SanctuaryCov

Sanctuary lists one worship location: **2018 Aldrich Ave. N, Minneapolis**. It holds Sunday services at **9 a.m. and 11 a.m.**, and the church also offers online attendance. (https://sanctuarycov.org/contact-us/; https://sanctuarycov.org/about-us/)

The church’s **office** is at **710 West Broadway Ave., Minneapolis**. Its **Haven Food Pantry** is open for walk-ins Wednesdays and Thursdays, **11 a.m.–3 p.m.**, except holidays. (https://sanctuarycov.org/contact-us/)

For communion, gluten-free elements are available, and if you’re unable to come forward, a communion steward can serve you where you’re seated. ([01:28 from December 02, 2024])

The available information doesn’t specify other building accessibility features. For details about access at the church, contact hello@sanctuarycov.org. (https://sanctuarycov.org/contact-us/)

A typical Sunday service includes congregational singing and worship, teaching from the Bible, and announcements. Children stay for the singing before going to age-specific classes; middle- and high-school students start in the main service and go to their classes after announcements. Services are at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. The church website doesn’t specify how long a service lasts. (https://sanctuarycov.org/sundays/)

Sunday worship includes congregational singing and teaching from the Bible, with gatherings at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. The website doesn’t describe different formats for the two services. Children stay for the singing and then are dismissed to their classrooms. (https://sanctuarycov.org/family-ministries/)

Yes. The church says there’s a next step “no matter where you are in your faith journey” and is committed to welcoming and reaching people who are unsaved or unchurched. (https://sanctuarycov.org/)

The website doesn’t say that general registration is required to attend; it asks families to register children **if they’ll use childcare**. Check the specific event description for any event-specific requirements. (https://sanctuarycov.org/ministry/050-ministry/)

As a first-time visitor, you can park in the main church lot at **2018 Aldrich Avenue N.**; the website also lists several nearby alternatives, including the Career Force Development Center lot across the street at **800 West Broadway Avenue**. Enter through the **main entrance**. Children stay with you during the singing, then parents are invited to bring them to their classroom; the website doesn’t specify a separate check-in procedure. (https://sanctuarycov.org/sundays/)

Children’s programs are offered during **both the 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sunday services**: **Cradle Care** for babies, **Royal Hood** for children from birth through 5th grade, and **Mosaic Youth** for students in grades 6–12. (https://sanctuarycov.org/sundays/)

Yes. Families need to register their children in advance to use childcare offered for Formation and Community Group events, including Wednesdays at SCC. The website lists a one-time cost of $80 per family for the year, with scholarships available; check the event description to confirm childcare is offered. Visiting families are welcome to participate, though the site doesn’t specify a separate visitor registration process. (https://sanctuarycov.org/ministry/050-ministry/)

Sanctuary Covenant Church belongs to the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC), a denomination of roughly 400 churches. ([56:18 from February 06, 2023])

Sanctuary lists five core values: **the Lordship of Jesus Christ; Bible-centered preaching and teaching** (the Bible as God’s inspired, authoritative, trustworthy guide for faith and practice); **prayer; evangelism and world missions**; and **the family**. The church also describes its shared commitments as biblical, devotional, connectional, and missional—studying and practicing Scripture, worshiping God with their lives, building relationships across differences, and sharing the good news through word and compassionate action. (https://sanctuarycov.org/about-us/)

**Baptism:** We practice believers’ baptism by immersion in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It publicly represents a believer’s faith in Jesus and connection to the local church. Baptisms are held on Celebration Sundays, the fifth Sunday of a month. The church offers faith-and-baptism classes for adults and older children; it also offers baby dedication and infant baptism, where families commit to raising the child in faith and the church commits to supporting them. (https://sanctuarycov.org/baptisms-dedications/)

**Communion:** We serve communion by intinction: participants take a piece of bread, dip it in the cup of juice, and eat it. It is a shared practice of remembering Jesus’ sacrifice and proclaiming his death. We invite those who find hope in Jesus’ redeeming work to participate; the church describes the table as open to them. ([01:26 from August 05, 2024]) ([01:30 from October 07, 2024])

