River Life was established in 1999 by the Evangelical Covenant Church to renew an effort to plant churches in the downtown core of Sacramento. The new church was a partnership effort of the Sacramento area churches of the Pacific Southwest Conference and was spearheaded by Bayside Church of Granite Bay.
It is our desire to see God work through us in creating multiplying Christian communities that will transform the culture of Sacramento and impact the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Affirmations
As a member of the Evangelical Covenant Church, River Life affirms:
- The centrality of the Word of God
- The necessity of the new birth in Christ
- A commitment to the whole mission of the Church (evangelism and compassion)
- The Church as the fellowship of all believers
- A conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit
We believe…
that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and as such it is a word from God as well as a word about God. Because it is God’s Word, we believe it is the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine and conduct.
that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons, yet one substance: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God passionately desires relationship with us and toward this end, continually invites us into a relationship of faith, friendship, learning and obedience.
that salvation, which is the total work of God by which He seeks to rescue us from the ruination and the penalty due to our sins, is by grace alone, through faith alone, in and because of Christ alone.
in the spiritual unity of believers. We seek to maintain the unity of the church knowing that all who are in Christ are members of one another.
Our Values…
Our Teaching will be Biblical – not Doctrinaire
Our Worship will focus on function and substance – not form and style
Our Ministry will be gift based – not guilt based
Our Mission will celebrate diversity – not simply tolerate it
Our Affiliation is Evangelical but not Exclusive
Our Governance is Congregational but not Independent
Our Facilities will be Ministry driven – not Monument driven
Our Staff will Empower – not Enable
