THE BIBLE

We believe the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and authoritative Word of God. We believe the Bible is the final authority in every area it addresses for every individual Christian, as well as for the church collectively. (2 Timothy 3v16-17, 2 Peter 1v21, John 10v35)

GOD

We believe there is one God who eternally exists as three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe that all things were created by Him and for Him. (Deuteronomy 6v4, Isaiah 45v21-22, Matthew 28v19, Colossians 1v16)

JESUS

We believe that God the Son became a human being in the person of Jesus Christ. That He was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless life (for He was without sin), died a substitutionary death for all mankind, was raised from the dead the third day, ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God until His enemies are made His footstool. (John 1v1, 14, Matthew 1v18-25, 2 Corinthians 5v21, 1 Peter 3v18, 1 Corinthians 15v3-4, Hebrews 10v12-13)

HOLY SPIRIT

We believe the Holy Spirit was sent by the Father and the Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. We believe the Holy Spirit regenerates and indwells and seals every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that He empowers us to live as witnesses for Christ. We believe that all of the gifts of the Holy Spirit are available to His church today. (John 14v16-17, John 16v7-11, Titus 3v5-6, Romans 8v9, 1 Corinthians 6v19-20, Ephesians 1v13-14, Acts 1v8, Romans 12v6-8, 1 Corinthians 12-14, 1 Peter 4v10-11)

HUMANITY

We believe that God created human beings, male and female, in His own image. He created them sinless, equal in value, dignity, and worth. According to His purpose and design, men and women are created to fulfill distinct but complementary roles in the contexts of marriage, family, and the local church. (Genesis 1v26-28, Ephesians 5v22-6:4, 1 Timothy 3v1-7)

We believe that, as a result of the Fall, all people are sinners by nature and in need of a Savior, and that Jesus Christ is the one and only Savior of the world. That salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Him. We believe that all who call on the name of the Lord shall be saved eternally. (Romans 3v10, Romans 3v23, Romans 5v18-19, Matthew 1v21, 1 John 4v14, John 14v6, Acts 4v12, Ephesians 2v8-9, Romans 10v9)

THE CHURCH

We believe there is one church, the body of Christ, consisting of men and women from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. We believe that each local congregation is an expression of that universal church. (Ephesians 4v4, 1 Corinthians 12v12-13, Revelation 5v9, Acts 2v42-47)

THINGS TO COME

We believe the saints will return with Christ to the earth, at His Second Coming, to rule and reign with Him. (Jude 1v14, Revelation 19v11-16, Revelation 20v4)

We believe in the pre-millennial return of Christ, to sit upon the throne of David and rule over the house of Jacob (Israel), and the entire cosmos, forever. (Revelation 20v1-6, Luke 1v31-33, Isaiah 9v6-7)

RESURRECTION

We believe in the resurrection of the dead. Some will be raised to life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt (hell). We believe that God will create a new heaven and earth in which righteousness will dwell. We believe that the throne of God and the Lamb (Jesus Christ) will be established in the New Jerusalem forever. (Daniel 12v2, John 5v25-29, Revelation 21v1-22v5)

In a world of increasing change and ever-present technology, where can we find peace? With so much going on all around us, much of it good and much of it bad, where can we find direction; where can we make sense of it all? We’re aching for spiritual renewal. We believe the Spirit of God also aches to bring renewal to our world, and that he does this through his people. That’s where God’s people find their purpose:

To see those broken by sin renewed by Jesus Christ.

The year 1977 saw the beginning of Star Wars, The Seattle Mariners, Apple Computers, and Calvary Fellowship. That year founding pastor Wayne Taylor started a Sunday service with a handful of people. Through steady, stimulating Bible teaching and bold evangelistic outreach, the church grew to 1,500 people per week throughout the 80s and 90s. Since then, Calvary Fellowship has birthed over 20 churches locally and 40 globally.

In 2018, Pastor Wayne transitioned the role of Lead Pastor of Calvary Fellowship to his son Riley Taylor. Under his leadership, Mountlake Church continues its faithful presence of gospel-centered ministry, cultural renewal, evangelistic outreach, and raising up leaders.

WHO LEADS THE CHURCH?

We are an "elder-led" church. A team of elders carry the responsibility of overseeing the mission, vision, life and doctrine of the church. They do this largely by empowering and caring for the men and women to lead ministries, love each other, and live in the Way of Jesus.

WHAT DOES MOUNTLAKE CHURCH BELIEVE ABOUT WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP?

Here at Mountlake, women are encouraged, equipped and empowered to use their gifts to live in the Way of Jesus, participate in the life of the church, and lead others to do the same. You will see both pastors ("shepherds") and preachers who are women, along with women leading in many capacities in many areas.

Here’s where the tension comes in: we believe Scripture teaches that while every ministry activity is open to women, the leadership office of elder is intended for qualified men. (See 1 Timothy 2-3; Titus 1; 1 Corinthians 14.) These elders oversee the church's life and doctrine—and spend all their time empowering men and women to lead ministries, love each other, and live in the Way of Jesus.

ARE "NON-CHRISTIANS" WELCOME AT THIS CHURCH?

