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DECLARING THE WONDERFUL
WORKS OF GOD
Distinctives
I
God Centred
The church exists for the glory of God. Modern society is starved for transcendence. We desire to cultivate a strong sense of the presence of God and hunger for his Glory in everything that we do. We exist to proclaim the excellencies of God and to declare his wonderful works.
II
Bible Saturated
We believe that the Bible is breathed out by God, entirely true, and has absolute authority in all matters of which it speaks. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (Jn. 17:17). When the people of God are saturated in the word, it will begin to radically shape every aspect of our lives.
III
Warmly Evangelical
We preach Christ and him crucified. The gospel has become a catchword in our day, standing in for absolutely everything and simultaneously meaning nothing at all. We seek to cultivate gospel clarity and urgency in preaching Christ in all His saving beauty to the lost.
IV
Broadly Reformed
We cherish the “five solas” of the Reformation: Sola Fide (Faith Alone), Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone), Sola Gratia (Grace Alone), Solus Christus (Christ Alone), and Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone). Beyond this, we prize the absolute sovereignty of God in all things including the salvation of sinners. We stand firmly within the reformed tradition and confessional heritage.
V
Distinctively Baptist
We believe that the church is made up of a regenerate membership. The Old Covenant community was a mixed community, including many unregenerate people alongside a remnant of faith. However, the New Covenant promised the Spirit and new life to all members of the people of God. The Church represents the arrival of the age of the Spirit and all that was promised. Since the church is built up by living stones (1 Pt. 2:4-10) and baptism confers membership, we only baptize those who believe.
Learn More (pdf)
VI
The Primacy of Preaching
Preaching was central to Jesus’ ministry (Lk. 4:43) and so it must be at the very heart of our worship (Rom. 1:15; 2 Tim. 4:2). Through the foolishness of preaching, we encounter the living God, are convicted of sin, awakened to new life, and built up in truth (Acts 11:20, 21; 1 Cor. 1:21; 1 Tim. 4:13, 16). We are committed to expository preaching which is text-driven.
VII
Culturally Engaged
We believe that Christian faith exists in conflict with the world and that the church is called to be salt and light—in the world but not of the world. Truth must be taught in conflict with error and each believer must be furnished with a biblical worldview, equipped to give an answer for the hope within (1 Pt. 3:15). The Bible speaks to all of life and must be applied broadly in every sphere.
VIII
Integrated Community
We believe that one of the unique and beautiful things about the church is that it gathers the broad diversity of humanity together around Christ and his word. The rich texture and beauty of that diversity ought to mark our lives together. As much as possible, we try to avoid segmenting the people of God by shifting the centre away from Christ and back onto those things that divide us.
IX
Complementarian
We believe that God created mankind both male and female in His image with inherent biological and personal distinctions that are very good. Men and women are equal before God, yet God has designed each with distinct and complementary traits and roles. The Bible most clearly defines these distinct roles in marriage and in the church. These views neither disparage the worth of either men or women nor inhibit their function and flourishing for the edification of the church and for the glory of God.
X
Ordinary means
The ordinary means are the very normal and uncreative ways that God powerfully creates and sustains the life of his people. Many churches are busy at creating a spectacle or new pragmatic strategies that promise rapid growth. We are committed to the reading, teaching, and proclamation of the word, to fervent prayer, and to sharing our lives together in the fellowship of the body. We prioritize health and faithfulness.
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Sunday Worship
Join us at 3:30pm for Worship @ The Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, High River
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What is the Gospel?
What exactly do Christians mean when they talk about the “gospel of Jesus Christ”? Since the word “gospel” means “good news,” when Christians talk about the gospel, they’re simply telling the good news about Jesus! But it’s not just any good news; it demands a response! It’s a message from God saying, “Good news! Here is how you can be saved from my judgment!” That’s an announcement you can’t afford to ignore.
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