ABOUT US
Every church has its own distinct flavour. If you were to walk into Riverwood this weekend you would probably discover ours pretty quickly. We’re casual...with most people wearing jeans to church. We’re real...which means we value openness, authenticity, and transparency. We’re creative. We love using colours, music, and media to tell the story of God’s love and grace. Oh yeah, and we love our coffee!
Our mission, vision, and values can be summed up in something we call
L3 Living
L1
Living Intimate with God
L2
Living in Deep Community
L3
Living Lives of Influence
RIVERWOOD DNA
IT'S NOT ABOUT ME!
We take our eyes off of ourselves to worship God and serve those who aren’t even here yet.
WE WILL BE REAL, NOT PERFECT!
We will be authentic, even when it’s not pretty.
FOLLOWING ANCIENT PATHWAYS!
We feel called to share the ageless message of the Bible in ways that make sense and inspire people. We make every effort to communicate the Gospel with the life and vibrancy in which it was intended.
DIGNITY WITHOUT LIMITS!
We love welcoming and including people equally, regardless of skin colour, gender, religion, ethnicity, age, physical ability, sexual orientation, social or economic class, or nationality. Everyone is welcome to attend, worship, and participate.
ACTIVISTIC INVESTMENTS IN OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD!
We believe that faith is an action word and our presence in the community should be making life better for everyone.
RAISING UP THE NEXT!
We love to flatten the playing field and give power away. We invest in people, release leadership, and are attempting to change the world by empowering each generation.
WE DON’T HAVE WHAT IT TAKES!
That’s why we pray a lot and ask God for help.
EVERYBODY SERVE! EVERYBODY GIVE!
We’re all in this together. We each have a role to play.
MODEST BUILDINGS, MAXIMUM IMPACT!
We recycle buildings and keep our operations lean so we can invest in people.
ADVENTURE LIVING!
We revel in a good off-road adventure, so on the journey of life-transformation to be more like Jesus, we resist following the crowd or getting stuck and stalled!
GROWING SMALLER!
We are constantly working to connect people in meaningful relationships and build our church ‘smaller’, so everyone has a group of people they are journeying with!
RELENTLESS REACHING!
With bold faith, we set impossible goals, punch above our weight, and expect giants to fall.
IT'S NOT ABOUT ME!
We take our eyes off of ourselves to worship God and serve those who aren’t even here yet.
WE WILL BE REAL, NOT PERFECT!
We will be authentic, even when it’s not pretty.
FOLLOWING ANCIENT PATHWAYS!
We feel called to share the ageless message of the Bible in ways that make sense and inspire people. We make every effort to communicate the Gospel with the life and vibrancy in which it was intended.
DIGNITY WITHOUT LIMITS!
We love welcoming and including people equally, regardless of skin colour, gender, religion, ethnicity, age, physical ability, sexual orientation, social or economic class, or nationality. Everyone is welcome to attend, worship, and participate.
ACTIVISTIC INVESTMENTS IN OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD!
We believe that faith is an action word and our presence in the community should be making life better for everyone.
RAISING UP THE NEXT!
We love to flatten the playing field and give power away. We invest in people, release leadership, and are attempting to change the world by empowering each generation.
WE DON’T HAVE WHAT IT TAKES!
That’s why we pray a lot and ask God for help.
EVERYBODY SERVE! EVERYBODY GIVE!
We’re all in this together. We each have a role to play.
MODEST BUILDINGS, MAXIMUM IMPACT!
We recycle buildings and keep our operations lean so we can invest in people.
ADVENTURE LIVING!
We revel in a good off-road adventure, so on the journey of life-transformation to be more like Jesus, we resist following the crowd or getting stuck and stalled!
GROWING SMALLER!
We are constantly working to connect people in meaningful relationships and build our church ‘smaller’, so everyone has a group of people they are journeying with!
RELENTLESS REACHING!
With bold faith, we set impossible goals, punch above our weight, and expect giants to fall.
IT'S NOT ABOUT ME!
We take our eyes off of ourselves to worship God and serve those who aren’t even here yet.
WE WILL BE REAL, NOT PERFECT!
We will be authentic, even when it’s not pretty.
FOLLOWING ANCIENT PATHWAYS!
We feel called to share the ageless message of the Bible in ways that make sense and inspire people. We make every effort to communicate the Gospel with the life and vibrancy in which it was intended.
DIGNITY WITHOUT LIMITS!
We love welcoming and including people equally, regardless of skin colour, gender, religion, ethnicity, age, physical ability, sexual orientation, social or economic class, or nationality. Everyone is welcome to attend, worship, and participate.
ACTIVISTIC INVESTMENTS IN OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD!
We believe that faith is an action word and our presence in the community should be making life better for everyone.
RAISING UP THE NEXT!
