Westside is a Christ-focused community that gathers regularly to participate deeply in the life of God. We are saved by God, sent by God, and led by God.
We seek daily to live into the two greatest commandments: to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. In living these two commandments we respond to Jesus’ call to go and make disciples of all nations. Our life together as members of the body of Christ encourages us to obey our Lord in all things; celebrate God’s majesty and grace in worship; unite in service to each other, our community, and our world; and share our faith with others.
In short, we love God and we love others.
Wherever you find yourself on this journey, we welcome you to our community.
Essentials of our beliefs
We believe in one God, who made the heavens and earth. We believe that our Lord, Jesus Christ, the Word who was present at creation, came to us born of a woman to grow and mature as one who announced, taught, and lived the coming of the Kingdom of God on earth.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God. For us and for our salvation He was crucified. He suffered death, and was buried. On the third day He rose again in accordance with the scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom has no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father and the Son. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of God’s world to come.
Outside of these essentials you will discover a variety of different beliefs at Westside, which is something we are actually proud of! We believe in diversity of thought and welcome those who think differently from us.
Here are some of our common values:
Unity – We strive to work together in love despite our differences, valuing unity over uniformity. We value direct dialogue, speaking the truth in love.
Gender Inclusivity – Westside strives to be a church in which both men and women use gifts of leadership, administration, and worship. Visitors will notice that women have an active role in our worship service (preaching, leading singing, public prayers, scripture reading, etc.) and also have a role in the leadership structures and decision-making processes. (Galatians 3:28 is our principle text for these values)
Importance of Children – At Westside we truly believe that children make up the church of today, not just the church of tomorrow. Our children play a vital role in the life of our church body. Most Sundays, visitors will notice children participating publicly in our worship service, whether it’s leading a prayer or helping pass communion trays.
Justice – At Westside we are very committed to works of restorative justice in our neighborhoods. We are active in many ministries (some of them done through Westside and some in which we partner with other non-profit organizations) that seek to serve those who are economically, emotionally or socially under-resourced .
Transformation – At Westside we truly value transformation. We want our walk with God to leave us different--transformed into the image of Jesus through the work that God does within us. Westside is a body in which you will find people seeking true spiritual growth through study, service and conversation with Christ’s community.
