Frequently Asked Questions

Is Sovereign Grace a denomination?

What are your primary beliefs and doctrinal emphases?

What do you mean by "essentially Reformed"?

How can you be both Reformed and charismatic?

What do you believe about spiritual gifts and the work of the Holy Spirit?

How did your theology develop?

How do you govern your churches?

How do you train and qualify your leaders?

Your Statement of Faith says "Leadership in the church is male." Why?

Why do you write and publish your own worship music?

What are your views on water baptism?

Is Sovereign Grace a Denomination?

Although an outside observer might see some similarities, we are not a denomination. We prefer to describe ourselves as a family of churches. The distinction is not simply semantic. There are a number of differences, in structure and practice, between Sovereign Grace and most denominations. Typically, churches within denominations are joined together primarily by legal and bureaucratic structures. The churches within Sovereign Grace are legally independent, yet are joined by a shared mission to proclaim the gospel through the planting and strengthening of local churches, an emphasis on sound doctrine, and personal relationships. These ties find expression through each church's voluntary relationship to the Sovereign Grace leadership team, which serves the churches through personal care, administrative assistance, and ongoing theological and leadership training and support.

What are your primary beliefs and doctrinal emphases?

At the core of our doctrine is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is our primary passion, both in our proclamation and our daily lives. We are active and intentional about being a cross-centered, gospel-centered family of churches. Surrounding this core is an emphasis on sound doctrine. We describe our doctrine as being "essentially Reformed," yet including a commitment to charismatic practice as biblically defined. Finally, we desire all these convictions to inspire a passion for the local church, the context where all believers are to grow in holiness, be equipped for service, and bear witness to the saving grace of God.

Do You Want To Know More? Please see our Statement of Faith as well as the book, The Cross-Centered Life.

What do you mean by "essentially Reformed"?

A helpful way to summarize it is that we hold to a Reformed soteriology (the doctrine of salvation). We believe that God is sovereign over all things including the salvation of individual sinners, and that all things, including salvation, have as their ultimate goal the glory of God. Such a perspective keeps the gospel central and grace amazing.

We do believe and cherish the doctrines that historically have been called the "TULIP" (Total depravity; Unconditional election; Limited atonement or, more accurately phrased, particular redemption; Irresistible grace or, more accurately phrased, effectual calling; and Perseverance of the saints). However, we never want to focus on more narrow aspects of Reformed theology to the neglect of truths that are central, and that we share with many other Christians. These truths include the gospel, sola fide (justification by faith alone), and sola Scriptura (Scripture alone as the sole infallible source of doctrine and authority).

While we believe these components of the Reformed perspective faithfully represent the teaching of Scripture, our ultimate theological commitment is not to a particular system of theology, but to theology that is biblical. We have no other boast but the cross of Christ.

The word "essentially" also refers to a few aspects of doctrine and practice that are common to many Reformed traditions but to which we do not hold. These include infant baptism, cessationism (the belief that some "miraculous" spiritual gifts have ceased), and some traditionally Reformed types of church government.

Do You Want To Know More? C.J. Mahaney's message, Sovereign Grace, addresses the doctrine of election and the importance of interpreting one's conversion experience biblically. The message is available in audio or video formats, and has been adapted to print in "Sovereign Grace and the Glorious Mystery of Election," the first title in our Perspectives series. You can preview the video when you visit the Sovereign Grace Store. Alternatively, you may be interested in a message given by Jeff Purswell, Dean of our Pastors College, called "What It Means to Be Essentially Reformed." The outline of this message is also posted on the Sovereign Grace Store. Finally, you can read our entire book, This Great Salvation, for free on our website.

How can you be both Reformed and charismatic?

While such a combination is not common, it is by no means theologically inconsistent. A cessationist perspective (i.e., a belief that the so-called "sign gifts" of the New Testament came to an end after the apostles) does not follow necessarily from the general tenets of Reformed theology. Indeed, a robust view of the sovereignty of God suggests that believers can expect to experience regularly what some theologians have called "the active presence of God."

The insistence that gifts such as prophecy were limited to the apostolic age most commonly arises from entirely understandable concerns about the issue of revelation. Scripture is truly, and must remain, the only source of inspired, inerrant, authoritative revelation from God for the faith and life of the church. However, New Testament teaching regarding spiritual gifts in no way implies that the gifts necessarily endanger the role of Scripture in the church's life. Our experience with spiritual gifts confirms this.

