About & Beliefs

ABOUT US

OUR MISSION

Transforming people into vibrant mature

followers of Jesus Christ.

Our goal is to have discipleship (becoming like Jesus) so ingrained in our church family that it is second nature for everyone to commit to a disciple’s life:

Leading people to Jesus
Involvement in the church family
Following Jesus together
Engaging the world

OUR VISION

We seek to be a welcoming faith community of authentic Christ followers.
Worship God with cultural relevance and Biblical reverence.
Pursue spiritual growth and Biblical community.
Serve the needs of people in our church family and the community of South Knoxville.
Support global missions.
Seek the reformation of the Church according to New Testament principles for the sake of unity.
Accept God's will for our lives and our church.

At Woodlawn, we want to see lives changed for Christ so that everyone reflects the image of God and the church truly represents the Kingdom of God. We strive to be a place of fully devoted disciples, each using their gifts to influence others (both inside and outside the church) to grow closer to Christ through relational discipleship.

Woodlawn is historically and theologically connected to the American Restoration Movement, also called the Stone-Campbell Movement. The movement began on the American frontier in the early 19th century and sought to unify all Christians into a single body patterned after the New Testament church. For more information on the Restoration Movement, click here. We are an independent, self-supporting, and self-governing body of Christ followers whose board of elders is elected annually by the congregation.

WHAT WE BELIEVE

ABOUT GOD, THE BIBLE, THE CHURCH

We believe in one God‚ Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Matthew 3:16,17; John 14:9,10, 16, 26)

We believe God is the creator of all things. (Gen 1:1; Acts 17:24-28; Heb 11:3)

We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son and Savior of the world, who died for our sins and arose from the dead.

(John 1:14; 3:16; Matthew 1:18-21; John 20:24-31; 1 Cor 15:1-8; 1 John 4:9)

We believe the Holy Spirit lives in every Christian. (John 16:5-15; 1 Cor 3:16; 6:19,20; 2 Tim 1:14)

We believe the Bible is God's message to mankind, inspired and trustworthy, our final authority for all matters of faith.

(Psalm 119:105; 2 Timothy 3:14-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21)

We believe that mankind, created by God, sinned against God and is consequently lost and without hope apart from faith in Jesus Christ. (Acts 4:12; Rom 3:23; 1 John 1:5-10)

We believe that salvation from sin comes by grace through the blood of Jesus Christ (his death on the cross).

(Matthew 26:28; Rom 5:6-11; 1 Peter 1:18,19)

We believe Christ's death on the cross can be personally received by repentance (turning from sin) and faith at baptism (immersion in water in the name of Christ). (Luke 24:45-47; Acts 2:38,39; Rom 6:1-7; Gal 3:26,27; Col 2:9-12)

We believe in the Church of Jesus Christ, the body and bride of Christ, founded on the day of Pentecost, consisting of all Christians everywhere. (Matt 16:13-18; Acts 2:14-47)

We believe God has provided for the leadership of the local church through the oversight of Elders.

(Acts 20:28; 1 Timothy 3:1-7 Titus 1:5-9; 1 Peter 5:1-4)

We believe the God-given mission of His Church is to make followers of Jesus Christ from out of all the peoples of the world.

(Matthew 28:16-20)

We believe death seals the eternal destiny of each person. The saved in Christ will receive eternal life. The unsaved will experience eternal separation from God. (Rom 8:8-10; John 6:47; Daniel 12:2; John 3:18)

We believe Jesus Christ will one day return to earth to receive all those who believe in Him. (1 Cor 15:23; 1 Thess 4:13-18)

CORE VALUES

OUR CORE VALUES

The Lordship of Jesus: If, as someone has said, core values represent the things we would die for, this is our one core value. Nothing is more important to our faith than the Lordship of Jesus. Having raised Jesus from the dead, God, we believe, “has made Him both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). As such, “He is the Head of the Church” (Col. 1:18). Consequently, as the One to whom it is ultimately and eternally responsible, the Church is to be subject to Him in all things.

The Authority of Scripture: Without Scripture we would not know what we know about Jesus, nor would we know about his plan for the church or his expectations for our lives. We look to no other source as authoritative. We adhere to the Bible as our authority in matters of faith and practice.

The Urgency of the Great Commission: What has come to be known as the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) sets forth the marching orders of the church. It expressly includes the Lordship of Jesus (“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me”), evangelism (“go and make disciples of all nations”), discipleship (“teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you”), and implicitly it includes worship (“and surely I am with you always”). Nothing is more important to the life of the church than evangelism and discipleship.

The Priority of Love: When asked to name the greatest commandment, Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). All that we do must be motivated by our love for God and expressed in a love for our neighbors.

The Importance of the Local Church: All of the letters of the New Testament are to or about the local churches. The emphasis of the New Testament is not on Christians doing their own thing, but about disciples living and working in community. The local churches are the instruments through whom the Great Commission (evangelism, discipleship, worship) is to be carried out. Para-church organizations and non-profits have their place in kingdom work, but nothing can replace the work of the local church.

ABOUT BAPTISM

In the New Testament church, once people believed in Jesus, they were willing to turn from sin (repentance) and publicly confess Christ as Lord, they were then baptized for the forgiveness of their sins and the indwelling gift of the Holy Spirit.

"Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'" Acts 2:38
"Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day." Acts 2:41
"And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name." Acts 22:16

In the original Greek language, baptize meant to dip, plunge, or immerse. In keeping with the Biblical pattern, Woodlawn practices baptism by immersion as part of one's acceptance of Christ for salvation. Baptism is a beautiful picture of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and a way we identify with Christ by dying to our old selves and being raised to a new life.

"Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." Romans 6:3-5
"For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." Galatians 3:27

Due to the Biblical prerequisites of belief, repentance and confession, Woodlawn does not practice infant baptism.

If you haven't already experienced the joy of baptism, we invite you to take the step to accept Christ into your life and be baptized!