the greater Christian world, from the use of word "catholic" to the filioque clause ("and the Son").
Click here to keep reading the PDF.