We believe Jesus calls us to be his disciples and do what he did. We believe the Bible is God’s authoritative word to us. It tells us all we need to know about who God is and how to live a life that helps us become more like Jesus. We seek to submit ourselves to a biblical worldview.

BelPres is part of the Christian religion, the Reformed theological tradition, the evangelical movement, the Presbyterian Church (USA) denomination, and The Fellowship Community.

Christianity affirms the Trinity–One God in three Persons: Father, Son and Spirit–as well as the Incarnation–God became human in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. The Protestant Reformed theological tradition summarized here emphasizes God’s love and sovereignty, election for salvation and service, covenant life, stewardship, the fallenness of humankind, and the preaching of the scriptures. The evangelical movement spans traditions and emphasizes personal trust in Jesus and His atoning sacrifice on the cross, interprets scripture more conservatively, and actively engages cultures to spread the gospel message of loving salvation for the redemption of all creation. PC(USA) is the largest and most diverse of several Presbyterian denominations; it gives us deep roots and also freedom to follow as Jesus leads us. The Fellowship Community is an evangelical organization within PC(USA).

BelPres members affirm their Christian faith while BelPres ordained leaders (pastors, elders, deacons) affirm their Christian faith plus our theological and denominational heritage.

BelPres leaders seek to follow Jesus’ example and teaching as we focus on the most central aspects of Biblical faith and celebrate our oneness and diversity in the Body of Christ. As stated here, we lead with relationship, trust the Holy Spirit to guide believers into truth, and welcome conversation about BelPres teaching and practices. At BelPres, we understand that there is disagreement among faithful followers of Christ on a number of issues, including what the Bible teaches about same-sex relationships and gender identity. BelPres does not ordain people who are in a same-sex marriage and our pastors perform Christian weddings which marry a man and a woman. We partner with local sister churches when Christian same-sex weddings are requested. We affirm all people’s full humanity and welcome all people as they are to worship and to be a valued part of our community. If you would like a conversation about what we believe or about our denomination, please contact Rev. Scott Mann (smann@belpres.org or (425) 454-3082 x3344) or another of our pastors.

If you are interested in becoming a member of BelPres, we host periodic membership classes where you can meet some of our staff and learn what makes BelPres uniquely us. The Belong - Membership class welcomes those who have been here at BelPres for a number of years as well as those new to BelPres and see membership as a natural next step in their faith journey. Our next Membership class is October 13th and we would love if you joined us. Link to register and get all the information is here. To discuss membership, please contact us at newmembers@belpres.org.

If you are interested in BelPres leadership, please contact smann@belpres.org or nominating@belpres.org.

We regularly baptize adults and children. To discuss baptism, please contact us at (425) 454-3082 or email baptism@belpres.org.