Epicenter Church OC

Epicenter Church OC meets in Tustin, California.  As an EFCA (Evangelical Free Church of America) church plant, we are committed to the EV Free denomination's vision of being biblical, missional, and multiplying transformational churches.

Epicenter is an intentional and relational family of Jesus-loving and people-loving Christians committed to listening to God and to each other, helping each other heal and be free of sin’s bondage, knowing and being known by each other, being equipped with God’s Word to become who God designed us to be, and impacting others through love and good deeds to know Christ.

Epicenter Church exists to make disciples of Jesus Christ by repairing broken lives, preparing them for spiritual maturity and leadership, and loving people everywhere through prayer, caring for others, and sharing the gospel. 

Repair 

Prepare

Love People Everywhere

1. Life-Giving Listening

We believe that we will become the people God made us to be when we listen to Him and help each other listen to Him. We are committed to listening to what is happening in each others’ lives so that we can be comforted and exhorted to be who God made us to be

2. Healing Freedom

We believe that God loves to set captives free from the pain of our pasts and the bondage of our sin. We help each other heal with compassion that encourages and words of truth that removes lies. 

3. Intentional Community

We gather as a welcoming group in a safe environment to worship and connect, believing that this is the best way for us to experience God and experience fruitful relationships.

4. Significant Spiritual Growth

We grow through the faithful preaching and teaching of God's Word and by creating spaces for prayer and sharing to change lives. We provide not just content, but our lives and shepherding as well to shape people’s hearts.

5. Courageous Mission

We endeavor to change people’s lives with courage and boldness. We provide an opportunity for each member to serve and give to be a blessing with their spiritual gifts 

We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for His own glory.

We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the

words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the

original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by

which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be

believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.

We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when tempted by

Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from

God, and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued,

reconciled and renewed.

We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two

natures. Jesus—Israel's promised Messiah—was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of

the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the

dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and

Advocate

We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross

as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious resurrection

constitute the only ground for salvation

We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He

convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and in Him they are baptized into union

with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also indwells, illuminates, guides,

equips and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service

We believe that the true church comprises all who have been justified by God's grace through

faith alone in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, of which He

is the Head. The true church is manifest in local churches, whose membership should be

composed only of believers. The Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s

Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means of

salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish

the believer

We believe that God's justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and

purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our

faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. With

God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the

spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all

people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed

We believe in the personal, bodily and glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of

Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope,

motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission.

We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to

Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead

bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal conscious

punishment and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace. Amen

We believe in the continuation of all biblically listed spiritual gifts. We do not

believe that each believer has every spiritual gift but that the Holy Spirit equips

each believer according to God's will. We have an open and discerning policy

regarding the use of spiritual gifts. We are open so as to not quench the Spirit but

discerning in testing all things so that works are aligned with Scripture. We

believe all expressions of spiritual gifts are to be done according to God's Word.

(Romans 12:3-8, 1 Corinthians 12, 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22)

We believe that the governing council of a church is to be led by a plurality of

biblically qualified and mutually accountable elders, whose title is synonymous

with overseers and pastors. Our Life Groups are led by biblically qualified deacons

who are committed to shepherding and are accountable to the elder council.

(Titus 1:5-9, 1 Timothy 3:1-13)

We believe that men and women have equal worth and dignity, both being made in

God's image. We hold to complementarian roles of men and women only in the

church and the home. Male leadership is to be sacrificial, kind, gracious, loving,

and Christ-like. (Genesis 5:2, Ephesians 5)

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local

church: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is

immersion of a believer in water into the name of the triune God. We believe that

the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death. We

believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the

return of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 2:41-42, Romans 6:3-5, 1

Corinthians 11:23-32) *

We believe that every human being has direct relations with God, and is

responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; that each church is independent

and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority; that

therefore Church and State must be kept separate as having different functions,

each fulfilling its duties free from dictation or patronage of the other.*

We hold to biblical beliefs on life, marriage, gender, and morality. Jesus was silent

on the political issues of His day. He was seemingly apolitical, yet at the same

time was the most effective activist. In expanding the Kingdom of God, He was

addressing the true issues that plagued society and culture abroad. We believe

there is Christian liberty in how we vote and social causes we exert effort into, but

that these be done in accordance with one's conscience, informed by the

Bible. Epicenter Church is not obligated to address any political or social issue

except that which is deemed necessary to its ministry.

*All primary beliefs and starred secondary beliefs used from “Terra Nova

Community Church,” affiliated with Converge Worldwide and Converge

MidAtlantic