About Leroy Community Chapel
WE EXIST TO BRING HOPE TO THIS CITY
Leading people into a life changing relationship with Jesus and equipping them to impact our city and the world.
Statement of Faith
These eight articles summarize the foundation of truth that Leroy Community Chapel professes.
Have questions? Please contact the elders (elders@leroychapel.org) to learn more and discuss further.
We believe in the verbal plenary inspiration of the original language documents of Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21), which is the only infallible, authoritative Word of God (Luke 24:25-27; 1 Thessalonians 2:13).
We believe that there is only one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:26; Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14). God the Father is the creator of all things (Genesis 1:1) and is sovereign in creation, providence, and redemption (Romans 11:36). Jesus Christ possesses all the divine attributes and is coequal and coeternal with the Father (John 10:30; 14:9). At the incarnation Christ surrendered the free use of those divine attributes, but never surrendered His deity, so that He might accept the characteristics of humanity and become the only God-Man (Philippians 2:5-8; Colossians 2:9). The Holy Spirit is a divine person, eternally possessing all the attributes of personality and deity (1 Corinthians 2:10-13). He executes the will of the Father in relation to mankind. He is the supernatural agent in regeneration, baptizing believers into the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). He indwells, sanctifies, instructs, and empowers the saints for service, sealing them unto the day of final redemption (Romans 8:9; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 1:13).
We believe that man was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). That man rejected God and as a result of this rebellion, referred to as The Fall (Genesis 3), was separated from God, and was placed under the condemnation of death (Romans 3:23; 6:23). The entire human race shares in man’s lost condition (Romans 3:9-10; 5:19).
We believe that Jesus Christ is the promised Son of God (Hebrews 1:1-3), the fullness of God in human form (Colossians 1:19). As eternal God, He was the Word of God (John 1:1-2). He was born of the virgin Mary (Matthew 1:23), lived a sinless life (Hebrews 4:15), was crucified as a sacrificial substitute for our sin (Hebrews 10:11-14), conquered death by raising from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-4), ascended to the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 1:3), and will personally return in power and glory to judge the living and the dead (1 Peter 4:5), and to establish his Kingdom (Revelation 12:10).
We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins (Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 1:18; 1 Peter 1:18-19). Through Christ, the sinner is justified before God whereby He declares the guilty sinner not guilty (Romans 8:33). Through the substitution of Christ, man’s sin is imputed to Christ and Christ’s righteousness is imputed to man (2 Corinthians 5:21). God’s wrath is satisfied as His grace is lavished through forgiving sin. Every believer is sanctified unto God through justification and declared holy unto Him instantly (Acts 20:32; Hebrews 2:11). All the redeemed are eternally kept by God and secure in Christ forever (John 5:24, 6:37-40; Romans 5:9-10, 8:1).
We believe that Jesus Christ will return to bring all things to judgment (John 14:3; 2 Corinthians 5:9-10), to set up His kingdom (Revelation 12:10), to bring this age to a close, and to initiate the new heavens and earth (2 Peter 3:10-13). We believe every person will be resurrected from the dead; the believers to an eternal life of blessedness and joy (1 Corinthians 15:51-52), unbelievers to everlasting punishment, and Satan forever put down in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:7-15).
We believe that the Church is commissioned by Christ to “preach the gospel to every creature” and to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19-20). Having received the gospel, every member is an ambassador of the gospel to their world (2 Corinthians 5:17-20). The mission of the local church is to disciple its members to be able to pass on the truth to others as they share the gospel in all they do (Ephesians 4:11-16; 2 Timothy 2:1-2).
To commemorate the work of salvation, we celebrate two ordinances of the faith. (1) Baptism, as a symbol of our cleansing and our new identity as Christians by entering into the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Romans 6:1-5); and (2) The Lord’s Supper, as a symbol of our commitment to the work of redemption – secured through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 11:17-32).
