Astoria Community Church is catholic, historically Protestant, and reformed.
What is meant by catholic?
Astoria Community Church is part of the historic, global Christian faith. We stand with believers across centuries and cultures by affirming the foundational statements the early church put together—you'll find these in the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Chalcedonian Creed. When we use the word "catholic" in this context, we're talking about the universal Christian church, not specifically the Roman Catholic Church. At the heart of what we believe are a few key truths:
The Trinity
There is one God, who eternally exists in a communion of three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The Incarnation
The Second Person of the Holy Trinity—God the Son—became man in the person of Jesus Christ and is both fully God and fully human; one person with two natures (one divine, one human)
The Holy Spirit
The third person of the Trinity, fully and eternally God, the Spirit is sent as the Comforter, unites believers to Christ, indwells and sanctifies God’s people, and carries forward God’s work in the world.
The Atonement
Jesus gave his life on the cross and rose again from the dead, accomplishing salvation for those who belong to Him.
The Church
God is carrying out his work of salvation in and through a community of people assembled from every ethnicity, language, culture, and nation.
What is meant by historically Protestant?
Astoria Community Church is also a historically Protestant church. We believe that God has brought a great salvation in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
The centrality of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ stands at the center of all Scripture. As he himself taught, everything written in the Old Testament finds its fulfillment in him (Luke 24:44). For this reason, the church is shaped and guided by the person and saving work of Jesus the Messiah.
The gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ. It is God’s gracious announcement that, through his Son, he has acted decisively to rescue and restore his creation. Jesus Christ is the Savior sent into the world to deliver, redeem, and renew all things through his life, death, and resurrection. In keeping with the historic Protestant faith, we confess that salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone.
Inspiration of the word of God
We believe the Holy Scriptures are trustworthy, authoritative, and guide us in what to believe and how to live. This is because the Bible is inspired (2 Timothy 3:16). God Himself guided its authors so that He speaks to us through their words. We believe that the Scriptures are inerrant that is without error in all that it asserts and when properly interpreted.
Salvation by faith alone
We don’t have to earn God’s acceptance or prove ourselves to Him. Instead, we simply trust in what Jesus has already done: His life, His death, and His resurrection. Our relationship with God isn’t based on our performance but on His grace, and faith is the way we receive that gift.
The Priesthood of all believers
Every Christian has direct access to God through Christ, and all believers share responsibility in the ministry and mission of the church.
What is meant by Reformed?
Astoria Community Church is shaped by the Reformed tradition, a stream of Christian faith rooted in the idea that everything begins and ends with the grace of God. We're saved by faith alone, through grace alone, according to Scripture alone, in Christ alone, for God's glory alone.
Our beliefs are summarized in the Westminster Confession of Faith and its Catechisms.
When it comes to leadership, we follow a Presbyterian model, meaning our church is guided by a team of elders who care for and shepherd the congregation. We’re also connected to the larger family of churches in the Presbyterian Church in America, which encourages us, supports us, and helps us stay accountable as we seek to follow Jesus faithfully. (pcanet.org)