English Fellowship of Guadalajara

I. Vision & Mission

Vision

-       Our vision is a vibrant fellowship of diverse, English-speaking disciples.

Mission

-       Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ.

II. Core Values

Worshiping and Knowing God

-       God has created us, redeemed us, and called us to know Him, love Him, and live our whole lives for His glory.  Because He has saved us from our sin and misery, united us with Himself through Christ, given us purpose and joy in living today, and promised eternal life with Himself in heaven tomorrow, our first response is to simply worship Him.  We are in awe of His glory, His love, and His mercy upon us and so we cherish the times to gather and worship Him together.

-       Because loving God grows with knowing God more, we commit to prayer and the study of Scripture not only in Sunday worship but also personally, with our families, and together in discipleship groups.  As a church we also provide programs for our children to learn about and grow in Christ.

Fellowshiping with and Caring for One Another

-       We are estranged in various ways.  Some of us are in a foreign country; some are far from friends or family; and all of us have suffered the alienation of our own and others’ sin.  The reconciliation we have with God and each other in Christ, however, is greater than these, and so we make a point to celebrate our unity and the joyful fellowship we share in being God’s family.

-       As did the New Testament church, we care for the needy within our fellowship (Acts 4.34-35, Hebrews 13.16).  From our offerings we set aside a percentage for benevolence distribution within our church family.

Serving and Evangelizing the World

-       God calls us to serve not only our needy brothers and sisters in Christ’s family but also those of the human family.  In the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10.25-37), Jesus teaches that every person, no matter how unconnected to us or undeserving, is worthy of our compassion.  We set aside a percentage of our church’s offerings for acts of compassion, which is but an example of how we are committed in all areas of our lives to justice and mercy (Micah 6.8).

-       Jesus, our Lord, told us that we are not to keep the good news of God’s love for only ourselves.  “As you go, make disciples” (Matthew 28.19) was His commission, and so in everything we aim to reach out, connect, and bring others along with us as we follow Jesus.  And since Christ’s commission was for the gospel to be spread to the ends of the earth (Acts 1.8), we also participate financially and prayerfully in mission activities happening far beyond our city.

III. Starting Points

Scripture

-       We believe that the Bible, Old and New Testaments, is God’s infallible Word, authoritative for us in life and doctrine (Joshua 1.7-8, II Timothy 3.14-17, Hebrews 4.12, II Peter 1.20-21).

Creeds

-       We profess the historic creeds of the Christian church: The Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian creeds.

Confessions

-       We align theologically with the Reformed tradition as stated in the Westminster Confession of Faith, Heidelberg Catechism, Belgic Confession, and Canons of Dort.

Affiliation

-       We are an English-speaking congregation of King of Kings Presbyterian Church (Rey de Reyes Iglesia Presbiteriana), a congregation within The National Presbyterian Church of Mexico.

IV. Steps of Discipleship

Lost

-       God made the entire universe, all people, and all spiritual beings.  He made humans in particular for fellowship with Himself and with one another, but we opted to go our own way.  This choice is called sin, and it has brought suffering and death to our entire race and all creation (Genesis 1-3, Romans 6.23, Romans 8.19-22).

Faith

-       God mysteriously works to bring to Himself all those whom he has chosen to rescue from sin and death.  Some of us see Jesus through someone’s love for us, others by someone’s testimony, some by the evidence of God’s glory in the natural order, and yet others through the teaching and example of godly people of the church.  But in every case God, through His Spirit, opens our hearts to receive by faith His incredible gift of salvation paid for by the death of His Son, Jesus (Ephesians 1.3-14).

Baptism

-       To assure us of His washing away our sin and our rebirth in Christ, God gives us the sign of baptism.  Since God makes relationships with whole families and communities, baptism is for both adult believers and their children, as was the Old Testament sign of circumcision (Genesis 7.7-13, Acts 2.38-39, Acts 16.33, Colossians 2.11-12).

Lord’s Supper

-       To reassure us that our debt of sin is paid and that we are now one with Him, Jesus calls us to celebrate His finished work on the cross in the Lord’s Supper.  Everyone who has been baptized in a Christian church and is living a repentant life of discipleship is welcome to share this meal with us (Exodus 12.1-30, Luke 22.7-20, I Corinthians 11.23-29).

Gratitude

-       God gave His only Son for our salvation, so nothing we can give in response is too much.  Paul, in Romans 12.1, calls us to offer ourselves as “living sacrifices.”  Everything we are and possess we gratefully and joyfully submit to God’s rule and disposal, however He desires.

