As you scroll down you will see lots of different aspects that contribute to/describe what we are about. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us through the Contact tab above.
ABOUT US
MISSION & VISION
MISSION: We exist to glorify God by making disciples who are growing in Christ, engaged in ministry and sharing their faith.
VISION: To be a multigenerational, Acts 1:8, Christ-centered community
CORE VALUES
1. We are a church that upholds the Bible as God's word and our final authority.
2. We are a church that chooses to invest in Christ-centered relationships.
3. We are a church that intentionally seeks to introduce others to Jesus, both locally, regionally and internationally.
OBJECTIVES
1. To impact people's lives with the true hope found in Jesus.
2. To be a place where people of all life-stages and differing ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds feel welcomed and cared for, build authentic relationships, and become engaged in our mission.
3. To express our hope together through engaging worship and expectant prayer.
4. To equip and train individuals by walking with them in their life journey so that they may invest in the lives of others.
5. To free people from the bondage of over-scheduled and over-budgeted lives by moderating expectations and thereby allowing their participation in the most important things in life.
6. To inspire people to give sacrificially of their time, talents and resources so that Christ can be shared with others.
7. To sustain alignment with the mission, vision, and values of The Christian and Missionary Alliance through being an Acts 1:8 family.
BELIEFS
The Triune God
There is one God,(1) who is infinitely perfect,(2) existing eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.(3)
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the true God and the true man.(4) He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.(5) He died upon the cross, the Just for the unjust,(6) as a substitutionary sacrifice,(7) and all who believe in Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood.(8) He arose from the dead according to the Scriptures.(9) He is now at the right hand of Majesty on high as our great High Priest.(10) He will come again to establish His kingdom, righteousness and peace.(11)
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is a divine person,(12) sent to dwell, guide, teach, empower the believer,(13) and convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.(14)
The Bible
The Old and New Testaments, inerrant as originally given, were verbally inspired by God and are a complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men. They constitute the divine and only rule of Christian faith and practice.(15)
Sin
Man was originally created in the image and likeness of God:(16) he fell through disobedience, incurring thereby both physical and spiritual death. All men are born with a sinful nature,(17) are separated from the life of God, and can be saved only through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ.(18) The portion of the unrepentant and unbelieving is existence forever in conscious torment;(19) and that of the believer, in everlasting joy and bliss.(20)
Salvation
Salvation has been provided through Jesus Christ for all men; and those who repent and believe in Him are born again of the Holy Spirit, receive the gift of eternal life, and become the children of God.(21)
Sanctification
It is the will of God that each believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit and be sanctified wholly,(22) being separated from sin and the world and fully dedicated to the will of God, thereby receiving power for holy living and effective service.(23) This is both a crisis and a progressive experience wrought in the life of the believer subsequent to conversion.(24)
Healing
Provision is made in the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ for the healing of the mortal body.(25) Prayer for the sick and anointing with oil are taught in the Scriptures and are privileges for the Church in this present age.(26)
The Church
The Church consists of all those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, are redeemed through His blood, and are born again of the Holy Spirit. Christ is the Head of the Body, the Church, (27) which has been commissioned by Him to go into all the world as a witness, preaching the gospel to all nations.(28) The local church is a body of believers in Christ who are joined together for the worship of God, for edification through the Word of God, for prayer, fellowship, the proclamation of the gospel, and observance of the ordinances of Baptism (click here for more info) and the Lord's Supper.(29)
The Resurrection
There shall be a bodily resurrection of the just and of the unjust; for the former, a resurrection unto life;(30) for the latter, a resurrection unto judgment.(31)
The Second Coming of Jesus
The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is imminent(32) and will be personal, visible, and premillennial.(33) This is the believer's blessed hope and is a vital truth which is an incentive to holy living and faithful service.(34)
[1] Deuteronomy 6:4, [2] Matthew 5:48, [3] Matthew 28:19, [4] Philippians 2:6-11, [5] Luke 1:34-38, [6] 1 Peter 3:18, [7] Hebrews 2:9, [8] Romans 5:9, [9] Acts 2:23-24, [10] Hebrews 8:1, [11] Matthew 26:64, [12] John 14:15-18, [13] John 16:13; Acts 1:8, [14] John 16:7-11, [15] 2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Timothy 3:15-16, [16] Genesis 1:27, [17] Romans 3:23, [18] 1 Corinthians15:20-23, [19] Revelation 21:8, [20] Revelation 21:1-4, [21] Titus 3:4-7, [22] 1 Thessalonians 5:23, [23] Acts 1:8, [24] Romans 6:1-14, [25] Matthew 8:16-17, [26] James 5:13-16, [27] Ephesians 1:22-23, [28] Matthew 28:19-20, [29] Acts 2:41-47, [30] 1 Corinthians 15:20-23, [31] John 5:28-29, [32] Hebrews 10:37, [33] Luke 21:27, [34] Titus 2:11-14
OUR HISTORY
The Christian and Missionary Alliance is the outgrowth of the spiritual experiences and missionary vision of Dr. Albert B. Simpson. As a Presbyterian minister and pastor of the prestigious Thirteenth Street Church of New York City, Dr. Simpson was impressed by the appalling spiritual needs of the immigrant masses flooding into the city during the latter part of the nineteenth century. Motivated by the spiritual needs of the metropolitan multitudes in North America as well as by those of the unevangelized peoples abroad, Dr. Simpson launched a vibrant ministry of evangelism and Bible teaching.
Simpson and many believers at the time were compelled by a sense of urgency to take God's message of salvation to all nations, because of Jesus' statement in Matthew 24:14, "This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."
Some of those attracted to the deeper life and missionary emphasis of The Christian and Missionary Alliance were residents of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. When possible, they traveled to New York City or Philadelphia to participate in Alliance meetings. Upon returning, they shared their newfound enthusiasm with neighbors and friends. This group began to have meetings for Bible study and prayer in many different homes, and eventually met regularly each Sunday afternoon at Cedar Home. Today this house faces the Lititz Pike (Rt.501) immediately north of Route 30. In March 1893, a Sunday School was organized there. For the convenience of those who found travel to Cedar Home difficult, simultaneous meetings were held in other homes around Lancaster County.
In 1899, these several groups united, and a growing membership led to the purchase of a permanent church home at 237 West Chestnut Street in December 1903. Continued growth through the years resulted in relocating to a new building on Euclid Avenue and Wabank Road in 1957. In 1982 the congregation moved to its present site at 210 Pitney Road, adjacent to Route 30. Continued growth resulted in a large expansion of the facility in 1991.
More than 50 members of the Lancaster Alliance Church have gone out as missionaries to the foreign fields under the Christian and Missionary Alliance. Many others have served under non-Alliance mission boards and in the pastorate. The Lancaster Alliance church is committed to the C&MA's vision of reaching the unreached and expanding the kingdom of God worldwide.
A portion of this article was adapted from "A Short History of The Christian and Missionary Church, Lancaster, Pa" by Rev. Paul Haagen.