Sundays
We get together every Sunday for our weekly church service. We meet at Haverstock School at 10am. We’re pretty much done by 11.30 (unless you want to grab a cup of coffee with us at one of the great coffee shops nearby).
What to expect at a Sunday service
We’re not a traditional church and so you may not be too sure what to expect from our servuce if you’re coming to visit us for the first time.
Come and sit at the back and just watch or jump right in and ask some questions – whatever your approach to visiting a church, you are welcome to join us. We won’t make a fuss if you’re new and we don’t expect you to dress in a certain way or participate in any kind of ceremony or activity. Those who join us regularly are encouraged to participate in different ways if they would like to but this is always voluntary.
We will probably sing together a bit.
We find that singing is a very effective way for a group of people to powerfully and poetically express their sentiments and appreciation. We use singing to tell God how much we love and appreciate him. Not everyone wants to participate in this. Some people find that there are other ways for them to connect with God which they prefer – for some it may be prayer or silent reflection, for others it may be another form of artistic or creative expression. Singing, however, tends to be the easiest, most commonly appreciated and unifying method.
We will have an opportunity for you to give an offering.
This is not fundraising and we will never make a big issue out of it but we will always provide the opportunity to those who would like to give. Visitors are never expected to give an offering. Find out more about how we manage gifts and donations here.
We may well share communion.
Before he was crucified, Jesus asked his followers to remember his sacrifice regularly by taking a moment when they were having a meal together to reflect on his death. We don’t share a whole meal together as a church but we will quite frequently pass around some bread and wine (grape juice, actually) to share together as we actively honour Jesus and remind ourselves of what he did for us and why he did it. This is a moment of personal reflection and genuine appreciation rather than a religious ceremony. You can read more about what communion is (and isn’t) and why we do it here.
We will probably have someone speak about a passage from the Bible.
The preaching bit. This will usually be me (Phil) or Sam. We believe that the Scriptures hold the full mystery of what we can know about God and his ways and we will almost always spend some time learning and encouraging one another from a portion of Scripture. We learn more about God and build ourselves up in our faith and understanding when we do this. You can find out more about how we approach the Bible and preaching here. We encourage questions and comments, although these are generally best asked one-on-one after the meeting with whoever was speaking.
We will pray. Sometime a lot … sometimes less.
Prayer is just talking to God. We will often pray together but this will generally be one person who volunteers or who is already leading the meeting. We will never ask you to pray out loud if you don’t want to.
We will have some time to just connect with one another and chat.
Have some tea and a biscuit and come and ask me some questions or get to know someone you haven’t met before or just have a good catch-up with someone you know well. We believe that friendships are a critical part of church life.
What we believe
The Trinity
We believe in one God, eternally existing in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit. This doctrine is a mystery but is nevertheless true.
The Father
God the Father is a spiritual being, all powerful, all knowing, holy, eternal, sovereign, just and righteous. We believe that He is love and is infinitely good; and that He has life in Himself and gives life to all things. We believe that He is completely good and has no evil in Him.
The Son
Jesus Christ is God with us. He is the only son of God the Father and is both truly and fully human whilst being truly and fully God.
Despite his deity, Jesus came to earth as a human. He was conceived of the virgin Mary, and lived a perfectly sinless life amongst us, healing many who were afflicted with suffering and sin. He was crucified on a cross and died as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of all of humanity. After three days, He was raised bodily from the dead, conquering death, and He ascended into heaven.
We believe in His present ministry as our High Priest and Advocate and in His personal and imminent return.
The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit – who is fully God – lives in every believer from the moment they put their faith in Jesus. We believe He is manifested in and through the life of the believer: that He empowers and equips every believer to continue the work of Jesus in this world. We believe in His definite, yet progressive work of sanctification, commencing at the time of the new birth and continuing until the consummation of Salvation. We believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit being an conscious experience in which the believer receives power from the Holy Spirit. We believe in the ongoing supernatural outworking of the Holy Spirit made manifest in the life of the believer.
Sin and Salvation
We believe that God created humanity in His own image. However, we chose to rebel and go our own way, thereby separating ourselves from God. In doing this we sinned against God, and as a consequence, all people inherit a sinful nature which issues in actual transgression involving personal guilt. We believe that because God is just he must judge us all for our own sins. We believe that the penalty for sin is death, physical and spiritual.
But because God is also love, he has reconciled humanity to Himself through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Anyone who puts their trust (faith) in Jesus and submits their life to Him, is judged as righteous and no longer as sinful. They have been born again of the spirit.
The Scriptures
We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments in their original writing are fully inspired of God and infallible. We accept them as the supreme and final authority for faith and life – for individuals and for the church.
The Church
The Church of Jesus Christ has a multitude of expressions but is nevertheless one true Church consisting of the whole company of those who have been redeemed by Jesus Christ. The Church’s primary function is to carry the presence of God on the Earth. The church is the means through which God extends His Kingdom.
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ appointed two ordinances for His church to practise – Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
We believe that Jesus Christ called His church to testify to the whole world about Him and to proclaim the good news of the gospel. We believe that this is a core part of how Christianity should be lived out.
Our values
A deep and devoted love for God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
A true dedication to the Word of God and to prayer.
A complete dependence on the leading and empowering of the Holy Spirit.
