The Lord Jesus Christ is at the centre of everything we believe and do at St. Luke’s.
- In him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and in him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 1:19 & 2:3)
- For our sake God made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
- Having been offered once to bear the sins of many, he will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him (Hebrews 9:28).
- There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12)
- He offers forgiveness to those who turn away from sin and are baptised in his name (Luke 5:32 & Acts 2:38-39)
- All the authority of God in heaven and on earth has been given to him, so we seek to make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all that Jesus has commanded (Matthew 28:19-20)
As an Anglican Church our doctrine is rooted in Holy Scripture, the Book of Common Prayer, and the 39 Articles of Religion, while our gathered worship aims to be intelligible and accessible to people who live in our parish today. In all our preaching and teaching we seek to encourage one another to live in glad obedience to God’s Word, even when that means being out of step with changing attitudes in society around us.
We affirm the Church of England Evangelical Council’s Basis of Faith, and we are a partner church of Church Society and the Midlands Gospel Partnership.
MARRIAGE
In line with the Bible, the Church of England teaches: that marriage was ordained by God at creation to be between one biological man and one biological woman until they are parted by death; that marriage is the only proper context for sexual intimacy and the procreation and raising of children; and that marriage is intended by God to provide a picture of Christ’s loving and faithful relationship with His church. At St Luke’s we welcome all people, single or married, regardless of their sexuality, but because we believe that God’s vision for sex and marriage is good news for all people and for all time, we are also committed to encouraging all people to live God’s way. For this reason the Parochial Church Council of St Luke’s supports the Vicar in his decision not to use the ‘Prayers of Love and Faith’ in our parish churches.
THE MINISTRY OF MEN & WOMEN
The Parochial Church Council of St Luke’s has passed a resolution under the House of Bishop’s Declaration on the Ministry of Bishops and Priests in order to reflect its convictions about the distinctive ministries of men and women in the church. This means that on grounds of biblical and theological conviction we are in favour of women’s ministry within a context of pastoral oversight by male presbyters and bishops. Consequently, while being fully part of the Diocese of Lichfield, we also look to the Bishop of Ebbsfleet, Rob Munro, for our episcopal oversight. You can find out more about Bishop Rob here