Constitution of Leroy Community Chapel
Last Revision: November 14, 2021
Leroy Community Chapel, having been formed as a not-for-profit corporation [501 (c) (3)] in 1939, hereby adopts the following constitution and bylaws for the governance of said corporation.
Name. The church shall be known as Leroy Community Chapel, hereafter referred to as LCC.
Affiliation. LCC is organized as an independent, autonomous and self-governing body. We maintain affiliations with churches of like faith and practice to further the cause of Christ and the ministry of LCC. We can establish official or voluntary affiliation with organizations by 2/3 majority vote at a duly called congregational meeting.
Please refer to the Statement of Faith page to read this section in full.
Any person may become a member who professes saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; who agrees with our Statement of Faith; and who commits to worship, serve, support and grow with LCC. Each person must take the new membership class and give public testimony of his faith. The specific matters relating to membership can be found in the “By-Laws.”
Form of government: The government of LCC will be vested in the Board of Elders, which represent and hold the trust of the voting membership. The Elder Board will cast vision, give direction and set policy for the supervision of the church. The lead pastor and pastoral staff will administer and implement the vision of LCC. The figure below illustrates the governance model for LCC.
If the church membership votes to dissolve and cease to function as a church, or if the membership should dissolve through some disaster, the property and assets will be distributed representatively among the organizations that sponsor the current missionaries on monthly support by LCC, with the intent that said missionaries receive their support in ministry for up to four years.
LCC will operate in a debt free manner.
Once the annual budget has been approved by the congregation, any unbudgeted expenditures that exceed 2% of the annual budget must be approved by a majority vote at a meeting where a quorum has been met.
A supplement to this constitution known as The By-Laws of Leroy Community Chapel shall provide a vehicle to implement and carry out the principles outlined by the Constitution. Examples of items included in the By-laws are:
- Explanations in more detail how the church functions, frequency of meetings for committees, the process involved in Church discipline, etc.
- Church position statements that are relevant to this local body, but are not deemed core doctrine as found in the Constitution Article II--Statement of Faith.
- The vision statement and core values Leroy Community Chapel.
- All matters dealing with membership.
- Ministry purpose statements and procedures.
The Policy Manual of Leroy Community Chapel shall cover such items as:
- Job descriptions for all positions in the church.
- Grievance procedures and protocol.
- Operational procedures, such as how the fiduciary matters of the church are handled.
- Church office and administrative staff manual.
- Church Policies, such as rental policies, wedding policies, etc.
New ”By Laws” or “Policy Manual” statements or changes to existing “By Laws” or “Policy Manual” statements will be presented to and reviewed by the Ministry Council and approved by the Elders.
Amendments to this constitution may be made at any duly called congregational meeting when said amendments have been presented to the Board of Elders in writing with signatures of 20% of the voting membership and posted for at least one month prior to the congregational meeting. A two-thirds majority vote is required for passage of the amendment at a meeting where a quorum has been met.
We believe that God creates all human beings wonderfully and immutably in His own image as either male or female. These two distinct and complementary genders are a reflection of that image and nature (Genesis 1:26,27). By rejecting one’s biological sex, whether internally or externally, one is rejecting the very image of God within them.
We believe that marriage is defined in Scripture thus: the uniting of one man and one woman in one exclusive union (Genesis 2:18-25). The only Biblical grounds for the breaking of this covenant is in the case of adultery (Matthew 19:9) or desertion (1 Corinthians 7:10-16). Leroy Community Chapel will only conduct (or allow our chapel and grounds to be utilized for) a marriage ceremony that recognizes this Scriptural mandate.
We also reserve the right to refuse the same to couples who we determine are not followers of Christ.
We believe that sexual intimacy is reserved only for a man and a woman who are married to each other (1 Corinthians 6:18; 7:2-5; Hebrews 13:4).
