We are Christian
We are disciples of Jesus Christ, joined with Christian believers across time and space who believe in the Triune God of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and who embrace Jesus as God’s Son and the one true Savior of the world. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to Father, except through me” (John 14:6). We believe that salvation and eternal life are found in Christ alone. We are Christian not because we grew up going to church or practice a set of religious beliefs. We are Christian because we have put our trust in Jesus Christ. And we live out our Christian faith by building our lives upon Christ, obeying His teachings, and sharing the hope of Jesus with others.
We are Biblically-Grounded
We believe the Bible is the unique and authoritative Word of God, which teaches all that is necessary for faith and life. We give emphasis to Bible study, both personal Bible meditation and group Bible study. The proclamation of God’s Word in Scripture is at the heart of our times of gathered worship, and our pastoral messages are Bible-based. Rather than interpreting the Bible through the lens of culture and human wisdom, we believe God calls us to interpret culture and human wisdom through the lens of Biblical truth.
We are Evangelical
We are called to make Christ known, and to share the good news that God’s salvation is a free gift made possible through the atoning death of Jesus Christ on the cross and that Jesus offers a wonderful new way of living – both in this life and for eternity. We embrace the true spirit of the word evangelical, which comes from the Greek word for “gospel” or “good news.” Rather than describing any political alignment, “evangelical” in its original sense describes a desire to joyfully embrace the Kingdom life God offers through Jesus Christ and to share (through both word and deed) the good news of God’s grace and truth.
We Are Missional
We believe that the church is not an institution unto itself – but the Body of Christ sent into the world to bring the hope of Jesus. We are committed to reaching beyond ourselves – following in the way of Jesus. We believe that all of us are called to practice compassion (Matthew 25) and to live out the Great Commission (Matthew 28). Our vision as a church is to glorify God as a disciple-making outpost of Kingdom Life – making disciples who are sent to glorify God wherever they go.
We are Presbyterian
Our church members (and staff) come from many different denominational (or non-denominational) backgrounds. The word “Presbyterian” refers to the fact that we are led by elders (presbyters). Our church is locally governed by a group of elders (the Session) who are elected by the church members. There are many differences among Presbyterian churches, both in the style of worship and beliefs. Our worship honors many deeply cherished traditions while also celebrating newer expressions of worship and church music. The beliefs we affirm and teach reflect our evangelical belief in the unique Lordship of Jesus Christ and our high view of Scripture. For example, the leadership of Venice Presbyterian Church affirms the sanctity of life – from our conception to the natural end of our God-given life on earth. We also believe and teach that God created us male and female, and that God designs sexual intimacy for the marriage covenant between a man and a woman.