The Wesleyan Church is an evangelical, Protestant, holiness denomination organized to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. The technical name for our church's theological heritage is Wesleyan-Armenian. This refers to the teachings of James Arminius and John Wesley. Arminius (1560-1609), a Dutch theologian, stressed that God has predestined all who believe in Jesus Christ for eternal life and those who reject Him for eternal separation from God; that He has given us as human beings true freedom to accept or reject this salvation; that He offers grace to enable all persons to repent and believe; and that believers are secure spiritually in Christ based on continued faith and obedience to God.
Wesley was a priest in the Church of England in the 1700s and the founder of the Methodist movement. He added to Armenian insights an emphasis on the assurance of salvation which believers can enjoy through the inner "witness of the Spirit." He also taught the doctrine of the entire sanctification whereby one's heart is made complete in love for God and other persons.
Many people shy away from denominations because it brings back pictures of restrictive childhood experiences. That's unfortunate. One of the great joys we've experienced at Arcade Wesleyan is the wonderful liberty and encouragement from both our denominational and district leadership. In fact, we experience the best of both worlds. Let me explain.
Arcade Wesleyan is supported by a denomination called The Wesleyan Church, which was established in 1843. This denomination directs some of the finest evangelical colleges in America. Being part of such a solid denomination with a stable Christian history gives Arcade Wesleyan strong biblical roots with which to grow. Unlike many independent churches, Arcade's denominational support gives this church an appropriate system of accountability while maintaining a wonderful liberty of ministry.
What this means to you is that Arcade Wesleyan is no "fly-by-night" congregation. It's a church worth your valuable time investment.
But what is it that we believe? What immediately follows speaks, first, to the spirit with which we hold our doctrine:
Here is a very pointed statement:
"In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity (love)."
Unity in the Essentials
(What a person must believe to, in fact, be a Christian)
One way to identify what Arcade Wesleyan believes to be essential to faith is to point to The Apostles' Creed. With Christians everywhere, we affirm the following to be true:
The Apostles' Creed
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord;
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into Hell;
The third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
From thence He shall come to judge the quick (living) and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit;
The Holy catholic (universal) Church;
The communion of saints;
The forgiveness of sins;
The resurrection of the body;
And the life everlasting.
This creed, or statement of belief, was already in use by the Christian Church as early as 100 A.D., and is, in fact, based on Matthew 28:19, "Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
"It is precisely the Church's belief about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit that this creed defines, and it is probable that the Apostles' Creed was in fact constructed to state the Church's belief on the great basic matters of the faith, which were the foundations of all missionary preaching."
(William Barclay - The Apostles' Creed for Every Man - 1967)
This creed has been used in Churches, then, for almost 2,000 years, and is accepted as valid by virtually every Christian group.
Furthermore, we are convinced that the Bible is God's written Word and the final authority of all Christian beliefs and practices. We affirm the following as reflecting the teaching of Scriptures and, therefore, true:
THE HOLY TRINITY We believe in one living and true God, both holy and loving, eternal and of infinite power, wisdom, goodness and righteousness. He is a loving and faithful God who is the Creator and Preserver of all things (Genesis 1:1; Jeremiah 10:10; I Timothy 1:17). In the unity of this Godhead there are three persons of one substance with identical qualities and attributes: the Father (God), the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit (John 1:1,2; 4:24; 5:18; 10:30).
THE FATHER We believe the Father is the source of all that exists, whether of matter or spirit. With the Son and the Holy Spirit, He made man in His image. By intention He relates to man as Father, thereby forever declaring His goodwill toward man. In love, He both seeks and receives penitent sinners (Psalm 68:5; Isaiah 64:8; Matthew 7:11; Romans 8:15; I Peter 1:17).
THE SON OF GOD We believe in the divine nature of Jesus Christ, God's only Son, who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin, Mary. Christ was both fully man and fully God. He walked our earth, suffered at the hands of men, was crucified, died and buried as a sacrifice for the sins of all men and women everywhere. The purpose was to restore our relation to God which is broken by sin/disobedience (Luke 1:27; 31:35; John 3:16; Romans 5:10; Ephesians 5:2). Christ rose from the dead and ascended into heaven in full victory over Satan and sin. He now intercedes for the body of believers to God the Father (Matthew 28:5-9; Luke 24:4-7) until He returns to judge every one at the last day.
THE HOLY SPIRIT We believe that Holy Spirit as the person of the Holy Trinity who lives within us, giving us the power to live a holy life and guiding us to truth (Romans 8:9; Galatians 4:6). He is ever present, assuming, preserving, guiding and enabling the believer while convicting and moving upon the non-believer in order to bring him or her to salvation.
THE AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE We believe that the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments combined constitute the Holy Bible; no books may be added or deleted. The Holy Bible is inspired and inerrant (that is, without error or failure of basic contents and meaning in the original manuscripts). The Holy Bible contains all the necessary truth to lead men and women into salvation (Psalm 19:7; John 17:17; Romans 15:4; I Thessalonians 2:13; II Timothy 3:15-17).
