Where are the campuses, and what services does each offer?
The sermons identify **one campus**, on **Tryon Road**; they do not provide a list of multiple campuses or separate service schedules for each. Stephen Davey describes the church’s site as a seven-acre property on Tryon Road, near a hospital (the hospital’s name is unclear in the transcript). ([05:54 from July 10, 2019])
That campus includes a fellowship hall, a Student Center, and a Children’s Center. ([06:40 from July 10, 2019]) Stephen also mentions worship services and ministries that include children’s and student programs, sports ministry, English as a Second Language, short-term trips, evangelism, and discipleship. ([09:45 from July 10, 2019]) ([28:26 from May 18, 2024])
The provided sermon excerpts don’t say whether these ministries operate at other campuses.
Can someone attend while exploring Christianity or questioning their beliefs?
Yes. You can attend while exploring Christianity or questioning what you believe. Stephen Davey describes a university student who was skeptical about religion, was invited to join a Bible study, and was encouraged to examine the claims of Christ and the evidence in Scripture. The student studied and eventually put his faith in Jesus. ([02:30 from April 07, 2020])
Stephen also recognizes that people come with doubts, confusion, or disillusionment. He describes skeptics and spiritual wanderers as people to engage with, not dismiss. ([02:07 from August 14, 2024]) And he invites people who want to investigate or talk through faith to follow up for a conversation. ([03:43 from May 30, 2023])
Is registration required, or can someone simply arrive?
According to Stephen’s teaching, you should register for the Greenhouse class—he invites people to call the office or register online under “Join.” You don’t have to become a church member to take the class; membership is separate. The sermon doesn’t say that simply arriving without registering is an option. ([09:11 from February 17, 2024])
Stephen Davey’s teaching presents the church’s core beliefs as **the authority of Scripture, salvation through Jesus Christ, and the fundamental truths about Christ’s deity and resurrection**. The excerpts do not give a single exhaustive creed, but they state these commitments clearly:
- **Scripture is the church’s authority.** The church is to proclaim God’s revealed truth, not substitute its own opinions; Davey describes Scripture as the church’s “manifesto” and the church as the “pillar and ground of the truth.” ([14:34 from October 20, 2020]) - **The gospel is unchanged and saves.** Davey emphasizes that the gospel remains “the power of God unto salvation.” ([15:13 from October 20, 2020]) - **Salvation is through Jesus Christ, not through any religious path.** He points to the teaching that whoever calls on the Lord’s name will be saved, and rejects the claim that different religions offer equally valid paths to God. ([18:20 from November 26, 2020]) - **Jesus is divine, and he physically rose from the dead.** Davey identifies Christ’s deity and literal, physical resurrection as fundamental doctrines. ([18:41 from December 12, 2018]) - **Biblical doctrine should shape life and discernment.** He teaches that believers should test their beliefs and choices by Scripture and pass its teaching on to others. ([20:55 from July 04, 2024])
According to Stephen Davey, women may serve in many church ministries and may serve as deaconesses, but they should not hold the elder or pastor role that carries governing authority and responsibility for teaching the congregation. He notes that Scripture does not clearly establish a formal office of deaconess; churches may use that title for women who serve, provided it does not imply the authority assigned to elders. ([10:25 from September 24, 2024]; [19:37 from February 09, 2024])
Women can serve the church practically and through their spiritual gifts, meeting the needs of the congregation. Davey points to Phoebe as a servant and supporter of her church, including financial support for ministry. ([20:16 from February 09, 2024]; [22:29 from February 09, 2024])
On public teaching and authority, Stephen interprets Paul’s instruction as prohibiting women from preaching to the congregation or exercising authority over men in the church. ([08:09 from September 23, 2024])
What are its stated policies concerning LGBTQ people?
According to Stephen Davey’s teaching, **anyone is welcome to attend church services**, including same-sex couples; attendance is distinct from membership. He says membership means accepting the authority of the Bible. ([05:44 from February 09, 2021])
On sexual conduct, Stephen teaches that **sexual activity outside marriage is forbidden, whether homosexual or heterosexual**, and explicitly describes homosexual relations as sinful. He presents the gospel as both forgiving and demanding, with Christian life involving ongoing growth in holy living. ([06:18 from February 09, 2021]) ([06:52 from February 09, 2021])
The cited sermons do not spell out detailed policies on LGBTQ people’s membership eligibility, church leadership beyond an elder’s marital faithfulness, or matters such as pronouns and facilities.
