A Note From Pastor Matt

We are a community of Jesus-followers committed to embrace, engage, and empower one another and our neighborhood.

We believe isolation is one of the deadliest currents in our modern society. We want to see isolated people swept up in God’s merciful arms and we want to be ready to embrace them too. But we know that an embrace only goes so far. People have gifts and purpose. It’s our calling to engage people; to help identify gifts and sharpen them; to foster people’s awareness of God’s purposes for them. But what good are gifts that go unused? Purposes that are unlived? We are striving to be a place where everyone is empowered to put their faith into action—set free to serve God together, side-by-side. We long to be an oasis of community in a desert of isolation.  

If this calling interests you, we’d love to have you join us!

what we believe

Jesus is Lord: The singularity, the exclusivity, the divinity of the one Lord Jesus is central to who we are. He is the Bread of Life. The Water of Life. The Lamb of God. The Way, the Truth, and the Life. The one Mediator between God and humankind. The Lord of lords, the King of kings. The Son of Man. The Son of God. The Word become Flesh. The Name at which every knee shall bow. Jesus is the subject (Acts 2:36).

Holiness is ongoing: The Person, the work, and the power of the Holy Spirit is fundamental to who we are as a people. We unabashedly own the truth that the Spirit can transform us, possess us, equip us, and empower us. It is the work of the Holy Spirit that sanctifies us, makes us holy, sets us apart for sacred service, and seals us for eternity’s sake. It is the Spirit that convicts us of sin and enables us to overcome sin. It is the Holy Spirit that can breathe supernatural gifts into us, for Jesus’ sake. He is the Comforter promised by Jesus and the witness of our redemption (Gal 5:22–23).

Unity is essential: We are a people uniquely called by God to be a catalyst for Christian unity, believing that the division of the body of Christ is hell’s greatest weapon to thwart heaven’s ends in this world. We are convinced that the splintering of the body is not the Lord’s work, but the enemy’s; we believe that hell trembles at the prospect of a people united, redeemed by the blood, and possessed by the Spirit (John 17:21).

Scripture is our Authority: We are a people of the Bible—the Old and New Testaments, supernaturally inspired, preserved across time, cultures, and continents, delivered to us, useful for reproof and instruction, for righteousness. The Scripture is our backstop, the ultimate field of inquiry and judgment, the measure of conduct, faith, and practice. Whatever the question, whatever the test, whatever comes before us, in the end, it is the Scripture, above all other disciplines, that informs and defines us. All other sources of knowledge fall beneath its shadow (2 Tim 3:14–17).

Love is our mission: Love God with your whole self. And, love your neighbors as yourself. The Scripture tells us this is the sum of the Law and the Prophets. When a teacher of the Law sought to test Jesus (Luke 10), asking, “What must I do to have eternal life?” Jesus asked him what he read in the Scripture. When the man replied with the Great Commandments, Jesus approved, saying, “You have answered well; do this and you will live.” It was this exchange that birthed the seminal parable of the Good Samaritan. As a people in the pursuit of holiness, the Great Commandments clothe us.

Salvation comes through faith: Sin estranges us to God’s goodness, but Jesus secured our reconciliation to God through his death and resurrection (Col. 1:19-22). We find salvation in him alone, and only by giving him our trust. We cannot earn God’s love. We cannot manipulate God’s gift of life. In faith, we are grateful recipients of God’s extravagant and eternal grace.

God is three in one: though difficult for our human minds to comprehend, we believe God exists eternally as one substance and three persons: Father, Son and Spirit.

Our city is sacred: We are firmly convinced that God is at work in our city, no matter it’s physical, financial, spiritual, or emotional condition. Wherever God is at work is sacred space. Therefore, we long to inhabit the corner of Lancaster and Glendale in Salem, Oregon with words and deeds worthy of God’s character. We’re not here to antagonize our city. We’re not here to oppose our city. We desire to wash the feet of all who would have us; to humbly proclaim Jesus’ mercy and salvation to every indispensable soul in our proximity; to be an unwavering oasis of Jesus’ extravagant grace.

Oak Park is a member of the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana). You can read more in depth details about the Church of God’s history and beliefs at www.jesusisthesubject.org.