-       Using our spiritual gifts, time, and skills to participate in the mission of God’s people is a natural outflow from our gratitude to God.  So, disciples at English Fellowship eagerly serve in Christ’s church in as many ways as God calls.  We attend worship services, take time for a personal or family devotional life, participate in discipleship groups for our own and others’ edification, and seek to reach out to the world with words and actions of God’s love (Deuteronomy 6.6-9, Hebrews 10.24-25, Ephesians 6.18, I Corinthians 12.7, Colossians 3.23-24).

-       Though some are called to more, all of us will give to God at least the first ten percent of our income as a thank offering to Him.  This offering of the first fruits is a pledge that the other 90% too is His and for His use.  We know from God’s Word and experience that giving is critical for strengthening our devotion to God and helping spare us from the love of money (Genesis 14.20, Genesis 28.22, Numbers 18.21, Proverbs 3.9, Malachi 3.8-12, Matthew 23.23, Luke 12.22-34).

V. Program of Discipleship

Discipleship Groups

-       Throughout the week discipleship groups meet for Scripture study, prayer, and fellowship.  These groups facilitate disciples’ maturation and growth in Christ-likeness.

Sunday Worship

-       The highlight of our week is gathering all together for worship.  We sing, share testimonies, give our offerings, pray, learn from God’s Word, and receive the signs of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

Children’s Ministry

-       The aim of our children’s ministry is for kids to learn and experience God’s love and for them to respond by placing their faith in His Son, Jesus.  To welcome children who are infants and toddlers, we offer nursery care during our Sunday worship service.  For children ages 3 through 7, we offer Children’s Church during the time of the sermon.

Compassion Action

-       On a regular basis we as a church serve the community with practical acts of love.  Although these formal, communal efforts are only occasional, we are committed every day to seek justice in all aspects of our lives and to a continuous disposition of mercy for the oppressed.

Evangelism

-       Everyday we seek to attract others to Jesus through our love, testimonies, invitations, and sharing of the gospel message.

VI. Coming with Us

Why Join?

-       We welcome you to join us in following Jesus.  Why?  Because being a part of our community will help you do what God wants you to do, which is the following:

-       To love God.  We honor God by openly acknowledging our love for Him and by publicly declaring our commitment to following His Son, Jesus (Matthew 10.32-33, John 6.29).  By joining a church body, we also honor Christ’s desire that His followers express the unity they possess in Him (John 17.11).  Finally, we can love God more as we deepen in our knowledge of Him, which will happen as we spur one another on in discipleship (Hebrews 10.24-25).

-       To love others and ourselves.  Committing to love God is never separate from committing to love our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.  By following Jesus together we are afforded many more opportunities to serve one another and to be served by each other, all in the name of Christ, thereby tangibly giving and receiving God’s love.  The early church modeled a strong emphasis on commitment to one another in Christian fellowship; we are eager to follow the apostles’ example.  Ironically, prioritizing love for others results in truly loving ourselves as well.  This is what Jesus means when he says that we must lose our life to gain it (I John 3.16, I Corinthians 12.12-27, Proverbs 27.17, Acts 2.42-47, Luke 14.25-27, II Peter 3.18).

-       To love the world.  The Bible says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son” (John 3.16).  When we love the world we imitate God.  As Christ spent time with prostitutes, tax collectors, and the religiously rejected of society, we also seek to let our light shine for the blessing of all people (Matthew 5.14-16).  We do this not only in our daily lives personally but also as a community when we evangelize and do acts of compassion in the city and participate in mission endeavors far away.

How Do I Get Started?

-       Simply come along with us, get involved, and seek to do God’s will with us.  No matter where you are already in your Christian journey, we will seek to facilitate God’s work in your life so that you can continue to develop and fulfill Christ’s calling in your life.

-       If you come to the point of whole-hearted commitment to Jesus as your Lord and Savior, we urge you to be baptized, if you haven’t done so already in a Christian church.  After you have been baptized you are also welcome to celebrate in the communion of the Lord’s Supper with us.  This invitation to participation in the Lord’s Supper also includes baptized children.

VII. Organizational Topics

Stewardship

-       English Fellowship is committed to being financially transparent.  We fully disclose all of our income and expenditures.  Go to the “About Us” page of this website and click on “Financial Information.”  With the password given to all church attenders, the church’s financial information is available.

