WHO We ARE

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David, as a licensed baptist minister with Woodbridge Community Church in Irvine, was discerning a desire to plant a new church in Orange County.  After many months of prayer and discernment, God made it clear that God was calling Him and was going to bless this new endeavor.  

While at a retreat for pastors, one of the other attendees mentioned being in financial hardship.  The Bible verse Proverbs 11:25 came across David's mind: “A generous man will prosper; that he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."  After reluctantly giving the other pastor 30ish dollars from his wallet, David was surprised over the next several weeks as $30,000 showed up without asking anyone for resources. 

He had been prayed over by his former church and then spent a season with Center Church in Irvine to be prepared for planting Epicenter.

Epicenter Church is a non-denominational Christian church founded by Pastor David Chisum in 2023 meeting in Tustin, CA.

Epicenter is an intentionally relational and impactful family of Jesus-loving and people-loving Christians committed to knowing and being known by each other, being equipped with God’s Word to become who God designed us to be, impacting people in Orange County through love and good deeds to know Christ, and reproducing leaders and new churches.  

Repair broken lives

Prepare believers for spiritual maturity and leadership

Love People Everywhere through prayer, caring for others, and sharing the gospel

Listening

Our culture prioritizes the expression of opinions over listening.  The gospel transforms us to be like Christ in listening well with empathy and asking great questions.   Listening creates opportunity to share the gospel and deepen authentic relationships.  

Freedom

Culture says in order to be free we need to love ourselves. The gospel says in Christ you are already loved and true freedom from spiritual bondage is only found in His name.  God's Spirit liberates the believer deepen his/her faith to love God and love people for God's glory. 

Community

Culture says community is whatever group you can identify with. The Bible exhorts us to be a family, and even closer, a body who loves and knows each other. 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.

Growth

Culture says in order to grow you have to pursue self-actualization through your own efforts. The Holy Spirit, as we cooperate with Him, is the one who brings us in conformity to the image of Jesus.  We grow through the faithful preaching of God's Word and creating spaces for prayer and healing to change lives.

Mission

Culture says your mission is whatever you find to be fulfilling. God designed you and knows exactly how you can make the most of your life for Him, for your good, and for the good of others.  We make disciples and provide an opportunity for each member to serve and give.

The Trinity 

We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons, that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption. (Matthew 28:19, John 1:1-4, I John 5:7) 

God the Father 

We believe in God, the Father, an infinite personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of each person, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. (John 3:16-17, John 4:24, John 17:5) 

Jesus Christ 

We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth. (Isaiah 7:14, John 1:14, Philippians 2:5-11, Hebrews 1:2-3, I John 1:7) 

The Holy Spirit 

We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and the Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide. (John 14:26, John 16:7-15, Romans 8:14-17, Ephesians 1:13- 14) 

The Bible 

We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. (John 17:17, Romans 15:4, II Timothy 3:16-17, II Peter 1:19-21) 

Regeneration 

We believe that all people are sinners by nature and by choice and are, therefore, under condemnation. We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit. (John 1:12-13, John 3:3, 16-17, Acts 20:21, Ephesians 2:1-9, Titus 3:5) 

The Church 

We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible confession of faith, and associated for worship, work and fellowship. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world. (Matthew 16:16-18, Acts 2:38- 41, Ephesians 2:19-22, Ephesians 5:25-27) 

Christian Conduct 

We believe that Christians should live for the glory of God and the well-being of others; that their conduct should be blameless before the world; that they should be faithful stewards of their possessions; and that they should seek to realize for themselves and others the full stature of maturity in Christ. (II Corinthians 9:6-8, Ephesians 4:11-16, Philippians 2:14-16, Colossians 3:17-23, I Thessalonians 5:17-18) 

The Last Things 

We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal felicity of the righteous, and the endless suffering of the wicked. (John 5:28-29, Revelation 20:1-15, II Corinthians 5:10, Matthew 25:31-46)*

Spiritual Gifts

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)

Church Polity 

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)

The Role of Men and Women

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)

The Ordinances 

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, I Corinthians 11:23-32) *

Religious Liberty 

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.* 

Political and Social Activism

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