At Sanctuary, we affirm that women can serve in ministry leadership, including as senior or associate pastors, youth pastors, choir directors, and ministry leads. One sermon describes a woman serving in those roles and later becoming a senior pastor. ([01:07:31 from March 14, 2022]) ([01:10:37 from March 14, 2022])

Women can also preach and proclaim the gospel, lead, and make disciples. The sermon points to Mary Magdalene being sent by Jesus to tell the disciples about his resurrection. ([01:07:31 from March 14, 2022]) ([01:13:58 from March 14, 2022])

The provided sources do **not state a specific LGBTQ policy**—for example, on same-sex relationships, marriage, or LGBTQ people serving in leadership. The website describes Sanctuary as a “Diverse and Inclusive Community,” says it is committed to relationships across gender and other potential barriers, and says newcomers are welcome, but it does not specifically address LGBTQ people. (https://sanctuarycov.org/about-us/)

In a sermon, Pastor Edrin Williams apologized for a public statement that had raised concern, saying it did not represent Sanctuary’s posture, and recommitted the church to biblical truth, grace, humility, and avoiding harm. The excerpt does not identify the statement or the people affected as LGBTQ, so it does not establish an LGBTQ-specific policy. ([01:06:46 from June 17, 2024])

Christ is the church’s head; its pastors and teachers, along with other ministry leaders, provide day-to-day leadership. We teach that Christ gives these leaders to equip the congregation for ministry—not to do all the ministry in its place. ([46:39 from August 11, 2025])

Leaders are accountable to Scripture, which the church describes as its authoritative rule for faith and practice. The church also teaches that believers should obey and submit to their leaders. (https://sanctuarycov.org/; https://sanctuarycov.org/good-leaders-are-easy-to-follow/)

The sermons also stress accountability through relationships that allow for care and accountability, and warn that God will hold pastors and ministries to account for financially exploiting people. ([51:21 from August 11, 2025]; [01:01:57 from August 26, 2024]) The sources don’t specify a formal board or other reporting structure.

Recent Church Online messages that may help are:

- **“Christ Did Not Please Himself”** (January 14, 2024), for teaching about looking beyond others’ failures and not centering ourselves. (https://sanctuarycov.org/christdidnotpleasehimself/)
- **“Good Leaders Are Easy to Follow”** (January 5, 2024), for the teaching that believers should obey and submit to their leaders. (https://sanctuarycov.org/goodleadersareeasytofollow/)
- **“Forgive Me and Help Me Forgive”** (January 3, 2024), for teaching about prayer, God’s will, and forgiveness. (https://sanctuarycov.org/forgivemeandhelpmeforgive/)

We talk about sin as real and damaging, but not as a reason to give up or believe we are beyond God’s love. Sin can bind people and bring guilt and shame; forgiveness through Jesus is described as release from that bondage. ([07:28 from May 21, 2020]) We also recognize sin as personal and as something that can affect society. ([01:08:21 from January 23, 2023])

Confession means being honest with God about our brokenness and the ways sin is affecting us, and asking God to cleanse and help us. It is not about telling God something God doesn’t know; it is about honestly owning our sin and turning to God. ([01:06:36 from January 09, 2023])

We teach that forgiveness rests on God’s grace and that the price for sin has been paid. Forgiveness is not just removal of guilt: we can ask God to cleanse and restore us, and God’s kindness leads us toward repentance and heart change. ([01:08:18 from January 09, 2023]) We aim to meet people with grace and truth: imperfections do not put someone outside God’s love, while truth about sin still matters. ([01:02:40 from May 16, 2022])

We approach community as intentional, mutual relationships where people can be known, cared for, and helped to grow—not just as attending church. We encourage people to build these connections through groups and shared fellowship; Community Groups combine teaching with small-group discussion and also make space to connect or serve together. (https://sanctuarycov.org/ministry/marriage-ministry/)