Yes! Bring your doubts, your questions, and your stories. Life in the Way of Jesus is an open invitation. You will have the opportunity to learn, ask, share hurts from past experiences, all at your own pace. In fact, you can reach out to our Pastoral Team with your big questions any time—even right now—over at mountlake.church/contact.

WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE ABOUT THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT?

At Mountlake Church, the Scriptures are the basis for all we do, our "foundation" (Ephesians 2v20). Every Gathering, we open our Bibles and expect to hear from God's Word.

And in all our gatherings large and small, we invite the Spirit to move among us. We trust the sovereignty of God and pray for miraculous healing. We open up space for prophetic prayer. We believe that the church is a prophetic people, anointed by the Holy Spirit.

These gifts are for today, they are continually in use at Mountlake Church, and they are crucial for unity and seeking the "common good" of the world. (See 1 Corinthians 12.)

HOW ARE FINANCES HANDLED?

Financial decisions are overseen by our volunteer Board of Directors, and the day-to-day decisions are made by church staff, led by the Executive Pastor—all within a budget that is approved by the Elders and the Board on an annual basis. Get to know the Team at mountlake.church/team.

Like every church, our operations are funded entirely by the generosity of our community. For more information and to give yourself, head over to mountlake.church/give.

WHAT DOES YOUR CHURCH BELIEVE ABOUT MARRIAGE?

The Bible consistently upholds a high vision of marriage—as a covenant relationship instituted by God with 3 parties involved — a woman, a man, and God himself. Scripture is also clear that sex is a gift, one meant to be enjoyed within a life-long, covenantal, monogamous, heterosexual marriage.

HOW ARE LGBTQ+ PEOPLE TREATED AT YOUR CHURCH?

Everyone is invited to live in the Way of Jesus here, and we are honored when our LGBTQ+ friends take us up on that invitation. All of us, no matter who we are, come to God from a position of brokenness, sin, and need. It is when we trust God to speak into every part of our lives together that we find renewal. Everyone has a unique story, and we would love to see yours written by Jesus.

DO YOU CARE ABOUT SOCIAL JUSTICE?

Absolutely. The Bible says that God "has established his throne for justice, and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness" (Psalm 9v7-8). While our culture wrestles with its own definitions of social justice, we believe that the Scripture provides the best foundation as well as the best vision for justice. Through our Care Ministry, we actively work to see God's mercy and justice in our city.

DO YOU CARE ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT?

Yes. On page one of the Bible, God gives humanity a clear mandate—to steward and protect his creation. We believe that the Way of Jesus includes carrying that same mandate forward, seeking flourishing for all people, and all things.

Baptism is an old word that simply means “immersion.” To be baptized is to be immersed in something, such as water. When followers of Jesus enter the waters of baptism, we are obeying Jesus’ command (Matthew 28v19-20), and entering into—immersing ourselves in—a new way of life: the Way of Jesus.

A NEW ALLEGIANCE

When Jesus himself was baptized, the Holy Spirit descended on him like a dove, and the voice of the Father in heaven declared, “This is my Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Luke 3v22). Thus began the Son of God’s earthly ministry.

When we are baptized, we are pledging allegiance to Jesus; we are saying, “You are my God, and I’m going to follow you.” As we exit the waters of baptism, we identify with Jesus’ death and resurrection (Romans 6v4), and pledge to follow him as our Savior, Master, and Lord.

Baptism is a new allegiance.

A NEW IDENTITY

The Bible says that “all who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ… for you are all one in Christ” (Galatians 3v27-28). Our immersion into the Way of Jesus breaks down our old identities—Poor, Rich, Male, Female, Black, White, American—and gifts us a new ultimate identity in Jesus.

Now those identities that used to divide us hold second place to our identity in Jesus. We are unified with other followers of Jesus, because we all belong to him—no matter where we’ve come from before. Rich are unified with Poor, and Black are unified with White, since we are now “one in Christ.”

Baptism is a new identity.

A NEW COMMUNITY

Thirdly, baptism is the immersion into a new community. In Acts 8, Philip shares the message of Jesus with a foreigner—an African man who is curious about the Bible. This man, a servant in the Ethiopian government, becomes a follower of Jesus, then says, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” (Acts 8v37)

This man has gained membership in the global family of God, brothers and sisters who are tied by the bonds of love, and unified by a common faith—the “church.” In the same way, each of us, upon entering the waters of baptism, immerse ourselves into a new community. We are given the right to become children of God (John 1v12), and brothers and sisters with followers of Jesus everywhere. Baptism is a new community.

A NEW REALITY

Finally, baptism means the immersion in a new reality. When the Apostle Peter preaches his famous sermon on Pentecost, the crowd asks him, “What must we do?” His answer is, “Repent and be baptized… and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2v38). They did, and their lives were forever changed.

The coming of the Holy Spirit into the live of a believer is the dynamic change of reality. It means that God dwells in our hearts (John 14v23); it means we have been given a new nature (Titus 3v5); it means we have received the love of God (Romans 5v8). And, like Jesus in his baptism, it means we are called to a new purpose in the Way of Jesus.

Baptism is the immersion into a completely new reality

Mountlake Church is a member of the Calvary Global Network, an association of thousands of churches worldwide committed to planting churches and making disciples. Through CGN we receive accountability, oversight, and partnership from like-minded leaders in our region.

To find more information on CGN, visit calvaryglobalnetwork.com.