We are an evangelical Anglican church established in 1873 and part of the Church of England. We enjoy the independence of “proprietary chapel” status. Effectively this means we are an Anglican congregation but without a parish. Our Minister is ordained in the Church of England and licensed by the Bishop of Derby.
We are under the episcopal oversight of Rob Munro, the Bishop of Ebbsfleet, who pastors, and cares for, those evangelical Anglican churches who do not wish to be under the oversight of a female Bishop.
We are primarily concerned with biblical, evangelical Christianity. We hold to the historic creeds, the Reformed doctrine of the 39 Articles (the doctrinal basis of the Church of England) and the Anglican understanding that ordained leaders of local congregations are to be pastor teachers of the Bible. However we recognise the need for continual spiritual reformation under the Word of God and commit ourselves to that.
The official doctrinal position of the Church of England is set out in Canon A5: “The doctrine of the Church of England is grounded in the Holy Scriptures, and in such teachings of the ancient Fathers and Councils of the Church that are agreeable to the said Scriptures. In particular such doctrine is to be found in the 39 Articles of Religion, the Book of Common Prayer and the Ordinal.”
The Minister publicly assents to Anglican doctrine every year at the Annual Church Meeting. We do not expect everyone in pastoral leadership to publicly subscribe to Anglican doctrine and practice.
However for the sake of clarity and integrity in all our work and relationships, the basis of our work and fellowship at Trinity Church shall be the fundamental truths of Christianity, as revealed in Holy Scripture, including:
1. The existence of one, eternal immutable (unchanging) God, Creator and Lord of the universe, who in the unity of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, both governs all things according to his will and is accomplishing his purposes in the world and in the Church.
2. The Bible, as originally given, is the inspired, inerrant and infallible word of God. Christians must therefore submit to its supreme authority and sufficiency, both individually and corporately, in every matter of belief and conduct.
3. The inherent value of all human beings, made by God in his own likeness, and their sinfulness and guilt since the Fall. This has rendered them subject to God’s wrath and condemnation, and has resulted in their alienation from his life, suppression of his truth, and hostility to his law.
4. The Lord Jesus Christ , God’s incarnate Son, is fully God; he was born of a virgin; his humanity is real and sinless; he died on the cross, was raised bodily from death and is now reigning over heaven and earth.
5. Salvation from guilt, penalty and all other consequences of sin is solely through the work of Jesus Christ — his perfect obedience, penal substitutionary death, bodily resurrection and exaltation as Lord. He alone is truly God and truly man, the only mediator between God and man. There is salvation through no other person, creed, process or power. Those who believe in Christ are pardoned all their sins and accepted in God’s sight only because of the righteousness of Christ credited to them. The entirety of a sinner’s justification, from beginning to end, is only by his grace alone appropriated through faith alone.
6. Before the foundation of the world God in his mercy chose a people for himself out of the human race. He did not choose them on the basis of their foreseen faith or works, but solely on the basis of his perfect desire to glorify himself in his Son by their redemption.
7. The necessity and sufficiency of the work of the Holy Spirit for the individual’s new birth and growth to maturity, and for the Church’s constant renewal in truth, wisdom, faith, holiness, love, power and mission.
8. The only holy universal church is the Body of Christ, to which all true believers belong. The Church’s calling is to worship and serve God in the world, to proclaim and defend his truth, to exhibit his character and to demonstrate the reality of his new order.
9. The personal and visible return in glory of the Lord Jesus Christ to raise the dead and bring salvation and judgment to final completion. God will fully establish his kingdom when he creates a new heaven and a new earth from which evil and evildoers, suffering and death will be excluded, and in which he will be glorified for ever.