Disaffiliation Information
St. Timothy is a fellowship committed to the worship of God, and the love and care of others through service. We invite people to a new life in Christ, and to grow in His likeness.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
Our preaching and teaching is grounded in Scripture and informed by Christian tradition and personal experience with the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Bible is our primary source for Christian doctrine. Inspired by the Lord, Biblical authors testify to God’s self-disclosure in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as well as in God’s work of creation, in the pilgrimage of Israel, and in the Holy Spirit’s ongoing activity in human history.
Our attempt to understand God does not start anew with each generation or each person. Our faith also does not leap from New Testament times to the present as though nothing could be learned from all Christian thinkers and preachers in between. We learn from traditions found in many cultures, but Scripture remains the norm by which all traditions are judged.
In our theological task, we examine experience, both personal and church-wide, to confirm the realities of God’s grace attested in Scripture. Experience is the personal appropriation of God’s forgiving and empowering grace. Our experience with God authenticates in our own lives the truths revealed in Scripture and preserved in tradition.
Although we recognize that God’s revelation and our experiences of God’s grace continually surpass the scope of reason, we also believe that disciplined theological work calls for the careful use of reason. By reason we read and interpret Scripture. By reason we determine whether our Christian witness is clear. By reason we ask questions of faith and seek to understand God’s action and will.
A TRIUNE GOD
With Christians of other communions, we believe in a triune God–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe in God’s self-revelation as three distinct but inseparable parts.
We believe in one true, holy, and living God who is creator, sovereign and preserver of all things visible and invisible. God is infinite in power, wisdom, justice, goodness, and love, and rules with gracious regard for the well-being and salvation of all people.
We believe that God is best known in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. He is the source and measure of all valid Christian teaching. We believe in the mystery of salvation in and through the redeeming love of God found in the teachings of Jesus, in His resurrection, and in His promised return. The Son is the Word of the Father and one substance with the Father, Through Him we are forgiven and reconciled to God.
We believe that God’s love is realized in human life by the activity of the Holy Spirit, both in our personal lives and in the church. The Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father and the Son, is a constant presence in our lives, whereby we find strength and help in time of need. The Spirit comforts, sustains, and empowers us.
GOD'S GRACE
By grace we mean the undeserved, unmerited, and lovingly powerful action of God in human existence through the ever-present Holy Spirit. While the grace of God is undivided, it precedes salvation as “prevenient grace,” continues in “justifying grace,” and is brought to fruition in “sanctifying grace in the life of the believer.”
In spite of suffering, violence, and evil, we assert that God’s grace is present everywhere. Despite our brokenness, we remain creatures brought into being by a just and merciful God. The reign of God is both a present and a future reality.
God summons us to repentance, pardons us, receives us by grace given to us in Jesus Christ and gives us hope of life eternal.
JUSTIFICATION AND NEW BIRTH
In justification we are, through faith, forgiven of our sins and restored to God’s favor. This process of justification and new birth is often referred to as conversion. Such a change may be sudden and dramatic, or gradual and cumulative. In either case it marks a new beginning, yet it is also part of an ongoing process.
We believe God reaches out to the repentant believer in justifying grace with accepting and pardoning love.
SANCTIFICATION AND PERFECTION
We hold that the wonder of God’s acceptance and pardon does not end God’s saving work, which continues to nurture our growth in grace. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are enabled to increase in the knowledge and love of God and in love for our neighbor.
FAITH AND GOOD WORKS
We see God’s grace and human activity working together in the relationship of faith and good works. God’s grace calls for human response and discipline. Faith is the only response essential for salvation. However, salvation evidences itself in good works. Both faith and good works belong within an all-encompassing theology of grace, since they stem from God’s gracious love.
Personal salvation always involves service to the world. Personal faith, witness to that faith, and social action are mutually reinforcing.
THE SACRAMENTS
We believe there are two sacraments, ordained by Christ as symbols and pledges of God’s love for us–Baptism and Communion.
Entrance into the church is acknowledged in Baptism and may include persons of all ages. Baptism is followed by nurture and awareness of the baptized of Christ’s claim upon their lives. For persons baptized as children, this claim is ratified by the baptized in confirmation, where the pledge of Baptism is accepted.
We believe the Lord’s Supper is a memorial of the suffering and death of Christ, and a symbol of the union Christians have with Christ and with one another. All persons, regardless of age and regardless of church affiliation, are invited to the table of our Lord.
ONE UNIVERSAL CHURCH
With other Christians, we declare the essential oneness of the Church in Christ Jesus. Our unity with other Christian communities is affirmed in the historic creeds as we confess one holy, catholic (universal), and apostolic Church.
We are initiated into this community of faith by Baptism and through the celebration of Holy Communion.
SERVICE TO THE WORLD
John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, said there was no religion except for social religion. We sometimes point to John Wesley because he points to Christ In his name and in his spirit the United Methodist church reaches out to establish peace and justice in our world.
OUR HISTORY
St. Timothy on the Northshore was chartered on September 21, 1975, and has grown from the original 101 charter members to nearly 6,000 today. On Easter Sunday, April 15, 1979, St. Timothy moved from its first home, a warehouse on Industry Lane, to its present location. At that time the building consisted of what is now our choir room and the staff offices. As our church grew we added the Education Building; the current Sanctuary; the Family Life Center (FLC) which includes a large multi-purpose gymnasium, a commercial kitchen and additional classrooms; and, a Memorial Garden. On May 24, 2006, the Charge Conferences of St. Timothy and the Church of the Servant approved a plan of merger for the two congregations. The name of the new congregation is St. Timothy on the Northshore. St. Timothy continues to grow and meet the spiritual needs of a growing community today. In 2008, we expanded our facilities to include a new youth worship center, known as “The Highway”, and additional classroom space.
HOW TO JOIN
A Journey of Faith
As Christians we believe that our salvation comes not through our own actions, but through trusting in the grace of God as revealed in Jesus Christ. While each of our journeys is unique, there are common experiences that mark the Christian life.
- Many have been a part of church life since childhood, while others experience God’s “tugging at their heart” later in life. Either way, we believe there comes a point in time when we must all make a personal commitment to follow Jesus Christ.
- If you’ve made a personal commitment to Christ, but have never been Baptized, we believe you need to be Baptized.
- We believe the Christian life cannot be lived apart from other Christians. If you’ve made a commitment to Christ, have been Baptized, but are not a part of a church family, we encourage you to become a member of a local congregation.
Baptism
Baptism is an ancient Christian ritual in which a person is symbolically cleansed of their sin. The act of Baptism marks a person’s entry into the family of God. We are willing to baptize all persons regardless of age, and believe you only need to be baptized once. If you’ve ever been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we accept your baptism and do not require you to repeat it.
We practice three methods of Baptism: sprinkling, in which a small amount of water is placed on the head; pouring, in which a larger amount of water is poured on the head; and immersion, in which a person is fully submerged in water.
If you have questions about Baptism, want to be baptized or have your child baptized, please contact the church office at (985) 626-3307, fill out a “Response Card” at one of our worship services indicating your interest, get connected online or by the St. Timothy Church app.
Becoming a Member of St. Timothy
The taking of membership vows is a mark of a person’s commitment to a local congregation. If you’ve never been baptized you need to be before you can become a member of St. Timothy. All members must take a vow to support the church with their prayers, presence, financial gifts, and service. If you want to become a member of St. Timothy, please contact the church office at (985) 626-3307, fill out a “Response Card” during one of our worship services indicating your interest in becoming a member of St. Timothy, get connected online or by using the St. Timothy Church app.