A commitment to gospel mission in London, the United Kingdom, and all the world.
A genuine and active love for our family, friends, and neighbours.
Which denomination do we belong to?
We do not belong to any denomination. You may like to think of us of being inter-denominational and independent. We have a history that is part Baptist and part charismatic and a persuasion that tends towards European evangelicalism. Ultimately, we strive to be as true to the timeless patterns and values we find in the Bible and demonstrated in the character and life of Jesus Christ as we possibly can.
Whilst we call ourselves independent, we are not unaccountable or lone-wolfish. We are not fringe. We are well connected with a large, international network of churches and obtain regular and necessary input from an independent team of advisors.
That is quite a complicated answer for what may seem to be a very simple question. The best way to really get to grips with us is to get to know us a little bit by having a good look at what we believe and perhaps visiting us at one of our meetings.
Who is Jesus?
Mad-man or Messiah?
It’s difficult to find someone who doesn’t have an opinion on who Jesus is and what He is about. There are more paintings, songs and books about this one person than anyone else in history. Every year there is some new theory about who He is and what He did. Even our date system pivots around this man. But why?
Was He a prophet; a good man; a teacher; a revolutionary; or a madman with a god-complex? What is it about this man that has spurned so much adoration and so much hatred? Let’s examine some of the facts that lead Christians to believe what they believe.
Jesus is a historical figure
While the Discovery Channel and the like regularly give airtime to some new conspiracy theory around Jesus’ existence and life, the fact is that most historical scholars would never dream of disputing whether Jesus was a real, historical figure.
Jesus was a human
Jesus was a human like everyone else but he performed many miracles in his life. These miracles showed that God was with Him and had appointed Him to establish God’s Kingdom (his rule) on earth – where justice, love, mercy and grace reign. Jesus fulfilled over 300 prophecies found in the Old Testament that confirm Him as God’s saviour of humanity.
Now you know where all the good movies get their ideas from. Except this isn’t the Matrix or Harry Potter, this is real. By living a perfect and sinless life before God, and by perfectly carrying out God’s mission of love to the world, and by resisting all the temptations of the Devil, Jesus did not carry the guilt that we all carry before God.
Jesus was unjustly executed
Jesus was crucified by the plan of God, carried out by men. By arranging his crucifixion, despite His innocence, Jesus’ contemporaries sought a temporary political victory for their nation over the occupying forces of Rome. But it became something far different – Jesus’ death achieved a spiritual victory for all of humanity. As the perfect human, he traded his life to satisfy God’s justice against all of
As the perfect human, he traded his life to satisfy God’s justice against all of humanity’s sin. For God must uphold justice, as we would expect from any king. Except, God’s love and mercy for humanity meant that the only way he could satisfy both his justice and love was to pour out his justice (wrath) on a willing, perfect substitute. Jesus was that willing substitute and He, therefore, paid the price of our sin on our behalf.
Jesus rose from the dead
Jesus rose from the dead and was seen by over 500 people before ascending to heaven. His resurrection was the final victory over death, meaning that all who trust in Jesus step into this victory and will not die eternally. It also means that all who trust in Him can enjoy God’s life right now and know God personally.
The resurrection was also Jesus’ victory over the Devil who was not able and can now never stop God’s plan of redemption for humanity. God’s true character of being both perfectly loving and perfectly just show how empty the Devil’s philosophies and ideas about God, which are pervasive in this world, actually are.
Christians trust Jesus rather than themselves, their good works or even their religious works to save them from God’s justice. That’s what it means to ‘have faith in Jesus’. His rising from the dead proved that God declares humanity free. All that remains is for people to accept this freedom from God.
Jesus is God
He is the all-powerful ruler over all things physical, social and individual; over nations, political systems and the individual heart; over death, wrongdoing, and guilt. Whether we believe this or not doesn’t change the reality of who He is. Jesus Christ is the central message of the Bible, the figure that all of history points to, and the focal point of humanity’s future.
Jesus can be personally known
It doesn’t matter your culture or background, Jesus has promised to give you His Holy Spirit so that you may know Him personally, as He is alive today. To become a Christian you simply decide to put your trust in Jesus for salvation rather than in anything else – be it yourself, money, or even a religion. It’s Jesus alone who brings life and He is willing to give it to all who simply trust in Him. There is nothing else required of you except simple trust!
We love talking about Jesus so if you have any more questions, please ask!
Our partners
New Covenant Ministries International
In a larger context, we partner with New Covenant Ministries International (NCMI), a trans-local ministry team with an apostolic heart that is comprised of men and women who, through partnerships based on friendship, help pastors / elders build their local churches in doing the work of Jesus Christ’s Kingdom in their areas and also provide opportunities for churches to bring the Gospel to regions beyond their own borders.
You can find out more about NCMI at their global website at www.ncmi.net, and on their regional website for the United Kingdom: www.ncmi.org.uk.
Cornerstone Church, Johannesburg
Cornerstone Church is a wonderful church in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was planted in 1983 and has been diligently proactive in planting churches and proclaiming the gospel all over the world. Cornerstone is currently being led by Marcus and Adele Herbert and a fantastic team of elders and their wives.
We have been a part of Cornerstone for most of our lives and now we have the privilege of being sent by them to plant a church of our own.