Anthology
Church
Anthology: a collection of stories brought together for a shared purpose.
We are a collection of diverse life stories unified by the good news of Jesus.
The story you live in is the story you live out. Each of us has a story and is invited to participate in God’s grand story of redemption.
Mission
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Vision
Anthology is a family of communities scattered across neighborhoods in New York City committed to following Jesus together for the good of the city.
Jesus is our vision.
Through him, we hope to see people enjoy God, find belonging, and join his redemptive story in the renewal of all things.
VALUES
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God’s presence is central to everything we do. We prioritize seeking God’s presence and purposes to experience, express, and enjoy Him in our daily lives.
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Following Jesus is fundamentally relational as it centers on a loving connection with God, one another, and neighbor. We value building authentic loving relationships with one another across social, ethnic, political, generational, and economic divides.
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Adopting practices from Jesus’ own life, we open up our entire being to God and allow him to transform us into people of love.
Scripture, Prayer, Fasting, Solitude, Generosity, Sabbath, Community, Service, WitnessWe follow Jesus’ teachings daily, aiming to become deeply transformed disciples who participate with God in the spiritual, social, and cultural renewal of our neighborhoods.
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God is active in the world with the purpose of reconciling and redeeming it. We participate in God’s mission in the renewal of all things by declaring and demonstrating the good news of Jesus so others can experience life with God where we work, live, and play.
We desire to be deeply formed followers of Jesus, shaped by four core values: presence, relationships, practices, mission.
Following Jesus
together through
groups & gatherings
We pursue the presence and purposes of God as a community shaped by the way of Jesus in groups & gatherings.
Groups - communities across our neighborhoods where we practice the way of Jesus together in everyday life.
Gatherings - times when we come together for prayer, worship, teaching, and training.
And the one seated on the throne said:
“Look! I am making all things new!”
— Revelation 21:5
BELIEFS
The ancient church father St. Augustine offers a helpful statement on any church’s shared beliefs, “In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In everything, love.”
The beliefs we share as essential are the Gospel and the historic teachings of Christian orthodoxy as articulated in the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed.
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The Gospel of Jesus Christ is what the Apostle Paul calls “of first importance” (1 Cor. 15:3–4).
The gospel is the good news that God Himself, the Creator and King, has come to rescue us from sin and renew all things through the life, death, resurrection, and return of Jesus Christ. Jesus came announcing the Kingdom of God and establishing His reign through His people in the power of the Holy Spirit.
This good news is initiated by God in grace. Salvation is God’s work, not our own.
This good news is substitutionary: Christ lived the life we could not live, died in our place for our sin, and rose again in victory over sin, death, and evil.
This good news is participatory: through the Holy Spirit, we are invited to join God’s redemptive work in the world as His faithful and fruitful people.
This good news is the announcement of a Kingdom, not merely private spiritual experience. Under the Lordship of Jesus, God is reconciling and restoring all things.
This good news is powerful. Through the gospel, people are brought from death to life, filled with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, and formed into a community that anticipates the renewal of all creation.
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The Apostles’ Creed is the foundational creed of Christian churches. It has received this title because of its great antiquity; most of the creed dates from the early 2nd century. The creed was used as a summary of Christian doctrine for baptismal candidates in the churches of Rome. Though many churches and flavors of Christianity throughout the ages have different interpretations of the Bible, and embrace various doctrinal nuances, the essence of what the Scriptures teach is found in the words of the Apostles’ Creed.
Therefore, we have fellowship with other members of the Body of Christ who profess their faith as follows:
We believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth,
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead.
The third day He arose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic (universal) church, the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.
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The Nicene Creed was developed in the 3rd Century as a foundational statement of belief for early Christian churches across the Greco-Roman world:
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God,
begotten of the Father before all worlds;
God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God;
begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.
Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven,
and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man;
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate;
He suffered and was buried;
and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures;
and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father;
and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead;
whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life;
who proceeds from the Father and the Son;
who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified;
who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe in one holy catholic (universal) and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins;
and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
Statement of Belief
The Apostle Paul, training a young church leader, instructs him to: “Watch your life and doctrine closely” (1 Tim. 4:16).
Because what we believe shapes how we live, these summarize the core convictions that guide our life and mission as a church in New York City.
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The Gospel is the good news that God Himself has come to rescue us from sin and renew all things through the life, death, resurrection, and return of Jesus Christ. The gospel is a message of grace, substitution, and participation, calling all to live under the Lordship of Jesus and join His redemptive work.
Mark 1:14–15; John 3:16; Romans 1:16–17; 1 Corinthians 15:1–4; Ephesians 2:8–10; Colossians 1:19–20 -
The Bible is a unified story that leads to Jesus. The Bible is the written Word of God, fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, and is trustworthy in all it teaches as the supreme authority for Christian belief and practice.
Through the Scriptures, God reveals His character, humanity’s need for salvation, and the good news of God’s work to redeem and renew all things. Because God speaks through His Word, the Scriptures are given to lead us into truth, shape our lives, and draw us into a deeper relationship with Him.
Luke 24:27; John 5:39; 2 Timothy 3:16–17; Hebrews 1:1–2; 2 Peter 1:20–21
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God is infinite, eternal, and unchanging in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. He created all things, sustains all things, and rules over all things for His glory and the good of His creation.
