Positions On Current Topics
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. - Romans 12:2
Introduction
Grace Point recognizes every human being as an image bearer of God, and one who is valuable in His sight. It is our desire to minister to and love everyone who walks through the doors of our church. We also recognize that faith spaces have often been and continue to be places of heartbreak and rejection for many communities. We grieve over and apologize for any time Grace Point has harmed anyone through word or deed, knowingly or unknowingly.
Through prayer, studying the scriptures, and guidance from the Holy Spirit, we have established and are attempting to communicate positions that honor God and His Word. While acknowledging that some of these may not align with the beliefs of others, our desire is that everyone would feel welcome to join us in our pursuit of God. We strive to love all people unconditionally and to cultivate a community that will be attentive to people’s spiritual, physical, and emotional needs. We want Grace Point to be a safe place to hear a dangerous message. The Gospel of Jesus is dangerous in that it challenges us to think, act, and be different than before we knew Christ. But we also want our church to be a safe place for everyone to feel welcomed as a friend and valued as a person loved by God.
We hope that the position statements below will provide clarity for our church family and anyone who may be investigating Grace Point as a church home. If you have any questions on these positions, please email our Elder Board.
Gender
We believe that scripture teaches that a person’s identity is not assigned by the individual or by society, but by God, who created humankind with two distinct sexes: male and female. In addition, we believe that our gender is indicated by our biological sex at birth, and that we glorify God when we affirm and value our biological sex as our gender. A more in-depth position paper on this topic can be found here.
Marriage
We believe that scripture establishes marriage as a life-long union between a man and a woman. Therefore, we will only endorse or conduct marriages between a man and woman. A more in-depth position paper on this topic can be found here.
Sex & Sexuality
We believe that scripture teaches that God has ordained sex for marriage (as defined above) between one man and one woman, with the purpose of having children and strengthening the marriage bond. Any other sexual activity is outside of God’s will, and is understood as sexual immorality. It is a sin against God, against our own bodies, and against those we have wronged through it. A more in-depth position paper on this topic can be found here.
Abortion/Life
We believe that human beings are created by God in His image. Therefore every person, from conception to death, possesses inherent dignity and immeasurable worth - including preborn children, elderly individuals, those with special needs, and others that can be marginalized by society. As followers of Christ, we are called to defend, protect, and value all human life. A more in-depth position paper on this topic can be found here.
Women In Ministry
We believe that men and women are equal in every aspect as the Trinity is equal in every aspect. However, just as we see in the Trinity, different roles complement one another. For example, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit fulfill different roles in the Godhead, but are all equal. In a similar way, we believe that although men and women are equal, the Bible instructs the role of pastor/elder to be reserved for qualified men as described in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. Under the authority of the elders, we celebrate the gifts of the Spirit given to everyone to encourage and grow the church family. Gifts of leadership, teaching, mercy, helps, and more will be welcome and developed for women and men alike. A more in-depth position paper on this topic can be found here.
We believe that the history of the church, as with the history of humanity, is infused with racial inequality. As followers of Christ, we ought to live out the unity inherent in the body of Christ, a unity that has no place for racism of any kind, but sees one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. A more in-depth position paper on this topic can be found here.
Racial Reconciliation
Politics
We believe the only solution to our world's problems is Jesus Christ. Our mission as a church is to introduce people to Jesus Christ and grow together in His kingdom. The church is not called to change people's behavior and lives through any form of government. That change comes only from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
We encourage believers to participate in their society and government, but it is idolatry to raise the importance of government to equal that of the church. God’s church has existed and expanded under many forms of government and will continue to do so through God’s power and not through our works. We as believers should always put the great commission above our political actions and should live and work with people of different political beliefs with grace, love, and humility. A more in-depth position paper on this topic can be found here.