A Biblical Foundation
THE BIBLE
At Summit Church we believe the 66 books that comprise the Bible are the inspired and authoritative Word of God and that they are inerrant within their original manuscripts. We believe the Bible contains the ultimate and final truth about God, mankind, and eternity. The Bible is resilient, it has withstood the last 2,000 years of history. The Bible is reliable, there is no other document in antiquity with more manuscript evidence. The Bible is relevant, it's timeless principles bring insight, encouragement, conviction, and hope to all people no matter your race, gender, age, or background.
Therefore everything we teach, everything we do, everything we believe is based on the foundation of Scripture.
JESUS:
We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, that He was conceived and born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and sacrificed Himself to be punished in substitution for sinners. By the blood of His cross and His resurrection from the dead, He obtained for us eternal redemption, the forgiveness of sins, and life everlasting. He was raised bodily and ascended to the right hand of the Father. He will return to the earth personally and visibly to consummate His kingdom.
Matthew 1:18-25; John 1:1-18; Romans 8:34; 1 Corinthians 15:1-28; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:10-14; Ephesians 1:7; Philippians 2:6-11; Colossians 1:15-23; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11; Hebrews 7:25; 9:13-15; 10:19; 1 Peter 2:21-25; 1 John 2:1-2.
THE HOLY SPIRIT:
We believe that the Holy Spirit regenerates and forever indwells all Christians. Either subsequently or at the same moment, Jesus Christ baptizes believers in the Holy Spirit to empower believers for ministry and witness. We also believe that signs and wonders, as well as all the gifts of the Spirit described in the New Testament, are operative today and are designed to testify to the presence of the kingdom and to empower and edify the church to fulfill its calling and mission. These gifts are subject to judging and are to confirm, and never supersede, what has been revealed in the Bible.
Joel 2:28; Matthew 3:11; John 1:12-13; Acts 1:8; 8:14-16; John 7:37-39; Romans 8:9; 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 14:29; Eph 1:13-14; 5:18.
SIN:
We believe Adam was created in the image of God, righteous and without sin. In consequence of his disobedience, all people are born subject to sin and are therefore by nature and choice justly condemned in the sight of God, unable to save themselves or to contribute in any way to their acceptance with God.
Genesis 1-3; Psalm 51:5; Isaiah 53:5; Romans 3:9-18; 5:12-21; Ephesians 2:1-3.
SALVATION:
We believe that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. No ritual, work, or any other activity is required in order to be saved. This saving grace of God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, also sanctifies us by enabling us to do what is pleasing in God’s sight in order that we might be progressively conformed to the image of Christ.
John 1:12-13; 6:37-44; 10:25-30; Acts 16:30-31; Romans 3-4; 8:1-17,31-39; 10:8-10; 1 Corinthians 1:4–8; Ephesians 2:8-10; Philippians 2:12-13; Titus 3:3-7; 1 Peter 1:5; 1 John 1:7,9.
A Rich Heritage
Summit is proudly part of The Wesleyan Church. We are named after the 18th century reformer and revivalist John Wesley. Wesley was born in 1703 to a large family in England. After attending Oxford, he was ordained into the Anglican church. Wesley spent a few years as a missionary in the Americas, but failed miserably. In his crossing of the Atlantic, during a terrible storm, he was convinced he was going to die. But a group of pietists onboard showed profound faith and courage where he had none. Wesley became strongly influenced by the simple heart-religion and disciplined lifestyle of the pietist movement.
After returning to England, Wesley joined in a revival movement with his friend George Whitfield, preaching outdoors to the crowds of the industrial revolution who rarely had time to attend church with their grueling work schedules. Wesley traveled over 4,000 miles per year on horseback and preached some 40,000 sermons in his lifetime. He organized new believers into small groups called societies, classes, and bands. These groups met together to pray, study the Bible, serve their community, and hold each other accountable. Critics of the movement called them "methodists". Wesley however only wished to reform the Anglican church and the Methodist church did not form until after his death.
John Wesley was always passionate about justice, the poor, and abolition. In fact the last letter he wrote on his death bed in 1791 was to his friend William Wilberforce, encouraging him to keep up the fight against the atlantic slave trade.
Do all the good you can, by all means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can.
- JOHN WESLEY
WHAT IS A WESLEYAN?
Since 2009, as we have experienced a surge of growth at Summit Church, we've discovered that many people who visit have never heard of Wesleyans before. The Wesleyan Church is a conservative mainstream evangelical denomination that holds to the traditional Christian dogmas that are listed above. Beyond those non-negotiable beliefs, there are some things that make the Wesleyan Church distinctive among our sister churches.
COMMITTED TO INTEGRITY
Wesleyans strongly believe that what Christians declare and sing about on Sunday should affect how we live on Monday. We recognize that it was the heart of Jesus to free people enslaved to the addiction and destruction of sin. We affirm the teaching of scripture that by the power of the Holy Spirit, the follower of Christ can have ever increasing victory over sin in their life. Although we know holiness is a lifelong journey, we Wesleyans strive to become the men and women of integrity that God created us to be.
MATT. 5:8; JN. 8:11; ROM. 8:3-4; 1 THESS. 3:10-13; 1 PET. 1:15-16
COMMITTED TO COMMUNITY
John Wesley is famous for his reform movement within the Anglican Church. The catalyst for life change with that revival were his methodical organization of people into small groups called classes and bands. These groups created a place for accountability, discipleship, encouragement, and spiritual growth. Today we still believe that transformation happens best in groups. Therefore we strive to create an authentic community that 'does life together' on Sunday mornings and especially through our thriving small group ministry.
GEN. 2:18; JN. 13:34-35; ACTS 2:42-47; ROM. 12:4-8; EPH. 4:4-16
COMMITTED TO JUSTICE
The modern Wesleyan Church had its birth in 1842 over the issue of slavery. The Methodist Church had become the largest church in America and was hesitant to take a public stance against slavery in fear of splitting the church. Therefore Orange Scott and other ministers left to begin a new denomination because of their strong beliefs on abolition. Justice has always been part of our church DNA, and today Summit Church continues in our abolitionist heritage by sending thousands of dollars in resources toward groups that fight human trafficking worldwide.
EX. 6:2-7; ISA. 61:1; MIC. 6:8; 2 COR. 3:17; GAL. 5:1
