Our Approach

The seeds of Riverside Church were planted by Christians ministering as part of the Restoration Movement, an association of like-minded believers who, since the early 19th century, have worked to overcome denominational barriers with a simple “back to scripture” mentality. The fundamental principles of this movement are:

1. The unity of all Christians based on God’s revealed truth (John 17:17-21).
2. An uncompromising commitment to the Bible as God’s inspired, true, authoritative Word and the Church’s only rule for faith and practice (2 Tim 2:15, 3:16-17).

These principles continue to be central to our approach, not because they are Restoration Movement patterns, but because we find them to be in step with Jesus’ heart and will for the church he lived and died for.

From Death to Life

“None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.” – Romans 3:10-18

“all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” – Romans 3:23

“Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.” – John 8:34

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, but of God.” – John 1:12-13

“But God, being rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:4-10

“So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” – John 8:36

Our Teaching and Practice

Through Riverside leadership’s effort toward a ministry of the Word that utilizes God’s full counsel to address important questions, we have identified some additional standards and guidelines for our teaching and preaching. This is not a comprehensive list, but gives an idea what’s on our radar and where we stand:

• We believe in One God, eternally existing in a loving unity and fellowship of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (Deut 6:4; Ex 3:13-15; John 8:58-59; Phil 2:9-11; John 1:1-3; John 20:28; Titus 2:13; Heb 1:8; Acts 5:3-4; 2 Cor 3:17-18; Matt 28:19).

• God our Father, like the Son and Holy Spirit, is perfect in righteousness, justice and love (Deut 32:1-4; Psalm 7:8-12, 19:7-9, 145:17-20; 1 John 4:7-19)

• God’s Creation: God made Adam and Eve – the first humans – as a miraculous creation in His image. They did not descend from animals or by natural processes (Gen 1:26-31; Rom 5:12-14). God created them male and female, establishing the basis for human family (Gen 1:27; Gen 2; Matt 19:4-5; Eph 5).

• Christ’s Atonement: Jesus died for us, and specifically for our sins (1 Cor 15:3; John 1:29). This was necessary (John 3:14; 1 Pet 1:17-21; Rev 13:8). His blood is the needed propitiation for our sin, satisfying God’s just wrath (Rom 3:21-26; 1 John 2:2). It opened the new covenant (Matt 26:28; Heb 7:22), brought us near (Eph 2:13), provides for forgiveness of sins (Eph 1:7), and cleanses us from sin we confess (1 John 1:7-10). Jesus is the way, truth and life – the only way to pass from spiritual death to eternal life (John 11:25, 14:6, 17:3).

• The Lord’s Supper: Weekly sharing in the Lord’s supper (1 Cor 11:18-26) is the highlight of our worship. We pass bread and juice to remember Jesus’ body, broken for us, and His blood poured out for the forgiveness of sins (Matt 26:26-28). It is not the faithful taking of communion which provides or maintains forgiveness of sins, but the blood of Christ offered once for all (Heb 7:24-28).

• Messiah Jesus and Israel: Christ is a title meaning “anointed one.” Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah of God’s chosen people Israel. Salvation is from the Jews (John 4:22) and now open to all peoples of the earth (Isaiah 49:6). Gentile believers are like wild branches grafted into God’s tree, justified by faith as Abraham was (Rom 4). With humility and love toward the natural branches broken off due to unbelief, we pray for them to be restored through faith in their Messiah Jesus (Rom 11).

• Law and Covenant: God has written his righteous requirement on human hearts (Rom 2:15). The Torah (law of Moses) no longer functions as a covenant of works, but continues to be perfect and profitable for training in righteousness, revealing God’s unchanging heart and will for the heart of man (Ps 19:7-14; Ps 119:89; Rom 7:12; 1 Tim 1:8-11; 2 Tim 3:16-17). Members of the new covenant in Jesus’ blood are no longer under the law as a schoolmaster (Gal 3:25, 5:4), but rest in and put on Christ’s righteousness (Eph 4:21-24). He is our high priest in the order of Melchizedek, superseding the Levitical priesthood and making the Mosaic covenant obsolete (Heb 6-8). Christians are not obligated to keep Torah (Rom 7:4-6).

• God’s Sovereignty and Human Will: God’s sovereignty (Rom 9:13-18; James 4:14-15), foreknowledge (Ps 139:15-16; 1 Pet 1:1-2), election (John 6:37-44; Eph 1:4-5) and secure salvation (John 10:25-29; 1 John 5:12-13) are well-attested by scripture. Yet Jesus died for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2; Heb 2:9) and God desires all to be saved (1 Tim 2:4; 2 Pet 3:9). Jesus and his apostles spoke invitations to lost, spiritually dead souls (John 3:16; 2 Cor 5:18-20) and stern warnings to saved souls (Deut 30:15-20; John 15:1-11; 1 Cor 10:1-12; Heb 5-6). We should embrace the full counsel of God’s Word regarding salvation (Jude 20-25) and avoid formulations that mute or artificially amplify any portion of scripture.

• Believer’s Baptism (Immersion in water): Following Jesus’ command (Matt 28:18-19) and the New Testament examples (Acts 8:30-38), we baptize (in conjunction with a confession of faith and calling on the Lord) for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16). We do not isolate baptism as a step to salvation, but an expression of repentance, confession and faith in Jesus as Lord and savior (Mark 16:16; Acts 10:43-48; Acts 16:30-33; Gal 3:23-29; Col 2:11-14; 1 Pet 3:21). Citing these passages is not meant to read baptism into every scripture about Jesus’ death and resurrection, repentance, belief and forgiveness of sin, but to understand baptism within that context. The baptized believer verbally and physically identifies with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, whose shed blood is the ultimate basis for forgiveness. The memory of submitting to the likeness of His death and resurrection serves as an ongoing reminder to consider oneself dead to sin and live accordingly (Rom 6:1-14).

