Our Mission
We exist to:
- Grow Richly
- Reach Intentionally
- Adore Passionately
- Connect Authentically
- Engage Wholeheartedly
- Grow Richly
- Reach Intentionally
- Adore Passionately
- Connect Authentically
- Engage Wholeheartedly
Our Vision
To Unleash Grace to everyone in Tempe and beyond.
Statement of Faith
Our Creed
Our faith is expressed in “The Apostles’ Creed”:
“I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born
of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried. He descended into Hades. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.”
Our Doctrinal Statement
We affirm these truths for our faith and witness:
1. God
We believe in one God, Creator of all things, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.1
• God the Father. We believe the Father is spirit, who is holy and righteous, full of compassion, merciful and gracious, forgiving, unchanging, and our final judge.2
• God the Son. We believe Jesus Christ, the one and only Son of God, is fully God and fully human; one person with two natures. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, substitutionary and atoning death through His shed blood, bodily resurrection, ascension to the right hand of the Father, and future personal return in power and glory.3
• God the Holy Spirit. We believe in the present ministry of the Spirit of truth who convicts the world of sin, of God’s righteousness, and of coming judgment. We believe He indwells the Christian, enabling him to live a life pleasing to God.4
2. Scripture
We believe the Bible, comprised of 66 books, to be the inspired and only infallible, authoritative Word of God.5
3. Humanity
We believe man and woman were created in the image of God to be like Him in character, the supreme object of God’s creation. We have inherited a sinful nature with a disposition of disobedience which separates us from God and makes us objects of His wrath. We are incapable of saving ourselves and in need of a Savior.6
4. Salvation
We believe salvation is a gift of His grace received through repentance of sin and our rebellion against Him, and by exercising faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. We become a child of God with our sins forgiven and with Christ entering our life through the Holy Spirit, giving us new life in Christ, and the assurance of eternal life with Christ.7
5. Church
We believe all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are members of the body of Christ, the one true Church universal, and that spiritual unity is to be expressed among all believers with acceptance and love for one another. The local Church is a group of believers, each gifted by the Holy Spirit with spiritual gifts for service to others, who gather as a community of faith for worship, prayer, instruction, encouragement, mutual accountability, and as a witness to the world, making disciples of all nations.8
6. Sacraments
We believe the sacraments of baptism and communion, ordained by Christ, are outward physical symbols of our inward union with Christ. We believe baptism is, as an outward testimony of our belief in Christ, symbolizing our death to sin and being raised to new life in Christ. We believe the sacrament of communion is given to all believers by Jesus Christ in remembrance of His sacrifice for us and to symbolize the new covenant. The elements of bread and fruit of the vine are symbols of Christ’s broken body and shed blood.9
7. Marriage
We believe God ordained marriage to be the union of one man and one woman in a covenant relationship where they are committed to each other in steadfast love, devotion and marital fidelity as representatives of Christ’s love for His bride, the Church. Sexual intimacy is only acceptable within the covenant relationship of marriage.10
8. Christ’s Second Coming
We believe in the imminent personal return of Jesus Christ, appointed by God the Father to judge the living and the dead, granting eternal life to
those who belong to Jesus Christ and subjecting those outside of Christ to God’s eternal wrath.11
1 Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalms 90:2; Isaiah 45:22-23; Matthew 3:16-17; Matthew 28:19-20; 1 John 5:20; 1 Corinthians 8:5-6; 2 Corinthians 13:14
2 John 4:24; Exodus 34:6-7; Hebrews 13:8; 2 Timothy 4:1-2
3 John 3:16; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5, 10:30; Colossians 1:15-20; Philippians 2:5-11; Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:35; Hebrews 4:15; John 2:1-11; John 10:31-38; Romans 3:21-26; 1 Corinthians 15:3; Colossians 1:13-22; 1 John 1:7; Hebrews 10:19-22; Matthew 28:1-10; Acts 2:22-24; Romans 1:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Luke 24:50-53; Acts 1:6-11; Ephesians 1:15-23; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 8:1; Acts 1:10-11; Titus 2:11-14
4 John 16:1-15; Romans 8:13-14; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 4:30, 5:18-21;
5 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 1 Peter 1:22-25; Hebrews 4:12; John 20:30-31
6 Genesis 1:27; Isaiah 53:5-6; Romans 3:21-26; Ephesians 2:1-3;
7 Ephesians 2:8-9; Acts 2:38; Romans 10:8-13; John 1:12-13; 1 John 1:9; 1 John 2:2; Romans 8:9-11; Galatians 2:20; 1 John 4:13-15; 2 Corinthians 5:17-19; John 10:10b; John 3:16-18, 11:25-26, 14:1-3, 17:3;
8 1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 3:6; Ephesians 4:1-6; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; Matthew 28:18-20;
9 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:38-41; Romans 6:3-4; Luke 22:19-20;
10 Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6; Ephesians 5:22-23; Exodus 20:14; Revelation 19:6-8; Hebrews 13:4;
11 Acts 10:42; Luke 12:40; 1 Thessalonians 5:2-10; Titus 2:11-14; John 5:24-29; 1 Corinthians 15:20-28; Revelation 20:11-15.
