We are a church who exists to be a vibrant expression of who God is — gracious, present, and hospitable.
Iron Works Church is a community that does not exist for ourselves.
We are working to care for our neighbors, restore relationships, celebrate beauty and worship God, preaching Christ in West Chester and beyond. We have a vision to see Jesus change peoples lives.
We invite doubters, seekers, and religious ALIKE to follow the way of Jesus for the good of West Chester.
This mission is rooted in Jesus’ own mission. We read, “God so loved the world, that he sent his one and only Son” (John 3:16). Later on Jesus prayed, “As you have sent me, I send them” (John 17:18, 21). Christians are sent to love this world to life. It’s tempting to read these verses in the abstract, but God tangibly loves real places like West Chester. Our mission is born out of the reality that West Chester, like everyone, needs the gospel. West Chester is a home to people like us, who cannot make themselves whole on their own, cannot perfect themselves on their own, but can only experience healing, meaning, and hope through Jesus. In other words, we need God and one another to find wholeness and belonging.
You do not have to believe in order to belong
If you look at the gospel stories, we see doubters, seekers, and religious all following Jesus — before they believed. Peter, one of Jesus’ best friends, followed him for roughly two years before confessing: “you are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Shortly after that, Jesus called Peter out on trying to hijack his redemptive mission in the world. Life with God is a process, and our lives are messy. Likewise, Iron Works is committed to creating space in our church life to help you investigate the claims of Christ upon your life. We don’t believe or pretend to have it all together, nor is that the point.
Our Core Values
The Gospel
The Church was never called to be the moral police of the world, culture warriors, or the endorsers of any political powers, but to be ambassadors of the Kingdom of heaven. It’s high time we put away our swords and got back on mission & message. Break out the gospel my friends.
— David Cassidy
The gospel is our central value and guides us in all we do. The ‘gospel’ is the good news that through Christ the power of God’s kingdom has entered history to renew the whole world. When we believe and rely on Jesus’ work and record (rather than ours) for our relationship to God, that kingdom power comes upon us and begins to work through us.
The gospel changes people, and it does so from the inside out. Christ gives us a radically new identity, freeing us both from pride and insecurity. He liberates us to love and accept people we once excluded, and also from our bondage to things that once drove us. The gospel ultimately transforms not only our actions, but our very motivations.
belonging
As a way of life, an act of love, an expression of faith, our hospitality reflects and anticipates God’s welcome. Simultaneously costly and wonderfully rewarding, hospitality often involves small deaths and little resurrections. By God’s grace we can grow more willing, more eager, to open the door to a needy neighbor, a weary sister or brother, a stranger in distress. Perhaps as we open that door more regularly, we will grow increasingly sensitive to the quiet knock of angels. In the midst of a life-giving practice, we too might catch glimpses of Jesus who asks for our welcome and welcomes us home.
- Christine Pohl
We don’t merely want a social club, where all we do is hang out and have fun. We want to be a place, where people are known for who they truly are and are loved in that place. We all need this place. We are all simultaneously sinners, saved by grace, made holy by Jesus. We will always struggle with sin, but in God’s sight, we are holy; we are His saints. This is the most essential story that we all share. We work to not relate merely based on personal tastes, career, style, ethnicity or any other connection, but because we all have the same life-altering relationship with Jesus. God brings diverse people together into his family. So we aim to celebrate both our unity and diversity. God’s family-making work enables us to engage more profoundly with one another and be cared for by one another without embarrassment or fear.
Place
A theology of place means living as if the incarnation really happened.
- Vito Aito
The gospel changes our attitude toward the city. The gospel leads us neither to despise the city (withdrawing like a turtle) nor to simply reflect the city (blending like a chameleon) but to love the city. We seek the welfare of the city as we proclaim the gospel, believing that nothing promotes the peace and health of the city like the spread of faith in Christ. We also seek to sacrificially serve our neighbors, displaying the gospel with our deeds.
Neighboring
Love your neighbor as yourself.
- Jesus
The Church is the only organization that exists for the sake of its non-members, not for its own.
- Archbishop William Temple
Respectful Evangelism -- As our hearts continue to grow in our love and compassion towards those around us, we also want them to know Jesus, who is the answer to everything that they are seeking in life. Because it is God who draws a person to himself, we know that our role is to share about what Jesus has done for us with the people around us through our words and actions.
Iron Works Church is committed to having an open front door to anyone interested in knowing more about Christ, no matter where they are along the spectrum—those who are convinced, those who are perplexed, or those who are skeptical. We welcome the questions, objections, and problems of thoughtful people and are committed to responding with honesty and intelligence, not hostility or condescension.
Mercy & Compassion -- Central to the good news about Jesus is that we are a people who have experienced mercy and are called to express tangibly the mercy and compassion of God. We seek to be a community where people are helped with practical needs, and where everyone is encouraged to use their gifts to serve those in need.
Our Theological Roots
Gospel centered
What we believe is a story. It is a true story rooted in history, that is told across generations through God's word, the Bible. This story includes four major acts: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Renewal. It is a story of God's relentless, loving pursuit of his rebellious creation. So he sent his Son, Jesus, to reclaim people, places and things... even enlisting Jesus' followers to make all things right. Jesus renews and redeems people from every walk of life, from every nation and tribe.
Instead of taking ourselves seriously, we are more interested in making a big deal about Jesus — always coming back to God’s incredible love, grace, and work within our lives.
Reformed
We locate ourselves in the Reformed Tradition, which came about in its fullness in the 16th century. This tradition sought to reclaim the gospel from extravagant religiosity.
We fully embrace the historic creeds and believe that the best summary of the Christian faith is found in the Westminster Confession of Faith. A few key features of the Reformed Tradition include: the goodness of creation, the centrality of God's story in all of life, the ongoing work of God, and the necessity of grace -- especially in salvation.
Missional
“For God so loved the world (cosmos), that he sent his Son, that whosoever would believe in him would have eternal life” (John 3:16). Jesus came to rescue all things, including the people and places of West Chester. God loves this world and is committed to its redemption. So he made the church to be a picture of renewed, redeemed humanity — known for love, joy, confession, reconciliation, forgiveness, hospitality, and extending the welcome of our Savior.
The way of Jesus calls on us to be faithfully present and seek the good of West Chester.
Presbyterian
We believe that denominational affiliation is a great picture of Jesus' renewing work in the world and how we are tangibly connected to other Christians. We hold to Presbyterian church government, which simply means we are led by a team of elders and are connected to other churches.
It is good for churches and leaders to be connected -- for encouragement on mission and accountability. One key feature of presbyterian governance is that church members select their spiritual leaders from among themselves.