-       We are committed to honoring God by how we spend what He provides.  We have arranged our budget to reflect God’s expectation of His people to be both responsible and faith-driven in how they deal with money.  We also seek to imitate the values of the first churches of the New Testament.  After paying rent, we invest in ministry curriculum and equipment, missions, benevolence, and compassion activity in the community.

-       With counsel from the pastor, advice of the church’s accountant, and reliance on God’s guidance, the ushers determine how and to whom to distribute the missions, benevolence, and compassion funds.

Structure

-       The governing body over the pastor of English Fellowship, holding him accountable to his calling and the proper execution of his responsibilities, is the session of elders and pastor of King of Kings Presbyterian Church (Rey de Reyes Iglesia Presbiteriana).

VIII. Our Position on Frequently Asked Questions

Alcohol

-       God has made everything in this world, including alcohol.  God wants us to enjoy and make use of what He has made for us (John 2.1-11, I Timothy 5.23).  However, if we become drunk we dishonor ourselves, whom God has made to be honorable since we are made in His image (Genesis 1.27, Proverbs 20.1), and we will no longer be fully ready to testify to the good news of God’s love in Christ and serve others in the power of the Spirit (I Peter 3.15, Ephesians 5.15-20).

End Times

-       Jesus told us that He is coming soon (Revelation 22.7), and so we must always be ready for Him (Matthew 25.42—Matthew 26.13).  Though Christ calls us to keep watch and read the signs of the times (Mark 13.1-37), we also know that we can never be sure of the timing of the end until it has actually arrived (Mark 13.32).  However, it is our great joy to anticipate this day when our faith will be sight, evil will be destroyed, and everything will be made new (Revelation 21-22).

Government & Taxes

-       When standing before Pontius Pilate, Jesus recognized that Pilate’s authority was given to him by God (John 19.11).  Because of this we are to submit to those who are in authority over us not from a motive of fear but because of our reverence for Christ (Romans 13.1-5).  The only exception to this would be if the government demands us to do what clearly violates the will of God.  Then we must obey God rather than men (Acts 4.19).  Additionally, we should willingly pay the taxes that governments require of us without fear (Matthew 22.21, Romans 13.6-7), knowing that our Father in heaven faithfully supplies what we need (Luke 12.22-34).

Headship

-       We believe that both women and men are called to learn, to grow, and to develop in a myriad of capacities for service to God in society, the home, and the church.  All of the Spirit’s gifts (prophesy, teaching, healing, service, etc.) and fruits (patience, joy, peace, kindness, etc.) are for both men and women who are in Christ.  God has also called both men and women to mature into Christ-like servants for offering their leadership in any number of situations and organizations.  However, responsibility for final authority and final doctrinal teaching in both the home and the church is a burden God has placed upon husbands, fathers, and men in the church.  Theirs is a role of spiritual headship in both families.

-       This in no way undermines the Scriptural teaching of equal value, spiritual capacity, and spiritual giftedness between women and men.  Neither does this limit the activities, in which women can engage in politics, the workplace, or society.  Nor does this Scriptural truth grant any excuse for dominance or arrogance by men whatsoever.  What it does do is call men to their responsibility to follow the example of Christ in a unique way as they lay down their lives in love and sacrifice for the sake of their wives and children in their homes and for the sake of all members of Christ’s body in the church.  The implication of this is that the offices of pastor and elder are to be filled by godly men of the church, and the responsibility for spiritual leadership in a home is to be met by the husband and father of the family.  In cases where a home is without a Christian husband or father, the believing mother will spiritually lead her children in particular reliance upon the leadership of the church (Genesis 2.18-25, Proverbs 31.10-31, Ephesians 5.22-33, Titus 1.5-9, I Timothy 3.1-13, I Peter 3.1-7).

Holy Spirit

-       The third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, has been involved with God’s creation from the beginning (Genesis 1.2).  Throughout the Old Testament, God sent his Spirit to fill and enable His servants for particular tasks and responsibilities (Exodus 31.3, Judges 13.25).  The prophet Joel prophesied that a new age of the Spirit would come, and the apostle Peter recognized its commencement at Pentecost (Acts 2.1-41).  This renewed outpouring of God’s Spirit has come through the mediation of Jesus Christ (John 14.16-17, John 20.21-23, Acts 1.8) and its purpose is for the proclamation of the gospel of salvation and for the edification of the church (I Corinthians 12.7).  At English Fellowship we joyfully receive the power of God through His Spirit, His gifts and fruits, knowing that these are not the end but the means for helping us love God, love our neighbor, and witness to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Life & Death

