We believe that God changes lives.
We believe that God changes people’s eternal destinies and radically transforms their lives here and now. The gospel message tells us that God loved the people of the world so much that he sent his Son to die so that we might live – in the death of Jesus Christ is forgiveness, freedom, and a restored relationship with God our Father for all who will believe in him.
We believe the Bible is exciting and powerful.
We make no excuse for putting the Bible at the heart of all we do. We believe it is God’s clear and reliable Word to us today – and our world needs the Word of God today more than ever. In the Bible, God reveals his timeless truth about himself, about us, and his plan for the world. As the Bible impacts our lives, we grow in our relationship with God and our trust in him.
We believe we are part of something bigger than ourselves.
We unite with all believers across the whole world and in history as the body of Christ. We are a local Anglican church (in the Diocese of Southwark) and adhere to the historic teaching of the Church of England, as summarised in the thirty-nine Articles of Religion. We welcome people from any denominational background and join evangelical churches across all denominations as members of the Sussex Gospel Partnership.
We believe we are on a mission with the living God.
There is nothing more exciting than seeing God at work today, changing people’s eternal destinies and radically transform their lives. God calls us each to be a part of this day today, to be on mission with him reaching out to Felbridge, East Grinstead and beyond. It may involve sacrifice, it may take us to the wire, it may even hurt, but there is nothing more exciting!
21st March 2023, Statement from PCC.
This PCC joyfully affirms the Church of England doctrine that marriage is between one man and one woman and is intended to be for life, since we believe this to be the pattern given to us in God’s Word, the Bible. We also affirm the beauty of singleness and celibacy, recognising the goodness of both Biblical positions.
We seek to be a church which is a loving Christian community and a place where we hold to a traditional Christian view of marriage. We seek to hold this view with grace and love and in recognition of our own weaknesses and failings. We seek to provide good pastoral support for those who struggle to live by the Biblical teaching on sex and relationships in the present or in the past. We welcome all to St John’s, regardless of their relationship status, sexual orientation or gender identity.
We resolve that, if they are endorsed, this PCC will not be offering the services and prayers outlined in Prayers of Love and Faith proposed by the House of Bishops at the February 2023 General Synod. We believe them to be a departure from teaching of the Bible and contrary to the foundational doctrine of the Church of England.