The best way to prevent the undermining of Scripture's authority is, quite simply, to maintain and teach a high view of Scripture. Scripture must be allowed to function in a way that demonstrates that it is indeed God's normative revelation for the faith and life of the church. This includes allowing Scripture to govern the use of spiritual gifts. We strongly believe that, when gifts such as prophecy and tongues are viewed in light of Scripture, and their use is tested and governed by Scripture, two things will happen: God's people will be edified by the proper functioning of the gifts in accord with God's purposes, and Scripture will be protected as the only "authoritative and normative rule and guide of all Christian life, practice, and doctrine" (see our Statement of Faith).

Do You Want To Know More? We recommend the Sovereign Grace audio series, The Giver & the Gifts: A Charismatic Perspective. This series, addressing the person and work of the Holy Spirit, was assembled from messages given at various conferences and churches.

What do you believe about spiritual gifts and the work of the Holy Spirit?

We hold to the complete continuity of all the spiritual gifts referred to in Scripture. We find nothing in Scripture that suggests that these gifts have passed away or will pass away. Rather, Scripture portrays these gifts as available to believers and vital to the mission of the church. We want to be obedient to Scripture's commands, not simply to acknowledge spiritual gifts, but to "earnestly desire" them (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:1).

Thus, we are "charismatic" in that we believe in the present-day work of the Holy Spirit in the many ways that the Spirit's work is described and manifested in Scripture. However, we are careful to emphasize the broad work of the Spirit. We never want to be preoccupied with the more "spectacular" aspects of the Spirit's work to the neglect of the countless ways in which the Spirit is at work in our lives. Most importantly, nothing could be more spectacular, miraculous, or powerful than God's work of regeneration in a person's heart.

Do You Want To Know More? There is an annotation to our Statement of Faith regarding the empowering of the Holy Spirit which answers some more specific questions. In addition, we recommend the following articles: The Non-Spectacular Gifts: Unimpressive or Unappreciated?, "Passion, Power, and Presence," and $newwin%"Let the Thirsty Come & Drink."

How did your theology develop?

Many of our leaders became Christians during the early days of the charismatic renewal of the 1970s. From the beginning, the Scriptures played a central role in our practice as churches. We have always identified ourselves as charismatic, and have benefited from the exercise of the spiritual gifts. Over the years, our emphasis upon and appreciation for sound doctrine has only grown, and we have sought to bring greater theological definition and precision to our beliefs and practices. Although in our early days we would not have identified with the label "Reformed," the general contours of Reformed theology have been present in our churches from our early days. C.J. Mahaney, the man who leads Sovereign Grace Ministries, has noted that he began reading and discovering the Reformed theologians and the Puritans shortly after his conversion in 1972.

Another early conviction that has never waned is our commitment to the local church. Therefore, our primary interest from the beginning was not merely how to articulate our doctrine, but how our doctrine should be applied in the lives of individuals throughout our churches. Our goal is to create God-centered believers who are amazed by the gospel, secure in and grateful for the grace that converts, sanctifies, and sustains them by the power of the Holy Spirit, and who are eager to employ their spiritual gifts (spectacular and non-spectacular) to proclaim the gospel and to build up and edify the Church for the glory of God.

Do You Want To Know More? We recommend the Sovereign Grace audio series, The Church: The Dearest Place on Earth. The series starts with C.J. Mahaney's conversion testimony and the history of Covenant Life Church, which was the first church in the Sovereign Grace family. The other topics addressed include small groups, the Sunday meeting, leadership, church discipline, the sacraments, commitment to the local church, and more.

How do you govern your churches?

Like most church associations, Sovereign Grace Ministries has a defined form of church government based upon our best attempts at biblical theology. While our convictions have been formed and applied over two decades of church ministry, we recognize that our "polity" (governing structure) does not warrant the passion reserved exclusively for Christ and him crucified. Our polity stands upon three principles: plurality among elders, the senior pastor, and partnership with apostolic ministry.

