Union Church was launched in 2018. As a church, we are keen to share the good news about Jesus with those who have little opportunity to hear. We particularly want to witness to those who, because of their religious or cultural background, have had little contact with Christians.

We are convinced that Jesus is “the Saviour of the world” (John 4:42) and so want to see Jesus “receive glory and honour” (Revelation 4:11) as the nations find true salvation in him.

To all, we extend the generous, gracious welcome God offers through Jesus (John 14:23). So, the 'front door' of our church will often be the front door of each of our homes. In fact, the best way to get to know us is to sit, eat and spend time with us.

Our hope is all will feel at home among us.

Please note, in 2020 we became an independent church and are no longer part of The Crowded House network of churches (mentioned in the video above). We are now affiliated to the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC) and more information about our partnerships can be found below.

OUR BELIEFS

We are an evangelical, reformed, elder-led congregational church which means we have good news to share about Jesus as he’s revealed to us in the Bible; we affirm the historic confessions of the protestant reformation; and we trust Jesus has given the local church all that’s needed to govern our life together.

the following statements summarise our understanding of what the bible teaches:

GOD

There is one God, who exists eternally in three distinct but equal persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is unchangeable in his holiness, justice, wisdom and love. He is the almighty Creator, Saviour and Judge who sustains and governs all things according to his sovereign will for his own glory.

THE BIBLE

God has revealed himself in the Bible, which consists of the Old and New Testaments alone. Every word was inspired by God through human authors, so that the Bible as originally given is in its entirety the Word of God, without error and fully reliable in fact and doctrine. The Bible alone speaks with final authority and is always sufficient for all matters of belief and practice.

THE HUMAN RACE

All men and women, being created in the image of God, have inherent and equal dignity and worth. Their greatest purpose is to obey, worship and love God. As a result of the fall of our first parents, every aspect of human nature has been corrupted and all men and women are without spiritual life, guilty sinners and hostile to God. Every person is therefore under the just condemnation of God and needs to be born again, forgiven and reconciled to God in order to know and please him.

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

The Lord Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, and lived a sinless life in obedience to the Father. He taught with authority and all his words are true. On the cross he died in the place of sinners, bearing God’s punishment for their sin, redeeming them by his blood. He rose from the dead and in his resurrection body ascended into heaven where he is exalted as Lord of all. He intercedes for his people in the presence of the Father.

SALVATION

Salvation is entirely a work of God’s grace and cannot be earned or deserved. It has been accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ and is offered to all in the gospel. God in his love forgives sinners whom he calls, granting them repentance and faith. All who believe in Christ are justified by faith alone, adopted into the family of God and receive eternal life.

THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit has been sent from heaven to glorify Christ and to apply his work of salvation. He convicts sinners, imparts spiritual life and gives a true understanding of the Bible. He indwells all believers, brings assurance of salvation and produces increasing likeness to Christ. He builds up the Church and empowers its members for worship, service and mission.

THE CHURCH

The universal Church is the body of which Christ is the head and to which all who are saved belong. It is made visible in local churches, which are congregations of believers who are committed to each other for the worship of God, the preaching of the Word, the administering of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper; for pastoral care and discipline, and for evangelism. The unity of the body of Christ is expressed within and between churches by mutual love, care and encouragement. True fellowship between churches exists only where they are faithful to the gospel.

BAPTISM & THE LORD’S SUPPER

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper have been given to the churches by Christ as visible signs of the gospel. Baptism is a symbol of union with Christ and entry into his Church but does not impart spiritual life. The Lord’s Supper is a commemoration of Christ’s sacrifice offered once for all and involves no change in the bread and wine. All its blessings are received by faith.

THE FUTURE

The Lord Jesus Christ will return in glory. He will raise the dead and judge the world in righteousness. The wicked will be sent to eternal punishment and the righteous will be welcomed into a life of eternal joy in fellowship with God. God will make all things new and will be glorified forever.

the statements above are the same as the Doctrinal Basis of the Fellowship of Independent churches (FIEC).

our doctrinal distinctiveS

These distinctives are intended to provide clarity on key doctrines of our church. These distinctives seek to reflect the Bible’s teaching on issues that influence how we live out our faith in Jesus Christ in the world. These distinctives sit within the tradition of the Protestant reformation and historic confessions, which inform our elders’ understanding and teaching even though we don’t subscribe to any specific confession.

It is not possible to comprehensively express the richness of the Bible’s teaching or address every situation the church faces. Therefore, we hope they lead to further grace-filled conversations with those inside and outside the church about the gospel:

THESE VALUES DESCRIBE SOMETHING OF THE CULTURE OF OUR CHURCH:

GOSPEL CENTRED

We believe the Bible to be the reliable, authoritative and sufficient word of God. We want our lives and our life together to be formed and shaped by the story of redemption. This is why we are committed to filling ordinary life with gospel intentionality, pastoring one another with the gospel and sharing the gospel with unbelievers. We see every Christian as a missionary exercising gospel ministry in every aspect of life. The role of leaders is, through teaching and example, to create a culture in which everyone flourishes in ministry. We shape activities around gospel needs and opportunities, and the gifts and passions of church members. Speaking the truth in love, we challenge one another to be sacrificial, servant-hearted, risk-taking and flexible because the gospel has priority over our comfort, preferences, security and traditions.

COMMUNITY BASED

The Bible story shows our corporate identity as ‘in Christ together’ is primary. This is why we are committed to communicating the gospel message in the context of shared lives. As we build relationships with people and share the gospel message, it is our aim to introduce them to Christian community. We want our homes to shape the ethos of who we are as a church as we share our lives, care for one another, disciple one another and pursue peace together. Because the church is a family, we want to include one another in making significant decisions and to consider the impact our decisions have on each other. As communities of grace, we are committed to welcoming broken people and making church accessible to unbelievers. We want to offer a sense of belonging in which people can be open and vulnerable.

MISSION FOCUSED

We are committed to blessing our neighbourhoods through gospel declaration and gospel demonstration. We celebrate the diversity of cultures in our local contexts while recognising the need for gospel renewal. We encourage one another to glorify God and serve others through the workplace, business, community projects, government and artistic endeavour. With generous flexibility we seek to collaborate with other churches in support of church-planting so that our city, nation and the world is littered with communities of light. Recognising that God is the primary agent and orchestrator of mission, we view prayer as a critical missionary activity. Therefore, prayer will be both a regular community discipline, and an impromptu response to needs and opportunities.

our PARTNERSHIPS

Local Churches

We seek to be sincere friends with local, evangelical churches in Sheffield; regularly praying for those churches and finding ways to support one another where we can.

FIEC

We are affiliated with the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches which is a family of over 500 local churches in the U.K. Their aim is to encourage and equip independent churches to thrive, impacting the nation with the good news of Jesus.