Who we are: Our identity

We are a gospel formed family on mission. We are a family of doubters, skeptics, and seekers, discovering what it means to follow Jesus, joining God in the renewal of Chorlton and Manchester. We are, first and foremost, changed by the relationship we have in God through Jesus. Out of nothing we’ve done ourselves, we’ve been given:

• a new status, saved from our guilt and shame
• a new heart, saved from the power of sin in our present lives, now free to live for God
• a new world, saved to the hope of our entire world being renewed one day

This is what we get when we are united to Christ, secured by His life, death, resurrection, and ascension. We didn’t (and couldn’t) do anything to get this ourselves, it is a gift from God.

Our identities are not achieved, they are received. Being followers of Jesus, we are given these new identities:

We are gospel formed. We submit our identity, our work, our relationships, indeed, the entirety of our lives, to be formed by the story of the gospel, from Genesis to Revelation.

We are family. We are adopted into God’s family, with Christ our elder brother. We are brothers and sisters with each other.

We are missionaries. We have been saved from living out of our small stories, and saved to God’s big story. We tell others about it and live in congruence with it.

What we believe: Statement of Faith

Since we seek to follow Jesus, we hold to the historic Christian beliefs of the Bible. We ascribe to the FIEC Statement of Faith.

1. God

There is one God, who exists eternally in three distinct but equal persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is unchangeable in his holiness, justice, wisdom and love. He is the almighty Creator; Saviour and Judge who sustains and governs all things according to his sovereign will for his own glory.

2. The Bible

God has revealed himself in the Bible, which consists of the Old and New Testaments alone. Every word was inspired by God through human authors, so that the Bible as originally given is in its entirety the Word of God, without error and fully reliable in fact and doctrine. The Bible alone speaks with final authority and is always sufficient for all matters of belief and practice.

3. Humanity

All men and women, being created in the image of God, have inherent and equal dignity and worth. Their greatest purpose is to obey, worship and love God. God created us male and female, which is identified by our biological sex. Marriage is the exclusive union of one man and one woman and is a picture of the relationship between Christ and his bride the church. Sexual intimacy is a gift from God to be enjoyed only within the context of marriage.

4. The Fall

As a result of the fall of our first parents, every aspect of human nature has been corrupted and all men and women are without spiritual life, guilty sinners and hostile to God. Every person is therefore under the just condemnation of God and needs to be born again, forgiven and reconciled to God in order to know and please him.

5. The Lord Jesus Christ

The Lord Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, and lived a sinless life in obedience to the Father. He taught with authority and all his words are true. On the cross he died in the place of sinners, bearing God’s punishment for their sin, redeeming them by his blood. He rose from the dead and in his resurrection body ascended into heaven where he is exalted as Lord of all. He intercedes for his people in the presence of the Father.

6. Salvation

Salvation is entirely a work of God’s grace and cannot be earned or deserved. It has been accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ and is offered to all in the gospel. God in his love forgives sinners whom he calls, granting them repentance and faith. All who believe in Christ are justified by faith alone, adopted into the family of God and receive eternal life.

7. The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit has been sent from heaven to glorify Christ and to apply his work of salvation. He convicts sinners, imparts spiritual life and gives a true understanding of the Scriptures. He indwells all believers, brings assurance of salvation and produces increasing likeness to Christ. He builds up the Church and empowers its members for worship, service and mission.

8. The Church

The universal Church is the body of which Christ is the head and to which all who are saved belong. It is made visible in local churches, which are congregations of believers who are committed to each other for the worship of God, the preaching of the Word, the administering of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper; for pastoral care and discipline, and for evangelism. The unity of the body of Christ is expressed within and between churches by mutual love, care and encouragement. True fellowship between churches exists only where they are faithful to the gospel.

9. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper have been given to the churches by Christ as visible signs of the gospel. Baptism is a symbol of union with Christ and entry into his Church but does not impart spiritual life. The Lord’s Supper is a commemoration of Christ’s sacrifice offered once for all and involves no change in the bread and wine. All its blessings are received by faith.

10. The Future

The Lord Jesus Christ will return in glory. He will raise the dead and judge the world in righteousness. The wicked will be sent to eternal punishment and the righteous will be welcomed into a life of eternal joy in fellowship with God. God will make all things new and will be glorified forever.

How we live: Values

Distinctives to Redeemer

What does being the church specifically look like for Redeemer?

Generosity
We have been given everything in Christ, so we are free to live generous lives. We are blessed to be a blessing.

Beauty
The gospel isn't just a true story, it's a beautiful story. We are called to reflect that beauty in our lives.

Commitment
We are God’s family and are devoted to God. We are also family with each other, and are devoted to our fellow brothers and sisters. We are also devoted to God’s mission in our world.

Honesty
We are all broken people in the process of being made whole through Jesus. We share that reality with others.

Risk
Being made rich in Jesus frees and enables us to take risks we wouldn't have otherwise.

Multiplication
Our end goal isn't just to grow Redeemer or existing ministries, it's to launch new churches and ministries.

Movement
We seek to contribute to a healthy gospel ecosystem for the city, including (but not limited to) church planting. To this end, we also partner with existing charities, ministries, and networks to bring wholeness to our city.