In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Liberty, In All Things Charity
SHF is a nondenominational church. Our members come from many church backgrounds, all worshiping and serving the Lord together, and living out that ancient Christian motto quoted above. This often makes describing our church a little bit of a challenge. We have discovered that one helpful way to do this is to explain what we have in common with other types of churches that our guests may be familiar with.
Churches come in many shapes and sizes (the list below is not meant to be exhaustive), and we share much in common with many of them. However, we'd like to point out that only label we fully embrace without any reservation is Christian.
We are aware that it is unusual to use these four categories to help describe one local church. We invite you to join us on any Sunday to see how this all fits together at SHF.
Churches come in many shapes and sizes (the list below is not meant to be exhaustive), and we share much in common with many of them. However, we'd like to point out that only label we fully embrace without any reservation is Christian.
- Evangelical. Along with other evangelicals, we firmly believe that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. We trust only in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross for the full atonement of our sins. This is the gospel that we love, celebrate, and proclaim.
- Charismatic. Like our charismatic friends, we highly value the ministry of the Holy Spirit and believe that He indwells, empowers, and equips Christians to serve. He gives all believers spiritual gifts for building up the local church. (Click here for more info)
- Traditional. We intentionally hold on to some worship elements that are more commonly found in traditional churches. This includes our liturgical response after reading Scripture, our celebration of church holidays (Advent, Palm Sunday, Pentecost), and the way we celebrate communion.
- Contemporary. We love to write and sing new worship songs. Our church uses helpful audio and visual aids, and even enjoys a casual fellowship break during our service. And while our worship is a blend of old and new, our gathering has a contemporary church atmosphere.
We are aware that it is unusual to use these four categories to help describe one local church. We invite you to join us on any Sunday to see how this all fits together at SHF.
