MEMBERSHIP

You are the body of Christ. Each one of you is a part of it. 
1 Corinthians 12:27

Being a member of Ventura Missionary means that you want to be a part of and to contribute to the mission and vision of the church. Below you will find information about our story, our denomination, our theological foundation, our mission and vision, our structure, and the requirements to become a member, which include watching the video below. 

In 1960, a small group of believers began to gather together in homes for prayer, worship, and Bible study.  After seeking God’s will, they asked Reverend John Cherrie to be their pastor.  Sensing the need for a larger facility that would enhance corporate worship, this growing group of believers rented the Billy Clower Dance Studio on McMillan Street for Sunday services.  This would be the Sunday meeting place for the next 18 months.
 
In January of 1962, the “First Missionary Church of Ventura” purchased property at the corner of Day and Telegraph Roads (near Foothill Technology High School and Ventura College).  A building was constructed and the new sign read, “Ventura Missionary Church.”
 
In 1973, the need for a larger campus moved the congregation to prayer.  The Lord opened the door to acquire the current property located at Foothill Road and High Point Drive.  The new Sanctuary was built and the Ventura Missionary Church family continued to grow.  In 1978, a Sunday school facility was added which was followed by an office expansion in 1983.  In 1996, Ventura Missionary Church initiated another major campaign to build a Community Life Center, which would house a K-8 school and teen center located on the east end of the campus.  In 1999, the Community Life Center opened.
 
Since that small group originally met in 1960, there have been 11 pastors leading the ministry at Ventura Missionary Church.
 
From the first service in the dance hall with 35 people, Ventura Missionary Church has had a worldwide reach, sending missionaries to many countries as well as meeting needs in the community through a variety of ministries focused on living and sharing the transforming love of Jesus.

Ventura Missionary Church is a member of the Missionary Church (www.mcusa.org), an international family of 20,000 churches in 100 countries serving over 2 million people.  The Missionary Church provides support, accountability, guidance, and theological foundations for our church.  You can read more about the history, theological distinctiveness, and purpose of The Missionary Church online at www.mcusa.org.
 
In addition to this, the Missionary Church has produced position papers, which serve as an application or amplification of our basic doctrinal position.  These papers can also be found on their website (scroll down below the constitutional documents).

Our Statement of Faith:

1. We believe the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, to be the divinely inspired Word of God, without error in the original manuscripts, and the complete revelation of God’s will for the salvation of mankind and the final authority for all Christian faith and living. (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
    
2. We believe in one God, Maker and Sustainer of all things, infinitely perfect, one in essence and eternally existing in three persons, co-equal in authority and glory—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Matt. 28:18-20; 2 Cor. 13:14)
    
3. We believe that Jesus Christ is the unique revelation of God to man, equally and completely true God and true man, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and virgin-born; that He died on the cross for man’s sins; that He was buried and rose bodily from the dead according to the Scriptures; that He ascended with His glorified body to the right hand of the Father and is even now making intercession for us as our faithful High Priest. (1 Cor. 15:1-7; Matt. 1:20-23)
    
4. We believe that the Holy Spirit’s mission is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ; to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and of judgment; to strengthen, guide, instruct, fill and empower the believer for godly living and service. (John 16:7-14; Gal. 5:16-26)
    
5. We believe that God, by a direct and decisive act, created man in His own image; but that man became a sinful creature, alienated from God through his own disobedience, and is therefore eternally lost apart from the redemptive work of Christ. (Gen. 1:27; Rom. 5:12; Eph. 1:7)
    
6. We believe that the sinless life, shed blood, sacrificial death and glorious resurrection of Christ provide the only basis for salvation; and that by repentance from sin and faith in the redemptive work of Christ, man is born from above by the Holy Spirit and becomes a child of God. (Acts 4:12; John 1:12; 3:3-7)
    
7. We believe that the local church is an organism composed of all born-from-above believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and has been commissioned by the Lord to take the Gospel to all peoples and nations; that God has gifted people to the church for the purpose of building up the body of Christ; that each individual believer has been given spiritual gifts which are essential to the total functioning of the body of Christ; and that two ordinances have been given to the church—baptism and communion. (Matt. 28:19-20; Eph. 4:11-16; 1 Cor. 12:14; Rom. 12; Rom. 6:4; 1 Cor. 11:27-29)
    
8. We believe in the literal return of Jesus Christ which will be personal, bodily, visible and redemptive. (Acts 1:10-11; I Thess. 4:14-18)
    
9. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead; the believer to be raised to everlasting life and joy in the presence of the Lord; and the unbeliever to be raised to judgment and separation from God for eternity. (Dan. 12:1-2; Hebrews 9:27; Rev. 20:11-15)

Our Mission defines why we exist:
 We exist to live and share the transforming love of Jesus.
 
 
Our Vision determines where we are going:
 We believe that over the next five years, God is calling us to:
 
Baptize 1,000 new followers of Jesus

Help everyone in our church take their next steps towards Christ by engaging in a small group

Expand our capacity to welcome and worship with 2,000 people every weekend and double our ministry to children and youth

Invest 300K hours and $3M into local and global ministry impact

Be a declared follower of Jesus
Have been (or are willing to be) baptized
Watch the membership video above
Submit a Membership Application/Agreement