We practice plurality of church leadership for the simple but compelling reason that the churches represented in the New Testament were governed by more than one leader. We call this plurality "team ministry." It is the strength and unity of team ministry that provide the foundation from which elders serve the church and stand accountable for their lives and doctrine.

The role of senior pastor is based upon the foundation of plurality, which prevents a drift towards autocracy. The Old Testament offers a gallery of names that remind us of God's practice of using one to influence many. In the gospels, we are told that Christ chose the Twelve, but ordained Peter to fill a uniquely prominent role. In New Testament times, the Jewish synagogues were ruled by a council of elders, but each council had a chairman, or "ruler of the synagogue." In like manner, Paul led a growing team of apostolic men. In the Trinity there is a head, in the church there is a head, and in the home there is a head. These examples, and many others, illustrate the notion that biblical leadership, though shared, is most frequently organized and facilitated by a central figure. The senior pastor is therefore called to build a team, not a personal ministry. His effectiveness should be measured by the maturity of his plurality.

With regard to the principle of apostolic ministry, we want to be clear that the men identified as apostles within Sovereign Grace Ministries are understood by all to hold a position decidedly and radically inferior to that of the original twelve Apostles. But the label is retained because Scripture appears to offer another type of apostle? one that neither writes Scripture, nor is counted among the twelve. In fact, there appear to be at least eight others, apart from Paul himself, who graced the pages of the New Testament in apostolic ministry. In our view, apostolic ministry can exist today without comparing its authority or impact to Paul or the twelve. Briefly stated, the role of the apostle is to ensure that the gospel is preached and applied in the daily life of the church. Concentrating attention on the writings of Luke and Paul, one might conclude that apostles are devoted to church planting, being set apart for the gospel and sent forth with the gospel, that they might protect the gospel and build with the gospel. They are called to serve churches as spiritual fathers, with primary responsibility during a formative season in a local church (much as earthly fathers do with the formative years of their children), a pattern that eventually transforms into a partnership with mature local churches.

Do You Want To Know More? We recommend a publication in our Perspectives series, "Polity: Serving and Leading the Local Church," by Dave Harvey.

How do you train and qualify your leaders?

We believe that the biblical standard for church leadership, on any level or in any position, must include character and integrity, proven through humility and accountability. Gifting is certainly important, but it cannot qualify a man for ministry apart from sufficiently godly character.

Within the Sovereign Grace churches there is a strong emphasis on every-member ministry. Therefore, there are numerous leadership opportunities within any single local church, from leading ministry teams and small groups to pastoral ministry. As any pastor knows, those serving in non-staff leadership roles in the local church are truly heroes whose labors are invaluable for the care and counsel on the "front lines" of church life. Our churches employ various training programs and discipleship groups for these leaders on the local level, and Sovereign Grace offers materials and conferences to assist in this training.

We believe that the primary responsibility for identifying and training pastors lies with the local church. Using the same criteria mentioned above, pastors have the responsibility to identify and raise up into pastoral ministry men whose character and gifting appear to indicate a pastoral call on their lives.

Recognizing the limited resources of many congregations, we seek to serve our churches with the Pastors College. The college exists to train leaders for ministry within our churches, and to support existing pastors with ongoing theological training. Men who display a pastoral call are recommended by their churches and then invited to attend the Pastors College. This is a nine-month program of rigorous academic training within the context of particular local church? Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Because the men are trained in the context of a church, they are able to participate in a model of a local church, and observe and learn from that model. Thus we build into them the values for local-church life and ministry that we hope to see replicated in the churches we plant.

Graduates of the Pastors College serve in a variety of capacities, from internships to staff positions to leading church-plants. After a period of observation and proven ministry, the apostolic team, in concert with the relevant pastors, oversees an ordination process that involves written and oral testing on the wide variety of biblical, theological, and practical concerns related to pastoral ministry.

Do You Want To Know More? If you'd like to know more about our small-group model, you can read our book, Why Small Groups?, online. For more information about our Pastors College, visit the Sovereign Grace Ministries Website. Articles profiling previous Pastors College classes are in our online magazine.

Your Statement of Faith says "Leadership in the church is male." Why?

It is important first to affirm that men and women are created equally in the image of God and are therefore equal in personhood, importance, and dignity before God. As believers saved by the grace of God through the gospel, men and women are co-heirs of the grace of life, and neither can claim special status or privilege in the church. Moreover, all Christians are called to be vital and committed members of a local church, and to use their gifts for the edification of the church and the glory of God.

