Our Vision
Our Story | Our Leadership | What We Believe | Our Vision | Church Planting
"Our
church exists to create a movement of churches and ministries that
embody and articulate the gospel of Jesus in a way that brings about
personal transformation, community formation, and cultural renewal to
the Greater Charleston Area."
In thinking about Sanctuary, we must think about what makes Sanctuary distinctive in its relationship to Jesus, one another, and the world. In relation to Jesus, Sanctuary is a gospel-centered church. In relationship to one another, Sanctuary is a grace renewal church. And in relationship to the world, Sanctuary is a missional church.
As a gospel-centered
church, we believe the gospel changes everything. It is the A-to-Z of
Christianity—the gospel is not just the minimum required doctrine
necessary to enter the kingdom, but the way we make progress in the
kingdom. The gospel is the way we grow (Gal. 3:1-3) and are renewed
(Col. 1:6). It is the solution to each problem, the key to each closed
door, the power through every obstacle (Romans. 1:16-17).
As a grace renewal church, we understand that we live and grow by grace through faith in the gospel of Jesus. The gospel is the power of God to motivate us. Those gripped by the gospel are compelled by the love of Christ to serve, give, and witness. Therefore, we don’t motivate people through guilt trips driving them to obey out of fear. But rather, we seek to motivate people through the gospel that sets us free to love unconditionally out of gratitude for God's grace. We seek transformation at the motivational and character level, not merely behavioral modification.
As a missional church, we are a church "for" the city where God has placed us. Some churches are "of" the culture. They so embrace the culture that they lose their distinctiveness. Some churches are "against" the culture. They so oppose the culture that they lose their relevance. And some churches are "above" the culture. They so "super-spiritualize" life that they lose their point of contact. On the other hand, a church "for" the culture engages the culture in order to transform it by the power of the gospel, for the glory of Jesus, and for the good of the city.
As a grace renewal church, we understand that we live and grow by grace through faith in the gospel of Jesus. The gospel is the power of God to motivate us. Those gripped by the gospel are compelled by the love of Christ to serve, give, and witness. Therefore, we don’t motivate people through guilt trips driving them to obey out of fear. But rather, we seek to motivate people through the gospel that sets us free to love unconditionally out of gratitude for God's grace. We seek transformation at the motivational and character level, not merely behavioral modification.
As a missional church, we are a church "for" the city where God has placed us. Some churches are "of" the culture. They so embrace the culture that they lose their distinctiveness. Some churches are "against" the culture. They so oppose the culture that they lose their relevance. And some churches are "above" the culture. They so "super-spiritualize" life that they lose their point of contact. On the other hand, a church "for" the culture engages the culture in order to transform it by the power of the gospel, for the glory of Jesus, and for the good of the city.
We desire to be a church with winsome and theologically substantial preaching, dynamic evangelism and apologetics, and church growth and church planting were we emphasize repentance, personal renewal, and holiness of life. At the same time, and in the same congregation, we want to see engagement with the social structures of our peers, and cultural engagement with art, business, scholarship, and government. There will be calls for radical Christian community in which all members share wealth and resources and make room for the poor and the marginalized.
What could lead to a growing movement of gospel-centered churches?
The ultimate answer is that God must, for his own glory, send revival in response to the fervent, extraordinary, prevailing prayer of his people. But we believe there are also steps to take. There is great hope if we can unite on the nature of truth, how best to read the Bible, on our relationship to culture, on the content of the gospel, and on the nature of gospel-centered ministry. We believe that such commitments will drive us afresh toward Scripture, toward the Jesus of the Bible, toward the gospel of Jesus, and we will begin to grow in our ability, by God’s grace, as a church, to “act in line with the truth of the gospel” (Gal 2:14).