Christians throughout history have held to The Apostles’ Creed. This creed briefly summarises key Christian teachings as taught in the Bible:

I believe in God, the Father, Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty.
From there he shall come 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.

Trinity Church Chester is a Protestant church, distinct from a Roman Catholic church or an Eastern Orthodox church. This is because we believe the Bible teaches what is captured in the “Five Solas” (sola meaning alone or only) of the Reformation:

1. Scripture alone

2. Christ alone

3. Faith alone

4. Grace alone

5. Glory to God alone

The Bible alone is the final authority for what we are to believe. Central to the Bible’s message is that the only basis for our redemption is Jesus Christ, who is to be received by faith. This redemption is all of God’s grace and not a result of any efforts we make to redeem ourselves. As such, all glory belongs to God alone.

Following the Reformation, Reformed churches wrote several foundational confessions of faith that were designed to outline Christian belief in greater detail. These confessions build on the summary found in The Apostles’ Creed and the Five Solas of the Reformation can be observed in the content. As a Presbyterian church, Trinity Church Chester subscribes to the Westminster Standards, which can be found here:

Westminster Confession of Faith
Westminster Larger Catechism
Westminster Shorter Catechism

Trinity Church Chester is congregation of the International Presbyterian Church and details of how the church is governed can be found in the IPC Book of Church Order.