The Church is a people who, not a place where.

MISSION & VISION

City Parish is a gospel-centered church in Petaluma, practicing the way of Jesus for the renewal of our cities. Our prayer is that through this pattern of living, we'll see the gospel of Christ saturate our lives and our cities so that every man, woman, and child has a daily encounter with Jesus. 

Below, you can explore through some of our core identities and rhythms that pertain to how we live out the gospel as a family. If at any point you have questions or feel like the Spirit might be pointing you towards City Parish, please visit the ‘Connect’ page and reach out. 

WHAT WE VALUE

  • The Gospel changes everything! It is the good news that out of the love the Father had for his creation, he chose to send his Son to redeem the world through his life, death, resurrection, and ascension. It's not just good news for those that are searching for Christ but it's also the motivation, power, and purpose for everything that we do as disciples. The gospel calls us into the family of God and sends us out together on the mission of making disciples that make disciples. (John 3:16-21; Ephesians 2:10, 14-22; 2 Corinthians 5:15-21)

  • We have been adopted as sons and daughters and set apart to live in such a way that the world would know of God's goodness, faithfulness, and love. As the family of God, we see it as both our duty and our joy to care for the needs of one another. Just as Christ came to serve, we are to serve one another both physically and spiritually. We disciple, nurture, worship, and hold one another accountable to this Gospel life together in Missional Communities. (John 1:12-13; Romans 12:10-16; Ephesians 1:5; Philippians 2:1-11)

  • The Father sent his Son to earth to take on human form and live within the culture. He lived in such a way that those around him could see and experience what God was truly like. Jesus came so that all people, places and things could be restored to a right relationship with God. In the same way, we believe we are missionaries sent by God’s Spirit into our culture to restore all things to God through Jesus. We do this as a family in Missional Communities. (Matthew 28:19; John 1:14, 20:21; Colossians 1:19)

WHAT WE BELIEVE

For City Parish, Jesus and his gospel of grace are at the center of everything we do. He alone is our motivation to live and love. While the doctrines that express our faith in Him aren’t the only thing, they are certainly a very important thing. It’s not enough for us to simply say “we believe in Jesus,” or “we believe in the Bible,” without answering the questions, “What do we believe about Jesus?” and “What do we believe that the Bible specifically teaches?” Having a high view of theology and doctrine helps us answer these questions so that we can know and love God more fully.

Like many saints before us and like the many churches that we partner with, we align with an historic Christian faith: a faith that holds to the divine inspiration of the Bible and is well stated in many of the creeds such as the Apostles Creed. We've also inherited the ancient maxim: "In the essentials unity, in the non-essentials diversity, in all things charity." In other words, we believe that all doctrine is important, but that common adherence on all points of doctrine is not necessary for salvation. What this means practically is that City Parish is comprised of believers from a varying spectrum of theological backgrounds and we celebrate that diversity. In everything, we hope to elevate the supremacy, sufficiency, and joy in the gospel of Christ. Below, you'll find concise statements about what we believe:

  • We believe the Bible is the Word of God, ultimately authored by the triune God, focused on Jesus Christ, written by men under the influence of the Holy Spirit, possessing supreme authority in all matters of faith and practice.

  • We believe there is one living and true God, an eternal community of divine persons (Father, Son, and Spirit), who are equal in every way, operating in distinct and complementary ways throughout the history of creation, fall, redemption, and new creation.

  • We believe in God, the Father, a personal being, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that his mission is to magnify the riches of his mercy by redeeming the brokenness and sin of all who trust in Jesus Christ and in renewing the whole world.

  • We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, sent by the Father and incarnated by the Holy Spirit. We believe in his sinless life, miracles and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, continual prayer for his people, and personal visible return to earth.

  • We believe in the Holy Spirit, sent from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ and that the full range of his gifts are operative today and apportioned to each believer as he sees fit.

