What We Believe

Our Beliefs

City Church of East Nashville is committed to the basic beliefs of historic Christianity as summarized in the Apostles’ Creed and Nicene Creed. These creeds focus on who God is (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) and what he has done for humanity (saved us from our sin through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ).

We are also a confessional Presbyterian church, which means that we believe the Westminster Confession of Faith is a faithful summary and explanation of what God’s Word teaches. While the above creeds address the basics of the Christian faith, the Westminster Confession is a longer, fuller explanation of who God is, what he has done, how he has saved us in Jesus, how Christians are called to live now, and what Jesus will do when he returns.

We are also a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America, which means that we don’t exist on our own as a church but are formally connected and bound to other confessional Presbyterian churches in our region and in North America.

The Power of Story

At City Church, we believe that the stories we choose to live by shape our understanding of reality.

They tell us who we are. They tell us where we come from and where we are going. Our stories are what define us and set us apart as individuals. But they are also what connect us together and bind us to each other in community. They allow us to truly know and be known, amidst love, loss, success and failure, and provide us with the context for finding meaning and purpose in this world.

We all feel most alive when we perceive that we are living in the midst of a great story. But in our modern, pluralistic, hyper-connected world, where we are all being confronted on a daily basis with an ocean of conflicting narratives of reality, it is becoming increasingly difficult to know which story is true and can actually lead us to flourishing.

What is the meaning of the seemingly mundane events of your life: paying taxes, doing laundry, or endlessly checking email? These moments are where the vast majority of our lives are lived. But are these moments meant to keep the viewer interested? Or are they foreshadowings of a meaningless life?

If the plot of your story is about a character who overcomes all obstacles to get what they want out of life, how does that story shape your understanding of kindness and truth, justice and mercy, or care for the oppressed and marginalized? Does your story draw you to love the unlovely and to sacrifice your desires for the good of others (despite their race, gender, politics, or socio-economic status)? Or has it led you to live a life of selfishness and indifference?

What does the protagonist of your story do when you're wrong, when you're confronted with a moral dilemma, or when you're faced with a relational difficulty? Does your story compel you to be truthful, even when it hurts, and faithful, even when it costs? Or has it led you to live a life of deception and isolation?

How does your story answer these questions? What does the life you are currently living say about the quality and truthfulness of the story you've chosen to live by?

In the midst of our great cultural struggle to answer these questions, Christianity admittedly makes a very bold claim: that the great story contained in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible is not just one more story among the endless options. It is the one great true story of all reality and human history.

As J.R.R Tolkien once said:

"The Scriptures contain a story of a larger kind, which embraces all the essence of fairy-stories. But this story has entered history and the primary world;...This story begins and end in joy. It has pre-eminently the "inner consistency of reality". There is no tale ever told that men would rather find was true, and none which so many skeptical men have accepted as true on its own merits. For the Art of it has the supremely convincing tone of Primary Art, that is, of Creation. To reject it leads either to sadness or wrath. This story is supreme; and it is true. God is Lord, of angels, and of men—and of elves. For in it, Legend and History have met and fused."

At City Church, we believe that the Bible is one great unified story, that has been revealed to mankind by God Himself, in order to lead us to truth, reality, and life. Whether you consider yourself to be a Christian, a follower of another tradition, a hardened skeptic, or generally nonreligious, we believe that the great story of Christianity is a story worth knowing and understanding. Therefore, we warmly invite you to explore our website and to come visit one of our many community gatherings, services, or events. For our story is founded in His story.

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Our Vision

To see the renewal of all things in East Nashville by the grace of Jesus Christ

Our vision is founded in God's vision. In the Bible, we are told that God’s great vision for our world is to restore, renew, and regenerate His beautiful yet broken creation back to His original intention. That original intention is called shalom. It is a Hebrew word that is often translated as peace. But the Biblical concept of Shalom means far more than mere peace of mind or a cease-fire between enemies. It means universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight. Shalom is the way things are supposed to be.

