The Apostles’ Creed...as a guide, not a destination.
We have chosen the Apostles' Creed to define the essentials of our belief. Rooted in the witness of those who walked with Jesus, this Creed has anchored the church for centuries — and it anchors us today. It gives us a shared foundation for what we believe about who Jesus is, and what God has done in history.
Jesus at the Center
But we hold it with open hands. Creeds, by their nature, tend to draw boundary lines — defining who is in and who is out. What they often can't capture is the living center: Jesus himself. This Creed says nothing of love, nothing of transformation, nothing of the Holy Spirit's present work of healing broken people and making them whole. It is a skeleton, not a body. We are grateful for the bones, but we are after the life.
A Starting Point
So we recite this Creed as a starting point, not a finish line. We believe these things — and we believe Jesus is still actively at work in ways no creed can fully contain.
God the Father
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
creator of heaven and earth.
Jesus Christ
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell.¹
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell.¹
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
The Holy Spirit
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic² church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
the holy catholic² church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
About These Words
¹ This phrase is absent from many early manuscripts and has been interpreted various ways throughout church history. We understand it to mean that Jesus fully entered into human suffering and death — there is no depth He has not reached.
² This does not refer to a denomination, but to the universal community of all who follow Jesus across every time and place.
² This does not refer to a denomination, but to the universal community of all who follow Jesus across every time and place.
Belief and Practice
A creed tells you what we believe. Our mission and values say how we try to live it. Read our mission and core values →