What we Believe

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising 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. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."  (Matthew 28:18-20)

At Christchurch we believe in the Good News God revealed in Jesus.  We meet together to celebrate that Good News, grow as disciples of Jesus and be equipped to share that Good News lovingly with others.

We are part of the global Anglican communion and the Church in Wales, and are united in the faith shared by Jesus-loving, Bible-believing Christians all over the world and throughout history.  Some of those shared convictions include:

• There is one true God who lives eternally in three persons—the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
• That God is perfectly revealed in the person, ministry, life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth.
• The love, grace and sovereignty of God in creating, sustaining, ruling, redeeming and judging the world.
• The divine inspiration and supreme authority of the Old and New Testament Scriptures, which are the written Word of God and fully trustworthy for faith and conduct.
• The dignity of all people from the moment of conception, made male and female in God's image to love, be holy and care for creation, yet corrupted by sin, which - according to Jesus' own teaching (e.g. Matthew 25:46, John 3:36) - incurs divine wrath and judgement.
• The incarnation of God’s eternal Son, the Lord Jesus Christ—born of the virgin Mary; truly divine and truly human, yet without sin.
• The atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross: dying in our place, paying the price of sin and defeating evil, so reconciling us with God.
• The bodily resurrection of Christ, the first fruits of our resurrection; his ascension to the Father, and his reign and mediation as the only Saviour of the world.
• The justification of sinners solely by the grace of God through faith in Christ.
• The ministry of God the Holy Spirit, who leads us to repentance, unites us with Christ through new birth, empowers our discipleship and enables our witness.
• The Church, the body of Christ both local and universal, the priesthood of all believers—given life by the Spirit and endowed with the Spirit's gifts to worship God and proclaim the gospel, promoting justice and love.
• The personal and visible return of Jesus Christ to fulfil the purposes of God, who will raise all people to judgement, bring eternal life to the redeemed and eternal condemnation to the lost, and establish a new heaven and new earth.

As followers of Jesus, we are part of the worldwide family of God - the "Church" - and delight to call Christians from many different nations and denominations our brothers and sisters in Christ.  

As mentioned above, we are also part of the global Anglican communion, the Church in Wales and the Diocese of Swansea & Brecon and share a common faith with orthodox Anglicans throughout the world, which has been historically and helpfully described as "the faith uniquely revealed in the Holy Scriptures, set forth in the catholic creeds, and borne witness to in the historic Anglican formularies, including the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, The Book of Common Prayer and the Ordering of Bishops, Priests and Deacons (ordination service liturgies)." 

The best way to explore or grow in the Christian faith is in the context of our worshipping community where we learn together and have regular opportunities for people to ask their questions in a friendly, non-judgmental environment.  So we warmly encourage you to visit us soon!

As the Christian faith is supremely revealed in the Holy Scriptures, reading and studying the Bible in your own language is vital.  One modern translation we find particularly helpful and accessible is The New Living Translation - online here.  And Luke's Gospel is often a great place to start.

We often say together one of the three "catholic creeds" - three universally-shared statements of the historic and biblical Christian faith - in our services.  The shorter Apostles' Creed can be found here.  The longer Nicene Creed here.  The very long Athanasian creed can be found here.

You can also get a taster of what we believe through our online sermons here.