We love to flatten the playing field and give power away. We invest in people, release leadership, and are attempting to change the world by empowering each generation.
WE DON’T HAVE WHAT IT TAKES!
That’s why we pray a lot and ask God for help.
EVERYBODY SERVE! EVERYBODY GIVE!
We’re all in this together. We each have a role to play.
MODEST BUILDINGS, MAXIMUM IMPACT!
We recycle buildings and keep our operations lean so we can invest in people.
ADVENTURE LIVING!
We revel in a good off-road adventure, so on the journey of life-transformation to be more like Jesus, we resist following the crowd or getting stuck and stalled!
GROWING SMALLER!
We are constantly working to connect people in meaningful relationships and build our church ‘smaller’, so everyone has a group of people they are journeying with!
RELENTLESS REACHING!
With bold faith, we set impossible goals, punch above our weight, and expect giants to fall.
STATEMENT OF FAITH
There is one God1, who is infinitely perfect2, existing eternally in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.3
1 ISA. 44:6 / 2 MATT. 5:48; DEUT. 32:4 / 3 MATT. 3:16; 28:19
The Holy Spirit is a divine Person, sent to indwell,9 guide, teach and empower the believer, and to convince the world of sin, or righteousness and of judgment.10
9 JOHN 14:16-17 / 10 JOHN 16:7-11; 1COR. 2:10-12
The Old and New Testaments, inerrant as originally given, were verbally inspired by God and are a complete revelation of His will for the salvation of people. They constitute the divine and only rule of Christian faith and practice.11
11 2TIM. 3:16; 2PETER 1:20-21
Humankind, originally created in the image and likeness of God12, incurring thereby both physical and spiritual death. All people are born with a sinful nature, are separated from the life of God, and can be saved only through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ.13 The destiny of the impenitent and unbelieving is existence forever in conscious torment, but that of the believer is everlasting joy and bliss.14
12 GEN. 1:27 / 13 ROM. 8:8; 1JOHN 2:2 / 14 MATT. 25:41-46; 2THES. 1:7-10
Salvation has been provided only through Jesus Christ. Those who repent and believe in Him are united with Christ through the Holy Spirit and are thereby regenerated (born again), justified, sanctified and granted the gift of eternal life as adopted children of God.15
15 TITUS 3:5-7; ACTS 2:38; JOHN 1:12; 1COR. 6:11
It is the will of God that in union with Christ each believer should be sanctified thoroughly16 thereby being separated from sin and the world and fully dedicated to God, receiving power for holy living and sacrificial and effective service toward the completion of Christ’s commission.17 This is accomplished through being filled with the Holy Spirit which is both a distinct event and progressive experience in the life of the believer.18
16 1THES. 5:23 / 17 ACTS 1:8 / 18 ROM. 12:1-2; GAL. 5:16-25
Provision is made in the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ for the healing of the mortal body. Prayer for the sick and anointing with oil as taught in the Scriptures are privileges for the Church in this present age.19
19 MATT. 8:16-17; JAMES 5:13-16
The universal Church, of which Christ is the Head, consists of all those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, are redeemed through His blood, regenerated by the Holy Spirit, and commissioned by Christ to go into all the world as a witness, preaching the Gospel to all nations.20
The local church, the visible expression of the universal Church, is a body of believers in Christ who are joined together to worship God, to observe the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, to pray, to be edified through the Word of God, to fellowship, and to testify in word and deed to the good news of salvation both locally and globally. The local church enters into relationships with other like-minded churches for accountability, encouragement, and mission.21
20 EPH. 3:6-12; 1:22-23 / 21 ACTS 2:41-47; HEB. 10:25; MATT. 28:19-20; ACTS 1:8, 11:19-30; 15
There shall be a bodily resurrection of the just and of the unjust; for the former, a resurrection unto life;22 for the latter, a resurrection unto judgment.23
22 1COR. 15:20-23 / 23 2THES. 1:7-10
Jesus Christ is true God and true man.4 He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.5 He died upon the cross, the Just for the unjust, as a substitutionary sacrifice, and all who believe in Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood. He arose from the dead according to the Scriptures.6 He is now at the right hand of the Majesty on high as our great High Priest.7 He will come again to establish His kingdom of righteousness and peace.8
4 PHIL. 2:6-11; HEB. 2:14-18; COL. 2:9 / 5 MATT. 1:18; LUKE 1:35 / 6 1COR. 15:3-5; 1 JOHN 2:2; ACTS 13:39 / 7 HEB. 4:14-15; 9:24-28 / 8 MATT. 25:31-34; ACTS 1:11
The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is imminent and will be personal and visible.24 As the believer’s blessed hope, this vital truth is an incentive for holy living and sacrificial service toward the completion of Christ’s commission.25
24 1THES. 4:13-17 / 25 1COR. 1:7; TITUS 2:11-14; MATT. 24:14; 28:18