LEARN MORE ABOUT ST. JOHN'S
OUR CORE VALUES
FAMILY
We desire to cultivate a spiritual family at St. John's. And here, Jesus is the heart of our family.
While you can find friendships at your local gym or workplace, what our church longs for is something more. We want to see families of disciples (followers) transformed by Jesus.
All of us are formed by something, and our family wants to be formed into the image of Jesus by following his ways together.
FULLNESS OF LIFE
We are each invited to experience the fullness of life that comes from living in relationship with Christ.
When we choose to walk closely with Jesus, our lives begin to change; not because life gets easier, but because we are living in the source of all light and love.
As we continue to grow in the love of Christ and live as His beloved children, the fruit of His spirit develop in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
It is our hope to be filled with this spirit and to share it with others through words and deeds.
FAITH
Our church exists to facilitate life-changing relationships with Jesus Christ.
We believe that through Jesus' death and resurrection, the whole world is being redeemed.
The Gospel is the good news that Christ’s death is a substitutionary and propitiatory sacrifice to God for our sins. The gospel is the end of all human pursuits for righteousness in that it announces that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
Thus, we are a church on mission to share this good news in our homes and with our neighbors near and far
WHAT WE BELIEVE
1
God the Father
We believe in one God, the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of all things. God is infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each is fully God and equal in every divine attribute and perfection, while executing distinct but harmonious roles in the work of creation and redemption.
2
Jesus
Jesus Christ, the living Word, became flesh when he was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born to Mary, a virgin, thus fulfilling what Scripture promises. Jesus is fully God and fully human. He died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sin. On the third day, he arose bodily from the dead and ascended into heaven. Now, he is seated at the right hand of God the Father, and he intercedes for us as our High Priest and Mediator.
We believe that Jesus is God’s Son, a Savior to those who will receive him as Lord, the answer to our guilt and our example for living. Jesus, as the Son of God, is the foundation upon which all we preach and teach finds its authority and meaning.
3
Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit has come to glorify Jesus Christ and to apply the saving work of Jesus to our hearts. He convicts us of sin and draws us to the Savior. Indwelling our hearts, he gives new life to us, empowers and imparts gifts to us for service. He instructs and guides us into all truth, and seals us for the day of redemption.
4
Humanity
Being estranged from God and condemned by our sinfulness, our salvation is wholly dependent upon the work of God’s free grace. God credits his righteousness to those who put their faith in Jesus alone for their salvation, thereby justifies them in his sight. Only such as are born of the Holy Spirit and receive Jesus Christ become children of God and heirs of eternal life.
5
The Bible
All Scripture is self-attesting and, as Truth, requires our unreserved submission in all areas of life. The infallible Word of God, consisting of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, is a complete and unified witness to God’s redemptive acts culminating in the incarnation of the Living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible, uniquely and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, is the supreme and final authority on all matters on which it speaks. It is also the Holy Spirit’s primary means of transforming lives.
6
The Church
The true Church is composed of all persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit are united together in the body of Christ. The Church finds her visible, yet imperfect, expression in local congregations where the Word of God is preached in its purity and the sacraments are administered in their integrity, where scriptural discipline is practiced, and where loving fellowship is maintained. For her perfecting, she awaits the return of her Lord.
7
The Christian Life
Jesus Christ will come again to the earth—personally, visibly, and bodily—to judge the living and the dead and to consummate history and the eternal plan of God. “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” (Rev. 22:20).
The Lord Jesus Christ commands all believers to proclaim the gospel throughout the world and to make disciples of all nations. Obedience to the Great Commission requires total commitment to “him who loved us and gave himself for us.” He calls us to a life of self-denying love and service. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Eph. 2:10)
OUR CATHEDRAL
Founded in 1837, St. John’s is the Cathedral Church of the Diocese of Quincy. As Anglicans, we’re part of a global family of 86 million Christians in 160 countries who encompass the rich history of catholic and protestant Christianity. We bring together a vibrant faith in Jesus Christ, a commitment to the trustworthiness and authority of Scripture, the beauty of liturgical worship, and an expectation of the powerful work of the Holy Spirit. As the Cathedral, St. John’s is the symbolic seat of the bishop and we represent his mission and ministry to the diocese and the wider church.