All of this points to the vital role that women are to play in the church. However, in keeping with God's created design, Scripture restricts women in one area: they are not permitted "to teach or to have authority over a man" (1 Timothy 2:11). The distinction between men and women is therefore not one of worth but of role. The role differences between men and women reflect the differences in roles between the members of the Trinity, and differences in the creation order (that is, man was created before woman, yet both are equally in the image of God). We therefore believe that all members of the church are to use their gifts for God's glory, but that the leadership of the church is reserved for men.

Yet the leadership role is only a small portion of church life. Women in Sovereign Grace churches have vital roles to play in the building up of the church and the advancement of the gospel, as do men who are not pastors. Women are expected to cultivate their gifts, use them to the glory of God, and labor alongside their brothers for the cause of the gospel.

Complementary roles for men and women, including an honor and respect of women equal to that of men, contribute to the overall vitality of the church. Pastors are called to equip the church as a whole for the work of ministry, not to do all the work of the ministry. Because we are all focused on Christ and him crucified, we all share in the joy of seeing the gospel advanced.

Do You Want To Know More? We support the complementarian position of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. Two highly recommended books on the subject are Evangelical Feminism and Biblical Truth by Wayne Grudem (Multnomah), and Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, edited by Wayne Grudem and John Piper (Crossway). This book is available as a free PDF download. You can also read the Danvers Statement, which Sovereign Grace supports.

Why do you write and publish your own worship music?

Song plays a vital role in the life of the church, with the single most influential factor being lyrical content. Worship songs and hymns having lyrics that are faithful to Scripture are a primary means of enabling believers to confess their faith and express their affections to God. Moreover, they equip the church with an accurate understanding of biblical truth. Therefore, we are committed to using songs in our corporate worship, from a variety of sources, that faithfully express God's truth. We are grateful both for the rich heritage of songs from church history, and for those who compose new songs that bring glory to God and strength to his people, including a number of songwriters within Sovereign Grace churches.

Bob Kauflin, our director of worship development, puts the importance of songs and our participation in this field this way:

"When choosing songs for times of corporate worship, our primary considerations are gospel, theology, and passion. We also look for easily sung melodies, creative music that complements the lyrics, and songs that fill out themes that are lacking in our current repertoire. These values motivate us to spend many hours poring through CDs, songbooks, and hymnals to find material that can help build up the church.

"We've also attempted to make a small contribution to the church by seeking to write and produce songs that reflect these priorities. Certainly we are not the only ones committed to the values I've mentioned, and we're the first to protest when someone refers to 'Sovereign Grace worship.' What we are pursuing, and want to encourage others in, is biblical worship. Whether or not you are part of a congregation associated with Sovereign Grace, our prayer is that you and your local church will continue to grow in your understanding of and commitment to corporate worship that truly honors God."

Do You Want To Know More? There are numerous resources on our site about worship, including audio messages from our previous worship conferences and Bob's DVD, "The Call of the Christian Musician." Useful articles include "Why We Sing", "Learning to Love the Truth," and "What Makes 'Worship' Worship?"

What are your views on water baptism?

We believe baptism is properly administered to those who have placed faith in Christ. Baptism in water should be one of the first acts of obedience for new followers of Christ (Matthew 28:19). Being baptized publicly in water is a bold testimony to all who witness it that changes have occurred in our lives: first, that God has mercifully regenerated us, and second, that we have consciously turned away from our former way of life. Baptism does not save us; we have been saved by the substitutionary work of Jesus on our behalf. Nor does water baptism remove our sinful nature or regenerate our souls. Rather, baptism is a sign of our allegiance to Jesus, a declaration that we have been united with Christ in his death and resurrection.

As important as baptism is, we do not believe that it should be a source of contention among Christians. (We must, however, disagree firmly with a doctrine known as "baptismal regeneration," inasmuch as this position endangers the gospel itself.)

While we do not believe in infant baptism, we wholeheartedly embrace as brothers and sisters in Christ the many Christians who sincerely hold this view (assuming, of course, commonality of the gospel and other core doctrines such as the Trinity, the divinity of Christ, etc.).