There is one living and true God, eternally existing as three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Equal in glory and power, one in essence and distinct in person.
Genesis 1:1-3; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; John 4:24; John 1:1–3; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Revelation 4:11 -
The loving and sovereign Father, who orders and sustains all things according to His purpose and grace, hears the prayers of His people and redeems all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.
Chronicles 29:11; Psalm 103:19; Matthew 6:9–13; John 3:16–17; Romans 8:15; Ephesians 1:3–6; 1 John 3:1
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Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, fully God and fully man. Conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, He entered human history to reveal the Father, proclaim the Kingdom of God, and reconcile the world to Himself. Jesus lived a sinless life, embodied perfect love and obedience, performed mighty works, and announced the arrival of God’s Kingdom.
Through His substitutionary death on the cross, he defeated the powers of sin, death, and evil. On the third day, He rose bodily from the grave, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and now reigns as Lord over all creation. He will return personally and visibly to judge evil, renew all things, and bring the Kingdom of God to fullness.
Isaiah 53:4–6; Matthew 1:20–23; Luke 4:18–21; John 1:1–18; Colossians 1:15–20; Hebrews 1:1–3; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:24; Revelation 21:1–5 -
The Holy Spirit is fully God, eternally one with the Father and the Son. The indwelling presence and transforming power of the Holy Spirit convicts of sin, leads to faith in Jesus Christ, and gives new spiritual life.
The Spirit forms Christians into the likeness of Jesus, unites the Church as one body, equips with gifts for ministry, and empowers the Church to bear faithful witness in the world.
John 14:16–17; John 16:7–15; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:9–11; 1 Corinthians 12:4–7; Galatians 5:22–25
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Men and women, created equal as image bearers and partners in the stewardship of creation, are designed for a rich relationship with God. Every person, therefore, possesses inherent dignity, value, and worth.
God created humanity for relationship with Himself, with one another, and with creation. Yet because of sin, all people are spiritually broken and separated from God. Sin distorts every aspect of human life, fracturing our relationship with God, one another, and creation itself, bringing guilt, injustice, suffering, and death into the world.
Genesis 1:26–28; Psalm 8:3–8; Romans 3:23; Romans 5:12; Ephesians 2:1–3
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Salvation is by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone for all who repent and put their faith in Jesus. Through Christ, we are forgiven of sin, declared righteous before God, reconciled to God, adopted into His family, united to Christ and His Church, and transformed into His likeness.
In Christ, we are justified by His saving work, sanctified through the indwelling transforming power of the Holy Spirit, and will be glorified, raised with Christ in resurrection, perfected in His likeness, and brought into eternal fellowship and joy in His presence.
John 1:12–13; Romans 5:1–2; Romans 8:29–30; Ephesians 2:8–9; Titus 3:4–7; 1 Peter 1:3–5
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The Church is the people of God, united to Christ and to one another through faith. Founded on Jesus Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit, the Church exists as a new humanity, practicing the way of Jesus and bearing witness to the Kingdom of God in the world.
The universal Church is made visible through local congregations devoted to worship, prayer, scripture, fellowship, justice, mercy, and the making of disciples. As a community of God’s coming Kingdom, Christians are called to love one another across ethnic, social, political, and cultural divisions as a witness to God’s reconciling work in the world.
The Church is sent into the world to proclaim and demonstrate the gospel and embody the love and truth of Jesus.
Matthew 5:13–16; Matthew 16:13–18; Matthew 28:18–20; John 13:34–35; Acts 2:42–47; Acts 4:32–35; 1 Corinthians 12:12–27; 2 Corinthians 5:17–20; Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 2:14–22; Ephesians 4:11–16; Philippians 2:1–11; Hebrews 10:23–25; 1 Peter 2:9–12
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The way of Jesus calls us to a distinct vision for sexual formation. This means embracing His vision of faithfulness in sexuality and marriage.
Jesus calls us (single or married) to a life of consecration, surrender, and worship. We believe our bodies, desires, relationships, and sexuality are all meant to be formed by the wisdom, love, and Lordship of Jesus.
We affirm the dignity and worth of every person as an image bearer of God and seek to be a community marked by both grace and truth, where all are welcomed, loved, and invited into the transforming way of Jesus.
We believe God created humanity in His image and designed sexuality as a gift to be expressed within the covenant of marriage between one man and one woman, reflecting Christ’s love for His Church.Genesis 1:26–28; Genesis 2:18–25; Matthew 19:4–6; Romans 12:1–2; 1 Corinthians 6:18–20; Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 5:1–2, 31–32
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The sure and blessed hope of the personal, physical, visible, and glorious return of Jesus Christ. He will judge evil with justice and mercy, raise the dead, and bring His Kingdom to fullness as God will renew heaven and earth, making all things new.
Evil, suffering, injustice, and death will be no more, and God’s people will dwell with Him in righteousness, joy, peace, and resurrected life.
This future hope strengthens the Church to live faithfully, love courageously, and bear witness to Jesus as we await the renewal of all things.
Isaiah 65:17–25; Matthew 24:30–31; John 5:28–29; Romans 8:18–25; Philippians 3:20–21; Revelation 21:1–5; Revelation 22:1–5