Beliefs

This is the page on most church websites where you would find long lists of theological statements and rules about what you have to believe and how you have to behave.

That’s not how we do things at Grace Church in Nutley. Because, first and foremost, what we believe is that God loves you – no exceptions!

Grace Church in Nutley is a parish of The Diocese of Newark in The Episcopal Church in the United States and member of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Our beliefs are grounded in the Holy Bible as interpreted through the historic Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds; as expressed in the liturgy found in The Book of Common Prayer. While this is what we teach and what we believe in community, we also understand that not everyone who arrives here is ready to accept all these claims—and that is okay. The people who make up Grace Church in Nutley are more interested in helping one another know God’s love through Jesus Christ than getting you to accept a checklist of ideas.

In fact, Grace Church in Nutley is not a place for people who already have everything all together or everything figured out. We gather, journey, and explore these ideas and beliefs together so that we can grow in love for God and our neighbors. We’re not a church focused on having an answer to every question; rather, we’re a church that welcomes questions and doubts on our journey to become better followers of Jesus.

Most Episcopalians will tell you that we are part of a church tradition that’s defined by how we gather together to worship God and how we live out our faith in our lives. So, if you’d like to join us in exploring that reality, figuring out what it means for your life, and determining how you live with others in peace, we’d love to have you.

At our present point in history we believe it is important to clearly state that Grace Church in Nutley is a LGBTQ+ affirming community. Along with the larger Episcopal Church, our parish leadership and congregation hold that being LGBTQ+ is fully compatible with being a Christian and one’s gender expression or sexual identity is not sinful. We welcome LGBTQ+ people to fully participate in our communal life and may take on leadership positions, be married, and receive all of the sacraments available.