We teach that honesty belongs in those relationships: real love means telling one another the truth about blind spots or harmful patterns, with humility and a sincere desire to help—not simply agreeing with everything or criticizing for its own sake. If that loving motive isn’t there, we encourage pausing before speaking. ([01:17:27 from August 05, 2024]) We also emphasize being open to feedback and accountability, and committing to the patient work of relationships rather than quickly writing people off. ([01:20:31 from August 05, 2024])

We treat doubt as something that can be brought honestly to God, not something a person has to hide. Job voices anguish and uncertainty, yet continues to hold to God; we see that wrestling with hard questions can coexist with faith. ([01:21:45 from May 06, 2024]) Jesus, too, prayed honestly in distress and asked whether suffering could be avoided, while also seeking to trust God’s will. ([01:20:47 from April 14, 2025])

We don’t teach that faith exempts anyone from suffering. Rather, God is present in hardship, and Jesus understands human pain through his own suffering. ([01:03:20 from October 17, 2022]) Trials are not necessarily a sign that God is angry or absent; they can form and refine faith, and joy can grow even while pain remains. ([01:25:51 from October 06, 2025]) We also encourage people not to carry struggles alone: prayer and the support of the church community are ways to seek help and care. ([01:28:33 from May 06, 2024])

Our approach is grounded in the Bible as our authoritative guide and in reliance on personal and corporate prayer. (https://sanctuarycov.org/)

We see faith and work as connected: work is one place to live out faith and contribute to the good of the world. We recognize the role of business, and encourage people in the congregation to consider how to live out their faith in corporate workplaces and meeting rooms. ([01:05:15 from August 26, 2024])

We also teach that faith should lead to action in everyday life—not just be something we profess or know. That includes bringing faith to our work and relationships, and seeking God’s guidance in every part of life. ([01:11:30 from April 15, 2024]) ([01:47:14 from April 25, 2022])

It depends on the source of the claim. The church website is the clearest source for official statements, such as its stated beliefs about the Bible and prayer (https://sanctuarycov.org/). A claim drawn from a sermon is an interpretation of what was taught there; for example, a pastor’s sermon described the church as committed to “biblical truth, generous Grace and radical humility” ([01:06:46 from June 17, 2024]).

The website lists these groups and meeting times:

- **Young Adults:** Third Sundays at 12 p.m. after church during the school year; they also hold occasional fellowship events. (https://sanctuarycov.org/ministry/young-adults/)
- **050 Ministry:** Third Sunday of each month, 1–3 p.m., after the second service. (https://sanctuarycov.org/ministry/050-ministry/)
- **Women’s Ministry:** Fourth Sunday of each month at 12:30 p.m. (https://sanctuarycov.org/ministry/womens-ministry/)

More broadly, **Community Groups** meet twice monthly from September through May: once for a Grow gathering and once for a Connect or Serve event. (https://sanctuarycov.org/community-groups/)

Yes. Sanctuary’s Community Groups are open to newcomers, and you can join at any time through the Church Center app. Groups meet twice a month during the September–May season: one gathering for biblical teaching and discussion, and another for fellowship or serving together. (https://sanctuarycov.org/community-groups/)

There are groups for men, women, married couples, young adults, people over 50, and neighboring. For example, the Young Adults group meets after church on third Sundays at noon during the school year. (https://sanctuarycov.org/community-groups/) (https://sanctuarycov.org/ministry/young-adults/)

Yes. The church website invites people to join a Community Group or ministry team and doesn’t list membership as a requirement. For volunteering, you can apply; the team leader will then contact you about welcoming, training, and scheduling you. (https://sanctuarycov.org/sundays/; https://sanctuarycov.org/join-a-team/)

Sanctuary Covenant Church can help—use its “Ask a Question” form, and they’ll get back to you as soon as they can. (https://sanctuarycov.org/baptisms-dedications/)