‘So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that He may be glorified...they will rebuild the ancient ruins, they will raise up the former devastations; and they will repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations.’ Isaiah 61: 3-4
‘Remove not the ancient landmark, which your fathers have set.’ Proverbs 22:28
Mission Statement: To glorify God by reaching Toronto and beyond for Christ, equipping God’s Covenant people in the Word, dedicated to worship, evangelism and apologetics, nurture and discipleship, service and mission. Vital are church participation, covenant community life and cultural engagement in obedience to the Scriptures as interpreted by the ecumenical councils and historic evangelical confessions.
Regeneration and Revival: Undergirded by a distinctly Biblical foundation and the commitment to prayer, we seek transformation and cultural engagement at all levels – beginning with the individual, followed by the family, followed by the community, the academy and the socio-cultural order, seeking to apply the Lordship of Christ in all areas of life and thought. (1 Tim 6: 5-6; 2 Cor 10: 4-5; Ps 2: 10-12; Matt 28:18; Gen 1:28, 9:1;Matt 28:18)
Education: Through preaching, teaching, lecturing and discipleship, we seek to take all thought into captivity to Christ and His Kingdom. We believe that the conflict between Christianity and all competing systems of thought occur at the worldview level - all of which are inescapably religious. The Christian's ultimate starting point is Christ and the infallible revelation of God in Scripture, not subjective human experience or the independent facts of the universe. Facts are always interpreted by a non-neutral worldview. There is not one area of life that the Christian faith does not address and therefore not one area of life that can remain unaddressed by Christian education.
Apologetics: The Apostle Peter instructs believers that they should be always ready to give a defence (apologia) to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you (1 Peter 3:15). The defence of the Christian faith (apologetics) is the responsibility of every Christian. As believers become better equipped to defend their faith, they find greater confidence and boldness to carry the message of the Gospel to every dark place. Westminster Chapel seeks to take every thought into captivity to Christ by equipping believers to reach, impact and revive a nation for Christ and His Kingdom. We assert that Christianity is not probably true; it is a total certainty which rests upon Scripture's self-attestation to its authority and truthfulness. By supporting the Ezra Institute for Contemporary Christianity and by its own adult education, Westminster Chapel seeks to thoroughly train believers and Christian leaders so they may articulate, defend, and manifest the truth and righteousness of Christ and His Kingdom (Titus 2:8; Proverbs 22:6; 2 Timothy 2:15).
Proclamation: We seek to be an outward-turned Covenant people, committed to the mission of the Kingdom of God, that is, the Cultural Mandate (Genesis 1:28) which is renewed in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) to make all nations Christ's disciples. We focus simultaneously on the social needs of Toronto and on preaching and teaching. We work towards the transformation of lives, families, and the culture by the power of the Holy Spirit through the all-sufficient and infallible Word of God (Romans 10:14-15).
Service: We reach out to the church and the downtown community by helping people with their immediate needs, creating opportunities to present the Gospel, promoting justice and righteousness in all church, social and civil spheres and applying Biblical truth to family, school, and government.
Evangelism: We train people in the ministry of evangelism and apologetics by sponsoring events, building relationships with the skeptic and the unchurched and supporting the Ezra Institute for Contemporary Christianity.
Worship: We encourage private worship and prayer, provide public worship opportunities, and seek to foster an awareness of God's awesome presence by celebrating the sacraments and teaching that all of life is an opportunity for worship through obedience to the comprehensive and all-sufficient Word of God.
Nurture: We equip God's Covenant people by expounding and applying God's Word practically, developing gifts and talents for building up the Kingdom of God, and encouraging godly character and environment. We nurture and equip through our covenant groups, which are an important part of our pastoral ministry.
Vision Statement: To glorify God by communicating the universal Lordship of Christ and the truth of Holy Scripture to Toronto, while encouraging our intentional Covenant community to become fully dependent on Jesus Christ, obedient to the Great Commission, engaged in the Cultural Mandate, and diligent in seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.