Who leads the church, and how are leaders accountable?
**Christ is the church’s ultimate leader—the chief Shepherd—and elders lead locally under his authority.** Stephen emphasizes that no pastor, music minister, or longtime member is the church’s most important leader; Christ is, because he alone gives spiritual life. ([00:53 from June 26, 2024])
Elders are to shepherd and oversee the flock, and their leadership is not presented as a democracy in which they simply represent members’ preferences. They lead the people on Christ’s behalf and according to his unchanging message. ([21:14 from April 14, 2020]) ([22:00 from April 14, 2020])
**Leaders are accountable to God.** Stephen points to the warning that elders will give an account to Christ, the chief Shepherd, and that they keep watch over the congregation’s souls. Members are therefore called to obey and submit to their leaders, so that the leaders can serve with joy rather than grief. ([22:48 from April 14, 2020]) ([23:27 from April 14, 2020])
Accountability also works among the congregation: Stephen describes elders and members holding one another accountable through biblical discipline and discipleship. ([49:49 from July 24, 2019])
Which recent sermons would help someone understand the teaching?
Several recent sermons would help, depending on which part of Stephen Davey’s teaching you want to explore:
- **“The Truth About Treasure”** — a good starting point for teaching on spiritual growth, temptation, and money. Stephen explains that following Christ doesn’t mean life becomes easy; the Christian life involves an ongoing struggle, including the temptation to treasure possessions that don’t last. ([01:32 from April 12, 2024]) ([04:44 from April 12, 2024])
- **The sermon on the Sixth Seal and the wrath of the Lamb** — helpful for understanding God’s coming judgment and why that teaching matters now. Stephen connects the warning of coming wrath with the promise of rescue through faith in Christ. ([13:20 from May 16, 2024]) ([13:58 from May 16, 2024])
- **The series on the church: who we are and what we believe** — useful for teaching about church identity, leadership, accountability, discipline, and the church’s responsibility to proclaim the gospel. ([15:23 from February 17, 2024]) ([16:32 from February 17, 2024])
For someone especially interested in salvation, the source also mentions a six-lesson series intended for people curious about Christianity or unfamiliar with salvation by faith alone. ([27:23 from February 19, 2021])
How does the church talk about sin, confession and forgiveness?
The church should speak honestly about sin, direct confession to Jesus Christ, and present forgiveness as a gift of grace—not something earned through penance or ritual.
- **Do not minimize sin.** Stephen Davey describes sin as real and pervasive, including both wrong actions and good things left undone; we may not even recognize all our errors. ([10:16 from September 14, 2026]) So the church can name sin truthfully without pretending that it is merely an outdated idea or a problem belonging only to “other” people. ([00:53 from September 14, 2026])
- **Confess to Christ, not through a substitute.** Stephen emphasizes that true confession is admitting sin to Jesus Christ, rather than relying on an online portal, a hired intermediary, or a priest as mediator. Christ is the one mediator between God and people. ([02:45 from October 22, 2021])
- **Teach both complete and daily forgiveness.** Davey distinguishes the believer’s settled forgiveness in Christ from the daily restoration of fellowship when sin disrupts closeness with God. Confessing sin does not mean becoming saved all over again; it is a way of returning to unhindered fellowship with God. ([17:24 from September 14, 2026]) Christ’s forgiveness is not earned by remembering and listing every sin; Davey points to Christ’s work on the cross as covering the believer’s sin—past, present, and future. ([15:50 from September 14, 2026]) ([23:47 from May 15, 2020])
- **Connect receiving forgiveness with forgiving others.** In the Lord’s Prayer, “forgive us our sins” is followed by a commitment to forgive others. Davey clarifies that forgiving others does not earn God’s forgiveness; rather, forgiven people should become forgiving people. ([03:16 from September 14, 2026])
- **Offer hope without treating grace as permission to sin.** Davey teaches that no sin is beyond forgiveness for the person who turns to Christ, while also stressing that believers should not use grace as an excuse to keep sinning. ([23:12 from May 15, 2020]) ([16:40 from September 14, 2026])
How does the teaching approach community and honesty with others?
