Our Mission

Welcoming neighbors into the loving family of the living God.

These 10 words capture our mission, or purpose, as a local church. These 10 simple words capture some big truths about who we are!

  • Welcoming

    • Just as Christ welcomes us, we welcome others with open arms.

  • Neighbors

    • God created every human and everyone everywhere warrants our love and respect.

  • Into the Loving Family

    • We are here for each other, passionately committed to each other’s well-being.

  • Of the Living God

    • God is active and present, loving and leading us in our everyday lives.

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Our Distinctives

St. Michael’s has four core distinctives that communicate the kind of church we are, what is important to us, and what is behind the scenes motivating us. Click below to learn more.

+Historical Roots

St. Michael’s is deeply and intentionally rooted in Christian history. We have ties to the earliest days of Christianity - which can be seen in our liturgy, submission to the spiritual headship of our Bishop, and adherence to the Creeds and Councils. At the same time, we have a strong Reformational history, being one of the first groups historically to stand up for the Bible as the ultimate authority over the Church, and naming that salvation is from Christ - by grace through faith. Our doctrine and theology are all derived from this historic and Biblical foundation.

+Joyful Community

St. Michael’s is a uniquely intergenerational church that values strong, healthy community - we care for each other, disciple each other, encourage each other’s giftings, and graciously disagree with each other. We “major in the majors,” not spending time dwelling on doctrinal minutiae but focusing instead on the one faith that has been believed everywhere, always, by all (St. Vincent de Lerins). We strive for spiritual and relational maturity and enjoy healthy discussion on differing viewpoints regarding things like the age of the earth, particular gifts of the Holy Spirit, and predestination, and affirm a statement inspired by St. Augustine, “In essentials, Unity; in non-essentials, Liberty; in all things, Charity.”

+Missional Drive

St. Michael’s is part of a larger movement of churches as a member of the Anglican Diocese of the Upper Midwest - all committed to planting a revival of Word and Sacrament infused by the power of the Holy Spirit across the Upper Midwest. We desire to share the Good News of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection through the care for the “least of these” in our midst, a strong call to stand for God’s truth in a lost culture, and a creative and organic approach to outreach and church planting - all under the authority of our Bishop and alongside a bevy of dynamic sister churches.

+Three Streams Worship

St. Michael’s holds the previous distinctives together in our approach to Sunday morning worship. We worship through a variety of expressions, music, and traditions. While the backbone of every Sunday service is the historical Book of Common Prayer, we sing songs that are old and new - you may hear ancient chanting or a hymn by Wesley or a song written last year in any given service. You will see our clergy in robes alongside candles processing down the aisles next to the Cross. But you’ll also see people raising their hands in prayer and an expository sermon following the Biblical text for the day. This is the “Three Streams, One River” approach to Anglicanism - a blending of the Sacramental, Evangelical, and Charismatic. While you may have a preference towards one particular expression, we are encouraged to lean into our discomfort and value other approaches to worship.

 
 
 
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What We Believe

Most importantly, the Anglican Church, and St. Michael’s, believes in “that Faith which has been believed everywhere, always, by all.” We believe what the global Christian Church believes, across denominational lines.

Additionally, there are three historic creeds, or statements of faith, that summarize the shared Christian faith. These serve as our lens for interpreting the Holy Scriptures. Click below to read them in full:

+The Apostle's Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth;

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

+The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, visible and invisible.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son], who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

+The Athanasian Creed

Whosoever will be saved,* before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic Faith.

Which Faith except everyone do keep whole and undefiled, * without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.

And the Catholic Faith is this: * That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity,

Neither confounding the Persons, * nor dividing the Substance.

For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, * and another of the Holy Ghost.

But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one, * the Glory equal, the Majesty co-eternal.

Such as the Father is, such is the Son, * and such is the Holy Ghost.

The Father uncreate, the Son uncreate, * and the Holy Ghost uncreate.

The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, * and the Holy Ghost incomprehensible.

The Father eternal, the Son eternal, * and the Holy Ghost eternal.

And yet they are not three eternals, * but one eternal.

As also there are not three incomprehensibles, nor three uncreated, * but one uncreated, and one incomprehensible.

So likewise the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty, * and the Holy Ghost Almighty.

And yet they are not three Almighties, * but one Almighty.

So the Father is God, the Son is God, * and the Holy Ghost is God.

And yet they are not three Gods, * but one God.

So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, * and the Holy Ghost Lord.

And yet not three Lords, * but one Lord.

For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity * to acknowledge every Person by himself to be both God and Lord,

So are we forbidden by the Catholic Religion, * to say, There be three Gods, or three Lords.

The Father is made of none, * neither created, nor begotten.

The Son is of the Father alone, * not made, nor created, but begotten.

The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son, * neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.

So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; * one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts.

And in this Trinity none is afore, or after other; * none is greater, or less than another;

But the whole three Persons are co-eternal together * and co-equal.

So that in all things, as is aforesaid, * the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshipped.

He therefore that will be saved * must thus think of the Trinity.

Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation * that he also believe rightly the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

For the right Faith is, that we believe and confess, * that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man;

God, of the Substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; * and Man, of the Substance of his Mother, born in the world;

Perfect God and perfect Man, * of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting;

Equal to the Father, as touching his Godhead; * and inferior to the Father, as touching his Manhood.

Who, although he be God and Man, * yet he is not two, but one Christ;

One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, * but by taking of the Manhood into God;

One altogether; not by confusion of Substance, * but by unity of Person.

For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, * so God and Man is one Christ;

Who suffered for our salvation, * descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead.

He ascended into heaven, he sitteth on the right hand of the Father, God Almighty, * from whence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies * and shall give account for their own works.

And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; * and they that have done evil into everlasting fire.

This is the Catholic Faith, * which except a man believe faithfully, he cannot be saved.

 

We also affirm the need to clarify other Scriptural beliefs not specified in the Creeds, since these beliefs also shape our relationship with God. The founding theology of the Anglican Church can be found in the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, as written and interpreted by the English reformers of the 16th to 17th centuries.


Other Resources

The Jerusalem Declaration is a short statement about how Anglicans are grappling with difficult modern issues.

The ACNA Catechism is a helpful summary of Christianity in a Q&A format.

The Anglican Way is a readable full-length book on Anglican beliefs and worship.

Our beliefs also shape the way we worship (our liturgy), which you can read more about here.

The Lambeth Quadrilateral is a statement of four core beliefs that Anglicans hold in common (the centrality of the Bible, the authority of the Creeds, the importance of the Sacraments, and the oversight of Bishops).


Learn more about where our local church family came from and why we are called St. Michael’s.