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Zachary Denning monogram: an ornate letter Z with engraved foliage flourishes

Beliefs and Ministry

What I believe, and how I approach ministry.

What I Believe

  1. Scripture: The Bible is the inerrant Word of God and our final authority for faith and life.

  2. The Trinity: God is three persons in complete unity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

  3. Jesus Christ: Jesus was born in the flesh, fully man and fully God. He willingly submitted himself to the Father and sacrificed himself for the sins of the world.

  4. Humanity: Apart from the Spirit, man is corrupt and will never choose to follow God.

  5. Salvation: Salvation comes through belief in Jesus's sacrifice alone, and is lived out through repentance and joyful submission to God.

  6. The Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit is given to all who believe in Jesus and are saved.

  7. The Church: The Church is not a physical building or corporate entity, but the gathering of God's people, the body of Christ, made up of all who believe in him. Believers are called to gather, to be set apart from the world, and to devote themselves to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer.

  8. Baptism: Baptism is a public proclamation of a person's faith and a picture of a spiritual reality: the old has perished and the new has come.

  9. The Lord's Supper: Believers should take the Lord's Supper as part of a full meal, just as depicted in the Gospels. It shows that believers are united to Christ and have all things in common, and it is done in remembrance of him as an act of worship and unity.

  10. Christ's Return: Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly to judge the living and the dead and to make all things new.

  11. Eternity: All who believe and repent are saved from the punishment of hell and inherit eternal life with God in the new heaven and new earth.

Philosophy of Ministry

Evangelism

Romans makes clear that God reveals himself through creation to all people. But knowing that God exists is not the same as knowing how to have a relationship with him. So we must still preach the gospel: Christ sacrificed himself for our sins, and we can receive the gift of grace and be made right before God.

Preaching

The main purpose of the Sunday message is not evangelism, because that is our daily work. Preaching within the church is for building up the church and equipping the saints. The message is a discipleship message from the pastor to his flock, to grow, instruct, encourage, and equip them to serve the Lord through the rest of the week.

Preaching the gospel

This does not remove the need for the gospel in the pulpit. It increases it. If the congregation isn't reminded of the gospel, what motivates them to go out and serve? The shepherd reminds his flock of their purpose, their source of life, and the grace they have received, so they serve the Lord with heart, soul, mind, and strength and call others to do the same.

Discipleship

Discipleship is for every member of the body of Christ, and especially for leaders. Pastors, elders, and deacons should all be making disciples: teaching newer believers how to walk faithfully, bearing burdens with them, and celebrating blessings with them. Disciples should go on to make their own disciples, and no one is too young to begin. In a healthy church there are always believers being discipled and new believers being baptized.

In submission to God

In evangelism, preaching, and discipleship, we must surrender everything to God and follow the Holy Spirit. If we try to win people by charm or cunning, we will fail. If we preach to the flesh for fear of men's judgment, we preach in vain. If we grow the church by our own strength and vision, we build in vain. So rather than asking what I want to do, I pray, watch, and wait to see where God is working, and go where he calls. If I act on my own desire and then ask God to join me, I am leaning on my own understanding. And if I preach and don't see people saved, I won't grow weary. I am called to follow, serve, and wait, trusting him to do the work only he can do in people's hearts.