About us

What we believe

At Heart of the Father,

we are a community rooted in the love, truth, and grace of God. Our beliefs are drawn from Scripture, shaped by the historic Christian tradition, and lived out in dependence on the Holy Spirit. Here are the core convictions that shape who we are and what we do.

God

  • There is one God, eternally existing in three Persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

  • God is perfect, infinite, holy, just, loving, merciful, immutable, omnipotent, omniscient, and everywhere present.

  • God is both transcendent (utterly above and beyond all creation) and immanent (actively involved in creation).

God and Man

  • God and humanity are distinct in their essence. God is uncreated, eternal, infinite; human beings are created, temporal, finite.

  • Yet God made humanity “in His image” (Genesis 1:26-27): humans reflect certain attributes of God (reason, moral capacity, relationality, etc.), but we are not divine.

  • Because of sin, humanity is fallen and in need of reconciliation. God’s holiness demands that sin be addressed, yet His mercy makes a way for forgiveness.

Jesus Christ: Fully God, Fully Man

  • Jesus Christ is God incarnate — fully divine and fully human.

  • He lived a sinless life, taught the truth of God, performed miracles, died on the cross as a sacrifice for sin, was buried, and rose bodily from the dead.

  • Through His life, death, and resurrection, He reconciles humanity to God.

The Holy Spirit

  • The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity, sent by the Father and the Son to glorify Christ, convict of sin, regenerate sinners, dwell in believers, sanctify, guide, comfort, and empower for service.

  • The Spirit works in and through us over time, progressively conforming us to the image of Christ.

Scripture

  • The Bible (Old and New Testaments) is the inspired, authoritative, and sufficient Word of God.

  • It is the final standard for faith, doctrine, and life. Its teachings are true and reliable for what they affirm; its commands are binding.

Salvation and Grace

  • Grace is the unmerited favour of God. We believe that salvation is not earned by human effort, good works, or merit, but is entirely a gift.

  • However, salvation is not a mere legal declaration alone: believers are called into a participation in grace — we are united with Christ, transformed by the Spirit, and called to bear fruit in love and holiness.

  • Justification (being made right with God) is by grace through faith; sanctification is the ongoing work of grace in us; glorification is the completion of God’s work in us.

  • Our response to grace involves repentance, faith, baptism, obedience, community, and mission — all of which flow from, and depend upon, God’s sustaining grace.

The Church

  • The Church is the body of Christ — all who call upon the name of Jesus, across denominational lines, time, and space.

  • We are called into a visible community of believers: to worship together, teach the Word, share the sacraments, care for one another, exercise spiritual gifts, and to proclaim the gospel to the world.

  • We affirm the two biblical sacraments/ordinances: baptism and the Lord’s Supper (or Communion), both instituted by Christ.

Eschatology

  • We believe in amillennial eschatology: there is no future, earthly thousand-year reign of Christ in the way premillennialism understands it. The “millennium” is symbolic of Christ’s current reign (through His Church) between His first coming and His return.

  • At the end of the age, Christ will return bodily and visibly. The dead will be raised; the final judgment will occur; God’s kingdom will be fully consummated.

  • New heavens and a new earth will be established, where righteousness dwells, sin and death will be done away with, and God will dwell with His people forever.

Humanity, Sin, and Redemption

  • All humanity is made in God’s image but fell into sin by Adam. Sin is universal, affecting every person, making us incapable of saving ourselves.

  • Redemption is found only through Christ: His atoning death and resurrection.

  • Through the gospel, God justifies sinners, forgives sins, and calls us into a restored relationship with Himself.

Living the Christian Life

  • We believe Christian life is transforming. Faith without works is dead.

  • We are called to live in obedience, love, humility, justice, mercy, generosity, and holiness.

  • Spiritual disciplines (prayer, Scripture, worship, community) are means by which God shapes us.

  • Mission matters: we are sent into the world to love our neighbours, care for the poor and oppressed, and proclaim Christ in word and deed.

Assurance and Hope

  • Believers may have assurance of salvation, not by trusting in our own strength, but by trusting Christ, His promises, and the work of the Holy Spirit in us.

  • Our ultimate hope rests in Christ’s return, the resurrection of the body, eternal life, and the new creation.

Why These Beliefs Matter

Each of these convictions shapes how we see God, ourselves, each other, and our mission. Understanding the essential distinction between God and man keeps us humble yet hopeful. Believing that we participate in grace moves us beyond mere legalism, toward life that breathes in dependence on God. Holding an amillennial vision gives us both present mission and future hope without speculating beyond what Scripture clearly teaches.