Beliefs
Trinity is an informal, non-denominational church with a shared leadership structure, where all people are encouraged and affirmed in leadership and ministry, according to their gifts. There is no official membership. Rather, those who call Trinity “home” come from a wide variety of theological backgrounds, joining in a common mission and practices. Gatherings are simple and liturgical, without the “high church” feel.
Practices
Mission Statement:
Trinity is fostering a haven of belonging where wanderers and wonderers gather to discover and embody the love of Jesus in the world.
Trinity believes the values and beliefs we hold are best lived out in practice as we embody our mission and move toward our vision. Here’s what we mean when we say we are practicing hospitality, listening, learning, belonging, resting, receiving, serving, and participating:
Jesus is at the center of our faith journey. In his birth, life, death and resurrection, we find the most concrete expression of God's redemptive action throughout history. Because of this, we aspire to embody the love and life of Jesus in everything we do.
As an act of love, we practice HOSPITALITY, inviting those who are hurting, wandering, and wondering to discover the love of Jesus.
Scripture has always had an authoritative and formative role in the life of God’s people. This is true at Trinity as we discover the unfolding story of God. We practice LISTENING to hear the Spirit and the voices of one another, LEARNING what it means to be grounded in, and following Jesus Christ together.
“Church isn’t about being perfect or even all believing the same thing. It’s about a group of people who are attentive to the Spirit of God at work in us and in the world around us.
We seek to join together to love one another the way Jesus did. We practice BELONGING to a family where it is safe to worship, question, be stretched, grow, and find healing without fear of judgment or condemnation, so our communities and world flourish the way God intends. Regardless of age, race, ability, gender, or sexual orientation, all people are invited to experience the essential dignity and intrinsic value as those made in God’s image. All are invited to worship and participate in all levels of ministry, including staff and leadership positions, according to their gifting.
We practice RESTING in being who God has created us to be, finding rhythms that allow us to delight in the ordinary. We open ourselves to practice RECEIVING from God and one another, knowing our human limitations are beautiful and are an important part of recognizing our place in the body of Christ.
The Spirit of God has inspired a story of hope and redemption—declaring what God has already done, is now doing, and God’s promise for the reconciliation of all creation. In that story, we learn who we are and what we are called to do as followers of Jesus. We hold space for varying expressions of faith, including a diversity of practice and thought, for all people in our church family. We embody the love of Jesus in the world by SERVING in ways that align with our gifts and passions, PARTICIPATING in God’s re-narration of the world, and living the Kin(g)dom into existence through faithful presence in everyday spaces, with simplicity, authenticity, and creativity.
Vision
Our vision for Trinity evolves as we do - changing to reflect what we continue to learn about God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and ourselves. While we gather together often, we know the buildings or spaces that hold us are not the Church. Rather, we are the church - moving, learning, growing. We meet at a central location during our Sunday Gatherings but know that we experience our lives in neighborhoods - in the particularities of place. A collective of house churches focused on shared gifts, passions, and dreams, we come together as contemplative activists, thoughtfully embodying slow and steady care in our communities across our city.
Relationships are one of the ways we encounter and abide in the mystery of God. Knowing and being known are the ways we discover the love of God. We know that we encounter Jesus in loving relationships. And so, the Trinity family is made up of those that have wandered to the places they currently find themselves, finding belonging in not only their neighborhoods but in their people. Living in harmony with one another, fostering their common dreams, bearing witness to the image of God - the presence of Christ - in their uniqueness.
As a collective, our house churches unite regularly around a common table and a common hope. We come together to share in the story that is both ancient and ever-unfolding. We come together to listen, to learn, to doubt, to wonder, and to believe. Most importantly, we come together to figure out how to embody the truth of the good news. As we do, we find our place in the story and share how the story lives within us.
Gatherings are havens of belonging - healing experiences among people earnestly yearning for the Kin(g)dom of God that is both here and not yet. We practice an invitation and radical welcome to every person as a beloved member of the Kin(g)dom, no matter what has previously been communicated through words or actions. We are a place for wanderers and wonderers alike -- anyone who seeks to go deeper into life despite turning from dogmas, theologies of their youth, or faith altogether. We are a place for those who feel themselves being pulled back into the mystery. We are a place where connection and depth are fostered and valued - not just for those who call Trinity their church, but for the local community, too. We expand the traditional understanding of family - a place where neighbors are claimed as loved ones, where strangers become known. We are a place where stories are told with vulnerability and held as sacred glimpses of the divine.
Trinity’s mission is to foster a haven of belonging where wanderers and wonderers gather to discover and embody the love of Jesus in the world.
Find out more by reading our vision and learn more about how we embody our faith through practices.