• Sinners / Saints: God’s redeemed people still have a fallen nature (“the flesh”) which tempts us to sin (Rom 7:14-25; Is 64:6; Psalm 51:5). We all stumble in many ways (James 3:2); if a Christian sins, God calls him to recognize and confess it, for forgiveness and cleansing (Matt 6:9-15; 1 John 1:6-10; James 5:14-16). Yet those in Christ are a new creation (2 Cor 5:16-17; Gal 6:14-16; 1 Tim 1:5; Eze 36:26-27), indwelled by the Holy Spirit to think and walk in God’s way (Rom 8:9-10). While awareness of our flesh brings vigilance against temptation, awareness of our status as saints brings expectation of victory by the power of God (Rom 8:29-37; 2 Cor 4:7; Phil 1:1-6; 1 John 3:5-10).

• God’s Kingdom and our Citizenship: Jesus and his apostles preached the good news of the Kingdom of God (Luke 5:43; Matt 13; Acts 28:30-31). It is essentially the righteousness, peace and joy of God himself (Rom 14:17), ruling in the hearts of His redeemed (Col 3:15), who manifest His goodness in all their work and interactions (Matt 5:13-16; 2 Cor 2:14-17; Col 3:23-24). Under Jesus’ lordship, this inner reality and outward effect of the Kingdom is spreading throughout the world, and will one day encompass it (Matt 13:31-33; Micah 4; Isaiah 11:1-9). Our citizenship in God’s Kingdom is fundamental and ultimate in a way no earthly citizenship could be (John 18:36; Phil 3:20-21; Heb 11:13-16; 2 Pet 3:13). Meanwhile, God has ordained secular powers, giving rulers and high officials the authority to uphold a measure of order, justice and peace in the civil realm by rewarding good and punishing evil. These are God’s servants, accountable to Him and under his authority (Rom 13; Dan 2:19-23; 4:34-37).  In turn, God calls us to treat them with honor, good will and submission (1 Pet 2:13-17; 1 Tim 2:1-4), while keeping obedience to the King of kings as our highest obligation (Dan 3:10-18; Acts 5:27-29; 17:6-9). Scripture nowhere forbids us from participation in secular authority (Gen 45:8, Dan 1:17-20, Luke 3:10-14; Matt 8:8-13). As ambassadors of God’s Kingdom (2 Cor 5:11-21), we may rightly advocate for the secular law and justice imposed on God’s image bearers to be guided and constrained by His decrees – and rightly thank Him for resulting earthly blessings (Prov 6:16-17, 14:34; Jer 29:4-7; Psalm 2:10-12).

• Eternal Judgement, Eternal Home: At the final judgement, anyone whose name is not found in the lamb’s book of life will suffer eternally for his evil and unbelief. Jesus, the lamb, is also the light of eternal glory and goodness. All the redeemed will live with him forever in the holy city – New Jerusalem come down from heaven, where God will dwell with man in a perfect new earth illuminated by His righteousness and free of sin, sickness, or death (Rev 20-22; Matt 13:49-50; Heb 12:22-23; Isaiah 2; Isaiah 25; Isaiah 65:17-23; Acts 3:19-21, John 14:2-3, Luke 10:20).

• Holy Spirit is a precious gift who enlightens the scriptures to our mind and applies them to our heart (John 16:13; Gal 5:22-23). We aim to be a people of prayer. In harmony with God’s written Word, we desire further understanding of the Holy Spirit’s presence (1 Cor 3:16) and further yielding to His work and leading in us (Rom 8:14-17). We are cautious against misconceptions that could bring disorder, confusion or condemnation to the flock. We specifically deny the claim that speaking in tongues is a necessary evidence of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Rom 8:9; 1 Cor 12:29-31), that physical healing is always God’s will (1 Tim 5:23; Heb 9:27), or that physical and material blessings should be a focal point (Luke 9:58; Ps 119:72; 1 Tim 6:17). The fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. These qualities demonstrated in the life of a believer confirm spiritual life and growth by God’s grace and to His glory (Gal 5:22-25, 2 Pet 1:3-8).

Our Values

Great Commandment

Matthew 22:36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

Great Commission

Matthew 28:18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Great Community

Acts 2:42-47 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

We realize that coming to a new place can be a bit intimidating, so we try to create an environment that is friendly and inviting. Riverside is a family of God where you can connect with real people. We meet for Bible study at 9:30am and worship at 11am, with time for conversation and snacks before and after service.

Friends here strive to make you feel welcome wherever you are on your faith journey. Maybe you have been in church your whole life or maybe this is the first time you have considered attending; either way, there is a place for you here. We invite you to come experience community at Riverside.

During the service, we celebrate by singing, praying, taking communion, and listening to a message from God’s Word. Music team members take turns leading us in song, with lyrics projected for you to follow along. You can participate in a way that is comfortable and worshipful for you. We’re excited to meet you this weekend!

Sunday Meeting Times:

• Bible Study and Prayer: 9:30 am
• Fellowship, Coffee and Snacks: 10:30 am
• Worship: 11:00 am