Forgiveness, Joy & Gospel Life
Does God even know us? At Emmanuel Church we believe not only does God know us, He so loved the world that He became a true man–Emmanuel, God with us–in order to experience the effects of sin and death, overcome them on the cross, and give life to the world. As Jesus fed the hungry, healed the sick, comforted the afflicted, loved the unlovely, called everyone to repent, and gave up his life, he fully revealed the Father to us and brought his kingdom from heaven to earth.
The Gospel is the good news that Jesus suffered in our place for our sins, rose from the dead, ascended to heaven and reigns at God’s right hand. He calls us to receive the forgiveness of sin and enter now into the joy of His abundant life empowered personally by the Holy Spirit.
Wherever you are in your faith, we welcome you to join us as we explore the depths of our majestic and holy God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Mission
The mission of Emmanuel Church is to see the earth filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14). We do this through worship, discipleship, and service.
Worship
The earth is the Lord’s and all its fulness, and therefore in one sense all of life is an act of worship: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). But not every part of life has equal significance, and our Maker gathers us to a unique and wonderful meeting every week to renew, celebrate, confess, sing, learn, give, pray, eat, drink and be blessed along with all of his people. The Bible teaches you become like what you worship (Ps. 115:8) which is why the Christian life centers on worshiping the triune God. We come to the Father, through the Son, by the power of the Spirit, and in doing so we learn to reflect his love, mercy, power, humility, creativity, kindness, justice and holiness. We worship the living God who made heaven and earth, and so our worship is joyful, lively and reverent.
Discipleship
And Jesus came and said to them, “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.” –Matthew 28:18-20
The mission of the church is twofold: birth and growth. These begin in worship but flow from there into the rest of life. Birth happens in the proclamation of the gospel as people hear, believe and are baptized, so we are committed to sharing the good news and our own lives with those outside the church. Growth happens as Christians enter into close fellowship with other believers, so we encourage small groups for prayer, study, support and accountability.
Service
Jesus didn’t come to be served, but to serve. He was the anointed King and God incarnate who astonishingly took the lowest task of washing his disciples’ feet. He then told them to do the same for one another (Jn. 13:1-20). To feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome strangers, clothe the naked and visit the sick and imprisoned is to serve Christ: ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (Mat. 25:40).
This call to love one another begins in the church and extends to our neighbors, communities and cities. Like any family, we have countless opportunities to serve from making worship happen on Sundays to hospitality and life in the community throughout the week. Emmanuel Church seeks to function as the body of Christ and use our time, talent and treasure to meet the needs of every member.
Our Story
Converted reading the New Testament and Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis in seventh grade, it wasn’t until high school that my (Pastor Jerry Owen, here in the first person) faith broadened and flourished as a result of weekly worship and preaching at Trinity Church (then Eastside Evangelical Fellowship) in Bellevue, WA.
After completing ministerial training at Greyfriars Ministerial Hall, I returned to Trinity Church in 2007 to serve as an Associate Pastor. In 2013, as an outgrowth of our desire to see the church grow and the great commission fulfilled, the elders commissioned me, two other officers and a small group of like-minded families to start Emmanuel Church on the north end of Lake Washington.
Our desire is to see people reconciled to Christ, families put back together, and the Word of God applied to everything–all of Christ for all of life–for His glory and our joy. God has continually opened doors and blessed our work, and we invite you to join us.
Lead Pastor
Jerry Owen earned a B.A. in Classical Studies from University of Idaho, M.Litt from University of St. Andrews, and G.L. from Greyfriars Ministerial Hall. He met Jennie, his wife-to-be, in 2003 at the beginning of his ministerial training which made the whole thing even more fun. They have five kids (George, Cecilia, Helen, Molly and Lucy) who make for a constant adventure.
What We Believe
Scripture
We believe the Old and New Testaments are infallible, inspired, complete and preserved by the Holy Spirit. The Bible is God’s special revelation and authoritative for doctrine, faith and life. (John 16:12-13; I Thessalonians 2:13; II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:20-21)
God
We believe in the living God, the Trinity, one God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; John 1:1-2; 1 Peter 1:1-2)
Jesus
We believe in the fulness of time, the Word of God, the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, took on flesh, became man, and was born of the virgin Mary. (Matthew 1:21-23; Luke 1:35; John 1:1, 14)
Sin
We believe man was created in the image of God, free of sin. Through Adam’s disobedience, sin and death came into the world, marring the image of God in man and corrupting his nature. We believe all have sinned, fallen short of the glory of God and are by nature objects of wrath. Sinners are completely unable to save themselves. (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23; 5:12 Ephesians 1-3,12)
Salvation
We believe salvation is by grace through faith alone, all of it the gift of God, in the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus. We love God because He first loved us. Saving faith is living, trusting, and abiding by the indwelling work of Holy Spirit who enables believers to work out the salvation that God worked in. (Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12; Ephesians 1:7; I Peter 1:18-20; James 2:14-26; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 4:23-24; Philippians 2:12)
Church
We believe the Church is the bride of Christ, the mother of believers, the pillar and ground of the truth. We believe in the Church catholic, that is, universal and worldwide (not centralized at Rome or anywhere else), marked by word and sacrament (baptism and communion), and purified and protected by discipline. The Church is to be led by qualified elders and deacons and accomplish the great commission to disciple the nations. (Ephesians 5:29-32; Galatians 4:26; 1 Timothy 3:15; Acts 14:27; 18:22; 20:17; I Timothy 3:1,3; Matthew 28:18-20)
Return of Christ
We believe that Jesus is reigning at the right hand of the Father until all His enemies are beneath His feet, the last enemy being death. He will return again to judge the living and and the dead, raise the just and unjust, and swallow up death in victory. (Psalm 110:1; 1 Corinthians 15:25-26, 50-55).