According to Stephen Davey, community is not something Christians merely attend; it is a shared life of responsibility and influence. Christians should help one another grow, be accountable to one another, and avoid setting traps that could lead another person—especially a newer believer—into sin. ([02:24 from March 15, 2024]) ([03:48 from March 15, 2024]) This makes honesty important within relationships: transparency and humility help people receive correction and guide one another faithfully.
Stephen connects honesty with integrity—being “whole,” with nothing hidden or missing—and says it should shape a believer’s conduct everywhere, not just at church. ([03:05 from April 16, 2024]) That means keeping your word and doing what is right in ordinary tasks and dealings with others. ([09:30 from March 04, 2021]) He also teaches that Christians should pursue an honorable, genuine reputation among people outside the church, through integrity in places such as the workplace, classroom, and neighborhood. ([11:38 from September 19, 2018])
The church should meet doubt with patient truth and suffering with compassionate presence, endurance, and hope. Stephen emphasizes that doubt is not the same as unbelief: doubt honestly seeks the light, while unbelief rejects it. So the church should not shame people for asking questions, but help them return to God’s promises and the truth of Scripture. ([25:47 from August 05, 2026]; [27:30 from August 05, 2026])
For those who are suffering, Stephen teaches that the church should help them see hardship not as a strange failure, but as part of the Christian life—one that can shape Christlike character and turn hearts toward Christ’s promised future. ([17:43 from July 28, 2020]; [14:39 from April 27, 2024])
That care should be practical and honest. The church’s leaders are to teach, encourage those who are struggling, and exhort them to hold fast to the faith. Believers should also show compassion, pray for those who cause harm, and seek their good rather than respond with revenge. ([18:14 from July 28, 2020]; [33:46 from April 27, 2024])
Stephen also cautions against expecting sufferers to pretend everything is fine. Christians can acknowledge their pain and share why their hope remains in Christ; they do not need a perfect response or a perfect record to point others to a perfect Savior. ([30:06 from March 21, 2018]; [30:36 from March 21, 2018])
According to Stephen Davey, the church should let faith shape diligent, joyful service: believers trust God and put their gifts and effort to work for the good of others and the glory of Christ. He urges Christians to roll up their sleeves and put their hearts into the work, rather than assuming that giving money alone fulfills their part in the church’s mission. ([24:17 from May 28, 2024])
That service should be practical and self-giving. Stephen encourages people to consider where they can do the most good, what skills they can offer or develop, and what burdens and schedule changes they are willing to accept in order to serve. ([32:51 from August 21, 2019]) He also emphasizes that serving can be difficult, but the work of blessing others is God-honoring and has lasting value because it is work among people. ([33:42 from August 21, 2019]) ([24:56 from May 28, 2024])
Faith itself also needs cultivation. Drawing on teaching about sanctifying faith, Stephen describes practices such as meditating on God’s truth, answering doubts with Scripture, praying, dedicating oneself to God’s service, and looking forward to Christ’s return. He contrasts this diligence for eternal things with people’s hard work for temporary ones. ([17:27 from June 18, 2020]) ([18:04 from June 18, 2020]) ([18:43 from June 18, 2020]) Thus, faith and work belong together: growing trust in God motivates steady, wholehearted service.
Is an answer based on an official statement or an interpretation of sermons?
It is an interpretation of Stephen Davey’s sermons, not an official statement. Stephen says the church should state what it believes and how it interprets Scripture on issues ([08:29 from March 09, 2020]). He also describes the church’s constitution and bylaws as being carefully grounded in Scripture, but that sermon is discussing those documents rather than serving as the documents themselves ([02:20 from November 12, 2020]; [04:33 from November 12, 2020]).
Are there groups or introductory gatherings open to newcomers?
Yes. Stephen describes a **Greenhouse class** for people interested in learning about the church and considering membership. You can take the class without joining; membership does require taking it. He says to register through the church’s “Join” page or call the office. ([09:11 from February 17, 2024])
The class meets Wednesday evenings, and a livestream option is available for those who can’t attend in person. ([09:24 from July 31, 2019])
