What we believe

what we believe

Trinity Road Chapel is an Independent Evangelical Church.

We're Independent

Independent means we’re a self-governing, self-financing church. We’re not governed by an outside organisation and are fully accountable to our local church members. Independent does not mean isolationist though and we work in partnership with other like-minded churches across denominational lines: locally (through gospel partnerships); nationally (through fellowships like the FIEC); and internationally (supporting mission work overseas such as Friends of Mandritsara).

We're Evangelical

Evangelical comes from the Greek word for ‘Good News’, making us Good News People!

We believe that the Bible is full of good news: that undeserving, sinful people can be reconciled to God through the atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ. This salvation is available for every one regardless of age, gender, race or class. As Evangelicals we want to see this good news taken to the ends of the Earth so that as many as possible might hear and believe for themselves.

Along with other Evangelical churches, we subscribe to the FIEC’s Doctrinal Basis:

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 Scriptures. 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 and 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.

We also practice believer’s baptism and affirm God’s sovereignty in salvation.

Affiliations

Trinity Road Chapel is affiliated to the FIEC, Affinity, and a member of the South East Gospel Partnership.

We are a friendly and Bible-based Baptist church. We are an all-age multi-cultural group of people who meet week by week to encourage each other to be faithful followers of Jesus – the Jesus of the Bible.

We believe that He is the greatest event in history, the true revealer of God, the greatest demonstration of the love of God for the world. He is alive, that He alone makes sense of life and that He alone can restore us to friendship with God.

We aim to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to all those in the area surrounding the Church, through clear, faithful Bible preaching and evangelistic outreach. We seek to minister to the spiritual needs of all generations and cultures, so that each one can grow in their knowledge of Christ. In addition, we recognise the importance of worldwide mission, and are committed to support this through training some of our members and sending them out into the world.

As a church we value:

  • The gospel of Jesus Christ, as revealed in the Bible
  • Clear, accurate Bible preaching
  • Mission at home and abroad as part of our God-given calling
  • Faithful commitment to established Biblical truths
  • Reaching out to all generations and cultures
  • Presenting traditional Christian values in an appropriate, contemporary and culturally relevant way