We believe that God forbids engaging in intimate sexual activity outside of marriage. We believe that any form of sexual immorality is forbidden by God. These include adultery, fornication, homosexual or bisexual behavior, bestiality, incest and the use of pornography (Matthew 15:18-20; 1 Corinthians 6:9,10). We believe that, through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, God offers redemption and restoration to all who would confess and forsake their sin (Acts 3:19-21; Romans 10:9,10; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
We believe that all men and all women must be shown compassion, love, kindness, respect and dignity (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31) without forsaking the truth.
We believe, in order to maintain the purity of the ministry of Leroy Community Chapel, that it is imperative that all persons employed by Leroy Chapel in any capacity, or those who serve as volunteers, agree to and abide by the Word of God and the statutes of Leroy Community Chapel.
WHY DO WE NEED ANOTHER CHURCH IN THIS CITY?
There are 130,000 people living in the Metropolitan Area.
People in our city with little or no involvement in a local church.
People involved in a church plant who have never been involved in a local church.
Christ followers who started their relationship with Jesus in a local church.
Our Pastor
John Appleseed
Before starting City Church, they served (on staff) at their home church in Northern Virginia for nearly 15 years, where they served in just about every capacity, working with children, teens, adults, and small groups. They are passionate about Jesus and dedicated to helping the local church be all that He intends for it to be—where people can meet Jesus face-to-face and experience life transformation.
John and Julie felt God’s call to City Church at the end of 2015, and by June of 2016, they packed up their home in Northern Virginia and moved to City Church. They have two beautiful children, their daughter Emery and son Grayson. Their vision is to lead a church that loves Jesus, the city, and its people. They want to see people enter into a life-giving relationship with Jesus, and they desire to build a church that not only makes a difference in people’s lives on Sundays, but also serves its city throughout the week.
Our Essentials
Everything we do is centered around leading people through our four essentials.
Know Jesus
Find Freedom
Discover Purpose
Make a Difference
Our Beliefs
The Bible is God’s Word to all people. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. Because it was inspired by God, the Bible is truth without any mixture of error and is completely relevant to our daily lives.
God has existed in relationship with Himself for all eternity. He exists as one substance in three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Although each member of the Trinity serves different functions, they each possess equal power and authority.
The Father: God is great: He is all powerful, all knowing, ever present, unchanging, completely worthy of our trust, and above all, holy. It is in Him that we live, move and exist. God is good: He is our Father. He is loving, compassionate, and faithful to His people and His promises.
The Son: Jesus Christ is completely human but, at the same time, completely God. He is the only plan for bringing people who are far from God back into a right relationship with God. He lived a perfect life, so that He could be a substitution for us in satisfying God’s demands for perfection. He defeated death in His resurrection so that we could have life.
The Holy Spirit: His presence assures us of our relationship with Christ. He guides believers into all truth and exalts Christ. He convicts people of their sin, God’s righteousness, and the coming judgment. He comforts us, gives us spiritual gifts, and makes us more like Christ.
Man was created to exist forever. He will exist either eternally separated from God by sin or in union with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is Heaven. Heaven and Hell are places of eternal existence.
Humanity is made in the image of God and is the supreme object of His creation. We were created to have fellowship with God, but became separated in that relationship through sinful disobedience. As a result, we cannot attain a right relationship with God through our own effort. Every human personality is uniquely created, possesses dignity, and is worthy of respect and Christian love.
The blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross, provides the only way of salvation through the forgiveness of sin. Salvation occurs when people place their faith in the death and resurrection of Christ as sufficient payment for their sin. Salvation is a gift from God, it cannot be earned through our own efforts.
The Church is a local community of baptized believers unified through faith in Christ. The Church is committed to the teachings of Christ and obeying all of His commands; it seeks to bring the Gospel to the world. The Church works together in love and unity, intent on the ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ.
We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells all believers, and through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, believers are empowered for Christian service and gifted for this service. The Holy Spirit also enables believers to live a Christ-like life exhibiting Godly character.