SOVEREIGN GRACE

OUR NAME

Sovereign Grace Bible Church (SGBC) proclaims the historic Gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ which has endured throughout the ages - the gospel which makes known the love of a just God for a fallen world. Our name states basically what we are about.

Sovereign

God rules and is in control of every circumstance. He initiates and sets the terms for our acceptance with Him. We may fully trust Him!

Grace

God in Jesus Christ freely showers us with His goodness though we have merited only His condemnation and judgment. We may call upon Him for a full and free salvation from sin and all its effect in Jesus Christ!

Bible

The Bible is the breathed out word of God that makes known His Son Who is the truth and light of the world. We may obtain a wisdom not our own to enable us to know God and to live a life that honors Him!

Church

In both the Old and New Testaments God has established a body of committed believers joined together for the purpose of worship, edification, fellowship, growth, discipline and service. We may learn to love one another and demonstrate that we are disciples of Jesus Christ!

About The Church

SGBC is an independent church and not affiliated with any denominational institution. We are believers from a variety of church backgrounds and associate with the Fellowship of Independent Reformed Evangelicals (FIRE). We enjoy and benefit from fellowship and joint endeavors with like-minded churches in metro Phoenix and abroad.

SGBC emphasizes the Bible as God’s present speech (word) to humankind. God is not silent and He has initiated to communicate with us in His Word and by sending His Son into our world. The Bible reveals all we need to know about Him and what He expects of us as His creation. Although the Bible was written centuries ago, we believe that its teachings bear directly on the ethical, social, civic and material issues of our day and our personal lives.

We believe that the highest purpose of Christ’s church is to glorify God. To this end we emphasize worship in our services; the singing, prayer, preaching and communion are all structured to promote a God-in-Christ centered, reverent and joyful atmosphere.

We desire to promote right relationships within our families and right attitudes regarding the worship of our Lord. We encourage families to worship, pray and attend the Lord’s supper together. We welcome children of all ages to all our services. We provide nursery care for infants up to two and a children’s church for ages 2-5 during our worship, prayer, Lord’s table, and mid week services. We provide age-appropriate instruction and prepare our children to participate in public worship. It is the parent’s decision to make use of these child care services or not. We desire ages five and up to be with the body of Christ during worship, corporate prayer and for them to observe the Lord’s supper. See our paper “Worshiping with your children” for advice and suggestions on how to incorporate children in public worship. We make special provision for children with special needs.

We also provide Sunday School classes for ages two and up. It is the parents’ decision whether or not to place their children in our Sunday School classes. Children of any age are welcome to attend any of our adult classes with their parents. We take significant steps to ensure the safety of children when they are placed under our care. See our Child Safe Practices policies. (SGBC Policies for Staff & Volunteers)

As a local church we desire the Gospel to be preached faithfully to all, without distinction, inside and outside the church. We are engaged in various pro-life ministries in metro Phoenix. Our prayer is that many would come to experience the glorious grace of God. We desire to see God’s people built up and matured in the faith so as to honor Him in all of their lives.

We hold to the historic reformed view of theology, i.e., those teachings that God restored to His church by using such men as Martin Luther and John Calvin. Reformed theology is reflected in creeds such as the Westminster Confession of Faith and the London Confession of 1689. With millions throughout the ages we gladly confess the great ecumenical creeds; the Apostles Creed, The Nicene Creed and the Chalcedon Creed.