About St. John's MCC
Our Beliefs
St.
John's Metropolitan Community Church began as a small group of individuals who came
together on the last Sunday in February, 1976, to study the Gospel of John. Learn
More...
What We Believe
- We are a Christian church that embraces the basic doctrines of Christianity. We confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and seek to encourage one another to live in accordance with Jesus' teachings.
- Beyond these basics, however, we leave it to each individual to work out the details of the Christian faith in accordance with her or his interpretation of Scripture. At St. John’s MCC , we seek to create an environment where each person is encouraged to explore the hard questions of faith without fear of criticism.
- We are persuaded by Scripture that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people are beautiful creations of God, who are invited to live in communion with God on the same basis as all other people.
- We are also persuaded that women should play an equal role in the church. We are the only Christian denomination where women comprise more than half of all ordained clergy.
- We believe St. John’s MCC is called to be a prophetic voice sharing the Gospel and advocating justice for all, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people, as well as women and other minorities.
- We are committed to encouraging one another to live out the Christian faith from day to day in every aspect of our lives.
Core Tenets
- For those who are in desperate need of spiritual healing, strength and empowerment,
- For those who have been denied full access to the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,
- For those who have been alienated, shunned and rejected because they dare to live openly, honestly and authentically,
- For those who are struggling with the burdens of life that have left them feeling battered, bruised and bitter,
- For those who desire to be part of a community of doers and not just a church of believers,
- For all those who are looking for Christian Fellowship where the Word of God is proclaimed, the name of Jesus Christ lifted up and the gifts of the Holy Spirit are welcomed,
- For those who desire to be part of a ministry where somebody is telling anybody about The One who loves everybody,
..........There is a place at God’s table for
you here!
..........Welcome Home, Beloved,
..........God Has Been Waiting For You
..........And So Have We!
Metropolitan Community Churches: Statement of Faith
Doctrine
Christianity is the revelation of God in Jesus Christ and is the religion set forth in the scriptures. Jesus Christ is foretold in the Old Testament, presented in the New Testament, and proclaimed by the Christian Church in every age and in every land.
Founded in the interest of offering a church home to all who confess and believe, Metropolitan Community Churches moves in the mainstream of Christianity.
Our faith is based upon the principles outlined in the historic creeds: Apostles and Nicene.
We Believe
- In one triune God, omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient, of one substance and of three persons: God - our Parent-Creator; Jesus Christ the only begotten son of God, God in flesh, human; and the Holy Spirit - God as our Sustainer.
- That the Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God, showing forth God to every person through the law and the prophets, and finally, completely and ultimately on earth in the being of Jesus Christ.
- That Jesus the Christ historically recorded as living some 2,000 years before this writing, is God incarnate, of human birth, fully God and fully human, and that by being one with God, Jesus has demonstrated once and forever that all people are likewise Children of God, being spiritually made in God's image.
- That the Holy Spirit is God making known God's love and interest to all people. The Holy Spirit is God, available to and working through all who are willing to place their welfare in God's keeping.
- Every person is justified by grace to God through faith in Jesus Christ.
- We are saved from loneliness, despair and degradation through God’s gift of grace, as we declared by our Savior. Such grace is not earned, but is a pure gift from a God of pure love. We further commend the community of the faithful to a life of prayer, to seek genuine forgiveness for unkind, thoughtless and unloving acts, and to a committed life of Christian.
- The Church serves to bring all people to God through Christ. To this end, it shall arrange for regular services of worship, prayer, interpretation of the Scriptures, and edification through the teaching and preaching of the Word.
Rites of the Church
- Baptism by water and the Spirit, as recorded in the Scriptures, shall be a sign of the dedication of each life to God and God’s service. Through the words and acts of this sacrament, the recipient is identified as God’s own child.
- Holy Communion is the partaking of the blessed bread and fruit of the vine in accordance with the words of Jesus, our Sovereign. “This is my body . . . this is my blood.” (Matthew 26:26-28). All who believe, confess, repent and seek God’s love through Christ may freely participate in the communion meal, signifying their desire to be received into community with Jesus Christ, to be saved by Jesus Christ’s sacrifice, to participate in Jesus Christ’s resurrection, and to commit their lives anew to the service of Jesus Christ.
Duly authorized ministers of MCCs perform the following Rites:
- Ordination
- Membership
- Holy Union and Holy Matrimony
- Funeral or Memorial Service
- Laying on of Hands for Healing
- Blessing of Persons, Things and Relationships