MAN We believe that mankind was created by God in His own image (Genesis 1:27), but because of Adam's sin (disobedience) man inherits a corrupt nature that inclines him to do wrong (Genesis 3:6; Romans 5:12). Man is not capable of achieving a life without sin on his own (Proverbs 20:9; Romans 3:20; Galatians 2:16). Because man is created in God's own image, we have a God-likeness which includes knowledge between right and wrong, the ability to choose which course we will take, and the responsibility for our actions, or our choices (Joshua 24:15; I Kings 20:40; John 7:17).
SALVATION We believe that Jesus Christ, the living, Son of God, was given by God as a sacrifice for the sins of all men. Christ died on the cross to mend the broken relationships which were caused by man's sin of disobedience. This severed relationship between God and man may be restored into perfect harmony through belief in Jesus Christ by faith, and not on the basis of our works (Galatians 5:4,5; Ephesians 2:8,9). This belief and faith in Jesus Christ, recognizing Him as Lord and Savior, gives men and women the free gift of eternal life (John 1:29; 3:16; I Cor. 5-7; Ephesians 5:2; I Peter 1:19). After receiving salvation by faith through belief in Jesus Christ, the born-again (John 3:3) believer may live free from the judgment of God, living a life according to the teaching of the scriptures and trusting the Holy Spirit for the power to live a holy life according to God's word.
We believe that after we have experienced regeneration it is possible to fall into sin, for in this life there is no such height or strength of holiness from which it is impossible to fall. But by the grace of God one who has fallen into sin may, by confession and true repentance, find forgiveness and restored fellowship with God (Matthew 18:21, 22; I John 1:9; 2:1, 24-25).
GOOD WORKS We believe that even though men and women cannot receive salvation by good works, their good works are still pleasing to God and show evidence of a true faith in God, and Jesus as Lord of the believers life (Matthew 5:16; 7:16-20; Romans 3:20; Galatians 2:16; James 2:18; 22). Therefore, good works are pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ, and by them a living faith may be as evidently known as a tree is discerned by its fruit.
SANCTIFICATION We believe that sanctification is the work of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, making the believer pure in heart and totally committed and dedicated to God. This work is both instantaneous and gradual (or progressive). It begins when a person is saved and continues throughout life. In this process of sanctification there is a time when the believer is convicted of a lukewarm Christian life and looks to Christ with a total commitment and dedication to Christ-like living. There is no black and white time line involved; for some this occurs at salvation or soon thereafter, and for others much time elapses. But for all believers sanctification is the will of God (I Thessalonians 4:3). Sanctification is the point in life when a believer renounces the desire to live for self and desires to live totally of the Glory of God. Christ indeed becomes Lord of one's life. The believer is then empowered by the Holy Spirit, making him able to live a life of holiness. This does not mean perfection of the believer, but purity of heart, soul and mind (Deuteronomy 30:6; Luke 1:74-75; Acts 15:8-9; I Corinthians 6:11; Ephesians 4:13, 24; I Thessalonians 4:3, 7; James 4:8).
GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT We believe that the Holy Spirit has given spiritual gifts to all believers for the purpose of building up the body of Christ and bringing glory to God. The gifts are to be exercised in love and emphasize the need for unity (I Corinthians 12:4, 11, 18, 21-25; Ephesians 4:11-16).
The Wesleyan Church believes in the miraculous use of languages and the interpretation of languages in its biblical and historical setting. That is, languages were an evangelistic tool used for the purpose of spreading the gospel. The languages were unknown to the speaker, but known to the hearers (Acts 2:4-8). But it is contrary to the teaching of God's Word, as understood by the Wesleyan Church, to teach that speaking in an unknown tongue, or the gift of tongues, is the evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-24). The unity of the body of Christ is of utmost importance, therefore only a language readily understood by the congregation is to be used in public worship (I Corinthians 12:1; 14:40).
SACRAMENTS We believe that God ordained two sacraments: The Lord's Supper and Baptism. The Lord's Supper is received in remembrance of Christ's death for our sins; the bread representing His body and the cup, His blood. It is in remembrance of God's love and grace toward us, and the love we must share with one another (Matthew 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24; I Corinthians 10:16). Water baptism is an outward symbolic act signifying salvation and cleansing of sin (Numbers 8:7; Mark 16:16; Acts 22:16). At Arcade we baptize by immersion.
THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST We believe that those who have not accepted Christ as their personal Savior and are unrepentant will be judged by God in His perfect justice and doomed to eternal punishment (Ecclesiastes 12:14; Matthew 25:31-46; II Corinthians 5:10; Romans 2:16). We believe in the personal return of Jesus Christ to receive His believers into heaven and eternal life. The time of His return is unknown, but may be at any moment. This is the glorious hope of all God's children (John 14:1-3; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; James 5:7-8; Revelation 22:12, 20).
THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD We believe in the bodily resurrection from the dead of all mankind - of the just unto the resurrection of life, and of the unjust unto damnation. The resurrection of the righteous dead will occur at Christ's Second Coming, and the resurrection of the wicked will occur at a later time. The resurrection of Christ is the guarantee of the resurrection of those who are in Christ. The raised body will be a spiritual body, but the person will be whole and identifiable (Job 19:25-27; Matthew 22:30-32; 28:1-20; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-53; John 5:28-29; 11:21-27; 20:1-21;25; Acts 1:3; Romans 8:11; I Corinthians 6:14; 15:1-58; II Corinthians 4:14; 5:1-11; I Thessalonians 4:13-17; Revelations 20:4-6, 11-13).
DESTINY