NOTE: This Statement of Faith is taken from the Constitution & Bylaws (Article III, Sections 1 and 2) of Grace Community Church, Tempe, Arizona, approved revisions on October 1, 2017.
Our faith is expressed in “The Apostles’ Creed”:
“I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born
of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried. He descended into Hades. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.”
Our Doctrinal Statement
We affirm these truths for our faith and witness:
1. God
We believe in one God, Creator of all things, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.1
• God the Father. We believe the Father is spirit, who is holy and righteous, full of compassion, merciful and gracious, forgiving, unchanging, and our final judge.2
• God the Son. We believe Jesus Christ, the one and only Son of God, is fully God and fully human; one person with two natures. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, substitutionary and atoning death through His shed blood, bodily resurrection, ascension to the right hand of the Father, and future personal return in power and glory.3
• God the Holy Spirit. We believe in the present ministry of the Spirit of truth who convicts the world of sin, of God’s righteousness, and of coming judgment. We believe He indwells the Christian, enabling him to live a life pleasing to God.4
2. Scripture
We believe the Bible, comprised of 66 books, to be the inspired and only infallible, authoritative Word of God.5
3. Humanity
We believe man and woman were created in the image of God to be like Him in character, the supreme object of God’s creation. We have inherited a sinful nature with a disposition of disobedience which separates us from God and makes us objects of His wrath. We are incapable of saving ourselves and in need of a Savior.6
4. Salvation
We believe salvation is a gift of His grace received through repentance of sin and our rebellion against Him, and by exercising faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. We become a child of God with our sins forgiven and with Christ entering our life through the Holy Spirit, giving us new life in Christ, and the assurance of eternal life with Christ.7
5. Church
We believe all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are members of the body of Christ, the one true Church universal, and that spiritual unity is to be expressed among all believers with acceptance and love for one another. The local Church is a group of believers, each gifted by the Holy Spirit with spiritual gifts for service to others, who gather as a community of faith for worship, prayer, instruction, encouragement, mutual accountability, and as a witness to the world, making disciples of all nations.8
6. Sacraments
We believe the sacraments of baptism and communion, ordained by Christ, are outward physical symbols of our inward union with Christ. We believe baptism is, as an outward testimony of our belief in Christ, symbolizing our death to sin and being raised to new life in Christ. We believe the sacrament of communion is given to all believers by Jesus Christ in remembrance of His sacrifice for us and to symbolize the new covenant. The elements of bread and fruit of the vine are symbols of Christ’s broken body and shed blood.9
7. Marriage
We believe God ordained marriage to be the union of one man and one woman in a covenant relationship where they are committed to each other in steadfast love, devotion and marital fidelity as representatives of Christ’s love for His bride, the Church. Sexual intimacy is only acceptable within the covenant relationship of marriage.10
8. Christ’s Second Coming
We believe in the imminent personal return of Jesus Christ, appointed by God the Father to judge the living and the dead, granting eternal life to
those who belong to Jesus Christ and subjecting those outside of Christ to God’s eternal wrath.11
1 Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalms 90:2; Isaiah 45:22-23; Matthew 3:16-17; Matthew 28:19-20; 1 John 5:20; 1 Corinthians 8:5-6; 2 Corinthians 13:14
2 John 4:24; Exodus 34:6-7; Hebrews 13:8; 2 Timothy 4:1-2
3 John 3:16; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5, 10:30; Colossians 1:15-20; Philippians 2:5-11; Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:35; Hebrews 4:15; John 2:1-11; John 10:31-38; Romans 3:21-26; 1 Corinthians 15:3; Colossians 1:13-22; 1 John 1:7; Hebrews 10:19-22; Matthew 28:1-10; Acts 2:22-24; Romans 1:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Luke 24:50-53; Acts 1:6-11; Ephesians 1:15-23; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 8:1; Acts 1:10-11; Titus 2:11-14
4 John 16:1-15; Romans 8:13-14; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 4:30, 5:18-21;
5 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 1 Peter 1:22-25; Hebrews 4:12; John 20:30-31
6 Genesis 1:27; Isaiah 53:5-6; Romans 3:21-26; Ephesians 2:1-3;
7 Ephesians 2:8-9; Acts 2:38; Romans 10:8-13; John 1:12-13; 1 John 1:9; 1 John 2:2; Romans 8:9-11; Galatians 2:20; 1 John 4:13-15; 2 Corinthians 5:17-19; John 10:10b; John 3:16-18, 11:25-26, 14:1-3, 17:3;
8 1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 3:6; Ephesians 4:1-6; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; Matthew 28:18-20;
9 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:38-41; Romans 6:3-4; Luke 22:19-20;
10 Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4-6; Ephesians 5:22-23; Exodus 20:14; Revelation 19:6-8; Hebrews 13:4;
11 Acts 10:42; Luke 12:40; 1 Thessalonians 5:2-10; Titus 2:11-14; John 5:24-29; 1 Corinthians 15:20-28; Revelation 20:11-15.
NOTE: This Statement of Faith is taken from the Constitution & Bylaws (Article III, Sections 1 and 2) of Grace Community Church, Tempe, Arizona, approved revisions on October 1, 2017.