According to the Bible, when Jesus Christ returns at the end of time, He is going to make His great vision of Shalom a reality, here on Earth. In this, He promises to bring about the renewal of all things, by establishing a new Heavens and a new Earth, in which Jesus Himself will dwell with His people and be their God. Moreover, under His perfect rule, all sin, brokenness, suffering and death will be wiped away forever.

This beautiful vision is the foundation of our hope in this world. Moreover, it is in this vision that our vision as a church is founded.

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Our Mission

We are a missional community of grace, called to bring a foretaste of God's future renewal of all things into every corner of East Nashville, now.

Our mission is founded in God's mission. God doesn't need us. He doesn't need anything. Yet, by His grace, He has given His people the incredible gift of participating in His great rescue mission in this world: to save a people unto Himself and redeem His creation from the brokenness of the Fall.

The Bible tells us that God loves to manifest His presence and pour out His power on those who align their purposes with His. In this, the church is not simply an aggregation of individuals who have been saved. The church is a "pilot plant" of the new creation, tasked to bring a foretaste of God's glorious future renewal of all things into every aspect of our present reality, now. We have been blessed to be a blessing, called to call, chosen to serve, and saved to share.

This beautiful mission is the foundation of our purpose in this world. Moreover, it is in this mission that our mission as a church is founded.

Our Values

City Church of East Nashville is a body of believers seeking to live out the gospel as a community defined by five core values:

Story-Formed

We believe that the great story revealed to us in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible is not just one more story among the endless options in our world. It is the one, true story of all reality and human history. It is God’s great story. Moreover, we believe that our story is founded in God's story. Therefore, at City Church we are committed to living out and embodying this story in every aspect of our lives and ministry together.

Gospel-Centered

The church’s mission and ministry are centered on the finished work of Jesus Christ as the climax and fulfillment of all human history. At the heart of our vision is the conviction that the gospel of Jesus Christ changes everything. It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, that every malady and grief is addressed and substantially healed in this gospel. We long to see a transformation of the city by the outgrowth of the lives of the congregants as they are transformed by this gospel. We are convinced that the good news of the love of God expressed in the death and resurrection of Jesus towards real sinners with real problems will change everything as it courses through our communities.

The term “gospel” was originally used to describe a proclamation—a piece of good news— announced by a royal messenger. For this reason, biblical writers adopted the term “gospel” to describe the historical reality and teaching associated with the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. The gospel declares the news that God reconciles broken people and our broken world to himself through the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus!

God has intervened in our world to restore all things to their rightful order through the power of the gospel. The righting of the relationships between God and humanity, humanity and humanity, and humanity and creation comes from God through Jesus Christ.

It has been said, “The gospel means that I am more flawed and sinful than I ever dared believe, but at the same time, I am even more loved and accepted than I ever dared hope because Jesus Christ lived and died in my place.” Therefore, the person and work of Jesus Christ fuels all our relationships and ministries.

Grace-Driven

The motivation for our lives as Christians comes from the amazing grace of God. We are saved by His grace through faith alone, not by anything we could ever do or merit. Moreover, we are driven and motivated to live the Christian life by His grace through faith. We are not saved by grace to become a merit-based people. The power for our lives of faith must come from the Holy Spirit as He drives us to continually feed upon and cling to the wonderful grace of God in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Neighborhood-Focused

The gospel creates a new community and culture of transformed lives connected by geographic and relational proximity. God values and loves uniting diversity within his family more than we ever will. We believe we are in East Nashville to promote the beauty, prosperity, justice, and overall well-being of our neighborhood and, through that, the city of Nashville as a whole. We are committed to giving sacrificially of ourselves and our resources for the sake of our neighborhood and our city.

Prayer-Dependent

The gospel secures our access to God so we can enjoy communion with Him. Prayer is that communion and is our first and continual resort—rather than our last! God’s Spirit leads us into praise, repentance, thanksgiving, and requests. We pray for God's kingdom to come and for his will to be done in our lives, our neighborhood, and in the city of Nashville. We are committed to and dependent upon bold, specific, concerted and continual prayer.