Our DNA
Our Identity - We are God's cleansed and redeemed family: alive in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit.
Our Call - to love and lead people into a life giving, discipleship relationship with Jesus Christ.
Our Hope - to be a visible expression of God's renewing power for his glory and our community's good.
Our Core Convictions
Our Need for Jesus
Jesus had a high view of himself and we share that high view. He understood himself to be more than a gifted teacher and compassionate healer. He believed that he was God’s special and only Son, sent to save in the fullest sense of the word.
At ACRC, we worship Jesus as Lord, celebrate him as our Saviour, and encourage all to take their next step as one of his disciples. We do this because we believe that abundant life is found in Christ alone.
Our Need for Spiritual Renewal
Jesus said: “No one can see the Kingdom of God unless they are born from above” (John 3:3). What this means is that, in relation to Jesus and the things of God, everyone is in need of spiritual renewal.
At ACRC, we believe that this renewal is essential and that it is the gracious work of God’s Holy Spirit. While this work is internal and invisible, the outward signs of the Spirit’s renewing work are repentance, faith, and baptism.
Our Need for Community
All those who are born again by God’s Spirit are born into God’s family, the Church.
In the Church, our new life in Christ is nurtured and we are supported in our discipleship relationship with Jesus. In the Church we serve and are served as we utilize the gifts that God has given us.
God’s family is diverse. It is made up of men and women, old and young, and it includes people from every nation. What binds us together is our salvation through Jesus Christ and our common call to be his disciples.
Our Call to Mission
Before ascending into Heaven Jesus said this to his disciples: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).
Our main purpose, as God’s family of disciples, is to continue this mission through our worship, witness, and life together. We exist to make Jesus known, bear witness to the goodness of his ways, and so be a visible display of his Kingdom in Alliston.
Our Values
The Bible - “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness...” (2 Timothy 3:16)
We believe that the Bible is God’s Word and we trust it. It explains God’s plan for salvation and records the details of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, as well as all his teachings. The Bible is our guide for faith and life.
Prayer - “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” (Ephesians 6:18)
We believe that God hears our prayer, acts in and through our prayers, and speaks to us as we pray.
Worship - “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.” (Psalm 95:6-7)
We believe that worship is our first and fitting response to what God has done for us in Christ. In a world that is filled with distractions, we pause on a weekly basis to give God our full attention.
Authentic Community - “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” (James 5:16)
We believe in honesty, humility and transparency. Nothing is gained and much is lost when we hide and conceal our true thoughts, beliefs and issues. Together, we seek to speak the truth in love and be a place where Christ’s grace and truth is experienced.
Love - “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)
We believe that love is the greatest Christian virtue and the best fruit produced in us by the Holy Spirit. Love seeks the glory of God and the good of one's neighbour. We are committed, though we sometimes fail, at being a community that practices love.
Alliston CRC is a member of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. We heartily endorse, teach, and abide by the creeds and confessions held by this denomination.