At Trinity, we seek to live out what happens in our worship on Sunday morning.

This means that we are committed to building a strong and vibrant culture that flows out of our gratitude for God’s work in our lives. Because worship is central, it forms the blueprint for all that we do. Centrally, we understand worship as God’s remaking us through His Word and Sacraments and equipping us to love our neighbors and serve the lost and poor of our community. For this reason, we have organized our church into parishes which are geographically focused groups of families and individuals who gather for prayer, Bible study, psalm sings, fellowship, and outreach to their neighbors. Because elders are the shepherds of the Church and are responsible for the care and oversight of the people of God (Heb. 13:17), the parishes are divided among the elders for pastoral care. Some elders organize and lead most or all of the events in the parish, while others delegate various aspects of parish life to one or more members of the parish. All elders are committed to formally visiting each family in their parish at least once each year.

For prayer, Bible study, and psalm sings:

For many years these have been important aspects of our community. Our church has grown out of many years of practical study and application of the Scriptures. From time to time, elders and pastors lead studies for anyone in the church, but we also encourage elders and other members of the parish to organize parish studies, meetings for prayer, and psalm sings (Col. 3:16). Members who are interested in leading or hosting a study are encouraged to contact one of the pastors or their parish elder for more information.

For fellowship, friendship, and community:

Another one of the great blessings of the broader church community has been the many strong friendships we have developed over the years, but we want our congregation to have regular opportunities to invite new friends, neighbors, and church members to join in. This means that parishes sponsor regular fellowship dinners, parties, and various social events. These are opportunities to love one another, to encourage one another, and to celebrate God’s kindness to us as a community (Rom. 12:10, Heb. 10:24), and we encourage our parishes to fellowship with other Christians from other churches as well. We want our Christian faith to be intensely practical. Bible studies and prayer must always translate into faithful marriages, children with fat souls, and laughter around dinner tables. Our church community life is practical theology.

For outreach, community service, and evangelism:

If our Christian faith does not translate into blessing for our neighbors and city then something is terribly wrong. Therefore we encourage our parishes to think like missionaries, and this may take many different forms: direct or personal evangelism, neighborhood parties, fundraisers for community needs, or diaconal and mercy-ministry endeavors are all part of this effort (Col. 4:5-6, 1 Pet. 3:15, Js. 1:27). Of course this also includes inviting and welcoming nonbelievers to Bible studies, psalm sings, and other fellowship events in order to serve them and introduce them to the gospel (Mt. 5:14-16,1 Pet. 3:15).

For Worship:

All of these elements ultimately flow into and out of our Lord’s Day worship. When we gather as the Church in the liturgy, we do so in order to do all of these things. Our study of Scripture and worship and prayer are done in the unity of the Holy Spirit and for the blessing of our community and the world. All worship embodies this, but our celebration of the Lord’s Supper particularly reveals this. At the Eucharist, all three of these dimensions are at work: we commune with the Father through the body and blood of the Son in the power of the Spirit; we commune with one another in the breaking of bread and sharing the cup; and finally, we remember the death of Christ for the forgiveness of sins, not only ours but for the whole world.