-       God is the author of life (Genesis 1.1).  God judged the first murderer, Cain, for destroying life—killing his brother, Abel (Genesis 4.3-16).  Though God has the right to judge and punish people and even put them to death (Genesis 38.7), we do not have that prerogative as individuals (Matthew 7.1-5).  In fact, Jesus even condemns our anger and insults against a “brother,” saying that they are tantamount to murder (Matthew 5.21-22).  Instead, He calls his disciples to love all men, even our enemies and persecutors (Luke 6.27-36).  Society, however, through its representative authorities, the police and judiciary, must protect its citizenry and deter the occurrence of evil by punishing lawbreakers (Romans 13.4).  God gives the foundation for civil law in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20.1-17).

-       Abortion, taking the life of a child before it has been born, is a form of murder that often society, but not God, has sanctioned (Psalm 139.15-16).  Suicide, whether or not assisted by a doctor, is also not a choice God gives us to exercise.  Instead, we are to respect the lives of people God creates no matter how young or old or different from ourselves they may be.  And we are to live our lives submissively to the Father as Jesus perfectly modeled for us: being born, dying, and even rising to new life at the time and by the means God provides in His sovereignty (Philippians 1.20-24).

Marriage & Divorce

-       Though God permitted men to have more than one wife in the Old Testament, Jesus references the first marriage between only one man and only one woman as God’s original design and intention (Matthew 19.4-5), and He assumes that this will now be the case in marriage (Matthew 19.9).  Monogamy is also the standard given for leaders in God’s church (I Timothy 3.2, 12).

-       In the case of marital unfaithfulness (Matthew 19.9), a husband and wife may divorce.  However, divorce in even this situation is not required and reconciliation between the couple gives a compelling witness to the reconciliation we have with God in Christ though we broke faith with Him.  Abandonment (I Corinthians 7.15) is the other biblically permitted reason for divorce.  Remarriage after divorce for these permitted reasons is acceptable (Matthew 19.9, I Corinthians 7.15).

Pluralism

-       Jesus Himself said, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14.6).  And concerning Jesus Peter declares, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4.12).  Apart from receiving by faith the complete and sufficient atonement God has freely given us through His Son, we remain condemned before Him (John 3.18).  Other religions and philosophies may certainly contain aspects of truth and display admirable principles of morality, but they are wholly ineffective for salvation apart from the Christian gospel message of forgiveness for sin and new life in Christ (Romans 3.9-24).

Roman Catholic Church

-       We are grateful to the Roman Catholic Church for first proclaiming and since then preserving the gospel message in the nation of Mexico.  Though we have theological and practical points of difference with the Roman Catholic Church we pray for its blessing and vitality.  In particular, we pray for spiritual revival among its leaders and members and an ever-growing love and devotion to the Lord Jesus and His kingdom.  We do not view ourselves as opposed to the Roman Catholic Church but rather we seek ways in which we can cooperate with Catholics to declare the love of God through Christ to an overwhelmingly secular and materialistic urban population.

Sexuality

-       God has made us sexual beings, male and female (Genesis 2.15-25).  God’s will for most people is that when they reach adulthood they marry, one man with one woman, and this union is a permanent relationship into which God may place children for their godly upbringing and for the parents’ sanctification and joy.  For some, God’s will is that they serve Him while they remain single—for a short time or a lifetime (I Corinthians 7).  God has also allowed some people to have homosexual tendencies.  Having these tendencies is not a sin (though their presence is a result of our fallen world), but capitulating to their temptation is sin and must be resisted (Genesis 19.1-29, I Corinthians 6.9, James 4.7).   God calls such an individual to singleness or to learning to develop affections for persons of the opposite gender and then marriage.  For all Christians, God desires purity of heart (Matthew 5.27-28).  Since a God-glorifying sexuality begins with righteous thoughts and affections, we must remember the appeal of Romans 12.2, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

IX. Resources

Our Website

-       English Fellowship’s calendar of events, recordings of sermons, sermon handouts, financial data, tips for living in Guadalajara, and other information is available here on our website.

Seminary

-       God has provided a local seminary for all whom He is calling to grow further in their capacity for service in His kingdom.  Offering classes in Spanish, the Seminario Reformado en Guadalajara trains students in basic Greek and Hebrew, biblical studies, church history, theology, hermeneutics, homiletics, biblical counseling, church planting, and history and ecclesiology of the National Presbyterian Church of Mexico.  Visit the website for free lectures, resources, and more information, www.seminarioreformado.org.mx.