The Faith Once Delivered to the Saints.
City Gate does not have a statement of faith we invented. We have one the Church has held for two thousand years — and confessions that have refined and defended it. What follows is where we stand.
The Ecumenical Creeds
Before confessions, before denominations, before the Reformation — the Church spoke with one voice. These three creeds are the bedrock. Every Sunday at City Gate, we recite the Nicene Creed together. These words are not ours. They belong to the whole Church, across every century.
maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord;
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;
he descended into hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven,
and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
The oldest summary of Christian belief. Used in baptism and morning prayer throughout the Church.
maker of heaven and earth,
and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God,
begotten of his Father before all worlds,
God of God, Light of Light,
very God of very God,
begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father;
by whom all things were made;
who for us men and for our salvation
came down from heaven,
and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary,
and was made man;
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried;
and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures,
and ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of the Father;
and he shall come again, with glory,
to judge both the quick and the dead;
whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life,
who proceedeth from the Father and the Son;
who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified;
who spake by the prophets.
And I believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins.
And I look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Recited together every Sunday at City Gate. The definitive statement of Trinitarian orthodoxy, forged against the Arian heresy.
The Confessions We Draw From
City Gate is not formally bound to any single confession. But we are not without roots. The following documents represent the theological tradition we inhabit — Reformed in soteriology, Anglican in liturgy and ecclesiology, catholic in the breadth of what we affirm.
The Thirty-Nine Articles
The doctrinal standard of the Church of England, written in the Reformation era to articulate a Reformed theology held within a catholic liturgical and episcopal framework. City Gate's worship, ecclesiology, and sacramental theology are most directly shaped by this tradition. We are not formally Anglican, but this is our closest theological home.
Read the Thirty-Nine Articles →The Belgic Confession
Written by Guido de Brès under threat of death, the Belgic Confession is one of the clearest statements of Reformed doctrine — covering Scripture, the Trinity, the nature of the Church, the sacraments, and civil government. We draw on it especially for its treatment of Scripture's authority and the marks of the true Church.
Read the Belgic Confession →The Heidelberg Catechism
Opens with one of the most pastoral questions in all of Christian literature: "What is your only comfort in life and in death?" Its 129 questions and answers cover sin, redemption, and gratitude — structured around the Apostles' Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the Ten Commandments. A model of how doctrine and devotion belong together.
Read the Heidelberg Catechism →What We Emphasize Week to Week
Doctrine without practice is a library. Here is what the theology above actually looks like on Sunday morning — and what we are building toward in the people of this congregation.
Scripture as Final Authority
The Word of God is read aloud, preached with authority, and submitted to — not softened to fit the moment.
Justification by Grace Through Faith
We are not made right with God by effort or morality. Christ's righteousness is imputed to us. We confess this every Sunday in the liturgy.
The Sacraments as Means of Grace
Baptism and the Lord's Supper are not empty symbols. They are instruments through which God works in His people. The Table is set every Sunday for this reason.
Covenant Faithfulness Across Generations
The faith is an inheritance — received, lived, and passed to children and grandchildren. Families worship together here.
The Church as a Formed Community
Membership is covenantal, not casual. Men are called to lead. Women are honored. The body is structured — because structure is formative.
Liturgy as Discipleship
The order of worship is not aesthetic. Confession, absolution, Word, and Table — repeated Sunday after Sunday — shapes the kind of person you become.
"We are trying to be a community where the ancient faith takes root in ordinary people — and produces men who lead, women who flourish, children who know what they believe, and families with something worth passing on."
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