  • The gospel is good news that through Jesus we have been saved from the penalty of sin (justification), are being saved from the present power of sin (sanctification), and will be saved from the presence of sin (glorification). We find that the gospel meets our every need and reshapes the totality of our world. 

  • We believe all people are created in the glorious image of God, disfigured by Adam’s sin, which is inherited and reflected by all humanity. As a result, all humanity is under the just condemnation of the one, true, holy God. However, we joyfully believe that all who repent of their sin and trust Jesus Christ as their Redeemer are delivered from condemnation and renewed in the image of God.

  • We believe the Church is the redeemed people of God—one holy, global family made visible in local communities. United to Christ by the Spirit, we are formed by Scripture, gathered in worship, sent on mission, and devoted to love, holiness, justice, and witness, so the world might see and savor the reign of Jesus.

  • We believe Christians should live for the glory of God and the good of others, that their conduct should be like Christ’s rendered possible by the gospel.

  • We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the renewal of all things. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, and the eternal joy of the redeemed.

LEADERSHIP

the chief shepherd

Leaders are first and foremost servants of Jesus and therefore servant leaders. All leadership in the church flows from the authority of Christ as the head of the church and all true authority resides not in a person or position but in the word of God. Jesus is the chief shepherd of the flock, the risen and reigning King who has been seated with all authority to advance the Gospel through his body.

When we look at the scriptures (specifically Acts and the Epistles) we don’t see leaders as disconnected decision-makers or power brokers in the church. We see examples of Christian maturity, people who are not perfect but have evidenced maturity in Christ. Therefore the fundamental identity of a Christian is a disciple. Leaders are disciples first, and leaders second. Being a Disciple is an identity; everything else is a role (mother, father, worker, etc).

Elders & Deacons

We believe the Bible makes it clear that the local church is to be led by a plurality of elders who are supported by a plurality of deacons. These biblically qualified elders and deacons (1 Timothy 3 & 5, Titus 1, Acts 6 & 20, 1 Peter 5, etc.) graciously and fervently accept the responsibility to shepherd the church. The primary role of these leaders is "to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ..." This is a high call and one that requires much sacrifice, but we look to the Chief Shepherd as our guide.

  • Smiling person with long hair and earrings standing in front of a red wooden wall.

    Amy Button

    DEACON — CENTRAL MC

  • Smiling person in polka dot shirt standing against a red wooden wall.

    Joe Button

    PASTOR / ELDER

  • Smiling person wearing a floral shirt against a gray background.

    Bobby Garrison

    DEACON — GOSPEL CARE

  • Smiling person wearing glasses and a dark blue shirt, standing outdoors with greenery in the background.

    Daniel Huskey

    PASTOR / ELDER

  • Woman with long brown hair smiling, wearing large golden circular earrings and a black top, standing in front of a brick wall.

    Jessica Huskey

    DEACON — FINANCE

  • Smiling man in a black blazer and plaid shirt against a gray background.

    Josh Jones

    DEACON — CENTRAL MC

  • Woman with curly hair smiling outdoors in a denim jacket, wearing hoop earrings, and standing in front of a blurred natural background.

    Liz Jones

    DEACON — CENTRAL MC

  • A woman smiling outdoors with greenery and flowers in the background.

    Hayley Koskela

    DEACON — WEST MC

  • A smiling man with dark hair and a beard, wearing a denim shirt, outdoors with trees and foliage in the background.

    Matt Koskela

    DEACON — WEST MC

Church planting alone is as unhealthy and unwise as it is impossible. The joy, wisdom, and encouragement that comes from partnering with other like-minded and faithful saints is invaluable. We've invited Godly men and women from a few strategic organizations and churches to partner with us along the journey of planting City Parish. They support us in a myriad of ways that include (but aren’t necessarily limited to) finances, coaching, accountability, and camaraderie. If you’re interested in becoming one of those ministries partners, we’d love to meet with you. You can also download our Prospectus.

Our current Ministry Partners are:

Partners