Woodcrest Church

  

Woodcrest Church
Worshippers at Woodcrest Church Sunday service
Location	Woodcrest, Riverside, Inland Empire
Country	Kingdom of Sierra
Denomination	Nondenominational, Evangelical, Charismatic Christianity, Pentecostal
Previous denomination	Baptist
Weekly attendance	35,000
History
Founded	1972
Clergy
Senior pastor(s)	Craig Harley
Pastor(s)	Chuck Grassley Evan Myers Christian Perez

Woodcrest Church is a nondenominational evangelical Christian megachurch located in Woodcrest, Riverside, Inland Empire. It is one of the largest churches in the Kingdom of Sierra, averaging 35,000 attendees a week. Founded in 1972, it was founded by senior pastor Craig Harley, a minister who left the Sierran Baptist Fellowship due to his Charismatic style of worship. The Woodcrest Church is now associated with the International Christian Ministries, a Pentecostal organization. In addition to its weekly Sunday services, Woodcrest Church runs a mid-week Wednesday service for university students at the neighboring, affiliated Woodcrest University, as well as other events and functions throughout the week. Most of its services are held within the Woodcrest Church complex. It has satellite campuses in neighboring cities including Corona and Butterfield Valley.

History

In 1970, Pastor Craig Harley, under the ministry of the Nandina Baptist Church (affiliated with the Sierran Baptist Fellowship), led an independent Bible study group and evangelistic meeting series that focused on spiritual gifts and the Holy Spirit. Harley's Bible study meetings became popular but attracted concern and complaints from churchgoers and observers from the Sierran Baptist Fellowship. After the Inland Empire Baptist Convention issued a letter warning that it would disfellowship the Nandina Baptist Church in 1971, Harley decided to leave the church alongside his supporters to found an independent ministry. He purchased a former Lutheran church for sale and renamed it the Woodcrest Church.

Within five years of establishment, Harley and the Woodcrest Church attracted a large following, with as much as 1,500 weekly attendees. Harley became a regular guest on KLVE-FM (107.9), an independent Christian radio station. In 1976, Harley gained 30% ownership over KLVE-FM and began to broadcast his Sunday sermons and Bible study meetings through the radio station from Woodcrest Church. Harley was one of the key leaders in the international movement known as the Jesus movement, which originated in Southern Sierra, that placed a strong emphasis on restorationism and Charismatic experiences.

In 2001, Woodcrest Church renovated its church by purchasing adjacent land lots and expanding its main sanctuary and adding new facilities including a cafeteria, dormitory-style rooms, and a gymnasium. Its expansion allowed to accommodate up to 12,000 members at a time at full capacity. In 2002, it raised money from tithing and donations to open Woodcrest University, a Christian liberal arts college affiliated with the International Christian Ministries, a Pentecostal parachurch organization that Harley co-founded. At the time, the expansions were one of the most expensive projects ever approved in the Inland Empire, totalling nearly $400 million.

Beliefs

The Woodcrest Church has published a statement of faith on its website, asserting basic Christian beliefs as well as Charismatic distinctives such as faith healing, speaking in tongues, casting out demons, and prophecy. It describes itself as a nondenominational Christian church although its doctrines, practices, and beliefs align with that of Pentecostals, particularly the International Christian Ministries. The Woodcrest Church, as an affiliate of the International Christian Ministries, is a parachurch organization consisting of Trinitarian Finished Work Pentecostals (in contrast to Holiness Pentecostals).

It holds that the Bible is inspired by God and its entirety is infallible. It teaches that there is only one true God, the Triune God which consists of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity and the son of God, who was born of the Virgin Mary. Woodcrest Church holds that Jesus lived a human life full of temptation but never sinned, was baptized by John the Baptist, began ministry afterwards, was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, crucified on a cross, was bodily resurrected, remained on Earth for forty days, and then ascended. It teaches that salvation can only be brought by acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and repentance for one's sins. It affirms the four of the five solae of Protestantism, with it teaching prima scriptura rather than sola scriptura. There are two ordinances: believer's baptism by immersion and the Lord's Supper, a symbolic representation of Christ's body and blood. It teaches that man has free will despite God's absolute sovereignty and holds that baptism in the Holy Spirit is a separate, post-conversion experience that brings one closer to God. Speaking in tongues is believed to be the initial confirmation of baptism in the Holy Spirit. It teaches that santification is not a second definite work of grace, but a continual process in the Christian walk. It teaches that the Body of Christ includes the invisible church of all believers who accept Christ, regardless of denomination. It believes that the Church faithful will be raptured prior to the Second Coming and that there will be a final judgment and eternal damnation for the wicked. All of the righteous will inherit and live eternally in new heavens and a new Earth.

In addition, the Woodcrest Church has issued a number of statements on other positions. It strongly encourages members to avoid alcohol and smoking, and for Christians to abstain from drinking, although it is not considered inherently sinful. It opposes gambling in all forms, including lottery. On the issue of abortion, the Woodcrest Church teaches that all life is sacred, which begins at conception, and therefore opposes all instances of abortion except when the mother's life is endangered. It also opposes euthanasia and the death penalty. On LGBT rights, it teaches that God created male and female, and that biological sex and gender are identical. It teaches that marriage is a holy union exclusive to a man and a woman in a monogamous relationship. It condemns all other forms of sexual activity outside biblical marriage but teaches that all Christians, regardless of sexual orientation, are accepted and not to be ostracized. On divorce and remarriage, the church teaches that divorce, except in the cases of fornication, adultery, or Pauline privilege, should be strongly discouraged, although it also permits divorce where domestic violence or abuse is apparent. It only allows remarriage for the believer who has been wronged. It does not allow divorcees who have remarried contrary to church requirements to take any position of leadership or ministry in the church unless they have demonstrated "complete repentance" on the matter. The church affirms that women have a role in the ministry of the church and may serve in pastoral roles, except at the most senior levels of the church. Women are not permitted to lead religious meetings or Bible studies where men are present.

Church organization

The church is headed by a group of male elders, which include the senior pastor and associate pastors. Trusted members of the laity may hold positions within the church as deacons or deaconesses. The church and its campuses is divided into six main ministries: Main Service, Woodcrest Kids, Young Adult Ministry, the Women's Ministry, the Outreach Ministry, and the International Ministry. Bible study classes (including Sunday School) are handled separately by each ministry.

The church's services are broadcast weekly on television, radio, and online. According to the church, its message is received by a worldwide audience of 10 million each week. Every last Sunday of the month, Woodcrest Church organizes an event outside of its campuses at a rented-out arena or stadium to preach and perform contemporary Christian music across North America.

Criticism

Misuse of church funds

In 2014, Woodcrest Church attracted criticism and media attention when the Porciúncula Times covered the buying habits of its senior leadership, including Pastor Craig Harley. Between 2012 and 2014, Harley spent over $20 million to buy a private jet, six luxury sports cars, and renovations to a $2.3 million-valued residential home he owned in La Jolla. He was also accused of promoting "prosperity gospel", a label Harley has repeatedly denied. "I have often been called a prosperity theologian. I strongly reject the idea that money saves or is the end all. Only Jesus saves! But I also do reject the notion that becoming or being wealthy is inherently evil. God blesses you in extraordinary ways and that can indeed come in the form of financial gain, and it can be a great sign that God is with you. Capitalism is a gift from God and hating the rich or financial independence is a Satanic–Marxist–Landonist idea of class warfare".

See also

This page uses material from the Wikipedia page Lakewood Church, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (view authors).