There is far too much diversity of thought in our family of faith to state: “This is what everyone at Westminster believes.”
We do not think everyone must hold to identical beliefs and we recognize that we are living in a time of spiritual renewal in which new understandings of the Christian faith are emerging.
Here are a few beliefs that are widely held among our members:
- All people are children of God and God desires for all people to live rich and fulfilling lives. For Christians, such abundant living arises from following Christ who calls us to love God with our entire being and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Members of Westminster care for each other when life is hard. Moreover, we expect all members to be involved in at least one mission endeavor that shares God’s love with people in need beyond our church walls.
- God is present with us always. God rejoices with us in the celebrations of our lives and suffers with us when we walk through the dark valleys of life. God’s Spirit strengthens us in times of weakness, guides us when the way forward is unclear, sheds the light of hope in times of despair and challenges us to strive for justice and peace as partners with God in transforming the world.
- God has created and continues to create the universe out of love, and God expects us to care for this amazing planet we call home. Since God is the Creator of the cosmos, what we discover about the universe through science and reason deepens our understanding of God and enriches our faith.
- We take the Bible seriously, but not literally. We recognize there are passages in the Bible that stem from an ancient worldview and a patriarchal society that are at odds with the teachings of Christ. We believe the Bible is essential to Christian faith and God’s Spirit continues to shed more light on our understanding of Scripture.
- We believe following Jesus is the best path, but not the only path to God. We respect people of other faiths and pray that spiritual people from different religions will see the truths we hold in common. We hope that, through dialogues of mutual respect with people from other spiritual traditions, all of us will gain a richer understanding of God and ourselves.
We hope you will dare to wrestle with God so that your spiritual adventure will be rich and fulfilling!