FAQ’s

At The Woods Church, we believe that God calls, gifts, and empowers both women and men for every area of ministry. The Holy Spirit distributes spiritual gifts according to God's purpose—not according to gender (1 Corinthians 12:4–11). This conviction is rooted in the belief that it is God's calling and anointing—not gender—that qualifies a person for ministry. Therefore, when God calls someone to lead, teach, shepherd, evangelize, or pastor His Church, our responsibility is to recognize, affirm, equip, and encourage that calling.

This conviction is consistent with the testimony of Scripture. Throughout both the Old and New Testaments, God consistently worked through women in significant leadership and ministry roles. We see women serving as judges, prophets, teachers, evangelists, church leaders, and faithful witnesses to the resurrection. The New Testament further demonstrates that women played an essential role in the life, mission, and leadership of the early Church.

However, some theological traditions base their position on women in ministry on two passages written by the Apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 14:34–35 and 1 Timothy 2:11–12), interpreting them as prohibiting women from serving in positions of spiritual leadership. While we believe these passages are inspired by God and authoritative for the Church, we also believe they must be understood within the context in which Paul wrote them and in light of the whole counsel of Scripture. Paul himself partnered with and affirmed women such as Priscilla, Phoebe, and Junia in significant ministry roles. Furthermore, in 1 Corinthians 11:5, Paul acknowledges women praying and prophesying in public worship, indicating that his later instruction in chapter 14 was addressing a specific issue in the Corinthian church rather than issuing a universal prohibition against women serving in ministry leadership.

As a church in the Church of the Nazarene, we affirm our denomination's historic conviction that God's call to ministry is extended equally to women and men. Since its founding in 1908, the Church of the Nazarene has recognized that the call to preach, pastor, lead, and shepherd Christ's Church is based on God's calling and gifting rather than gender. Consequently, women may serve in every area of ministry and leadership, including being licensed and ordained as elders and deacons.

Because of this conviction, The Woods Church intentionally develops, equips, and empowers women to serve at every level of ministry. Whether leading ministries, teaching, preaching, serving on staff, shepherding people, or serving in church governance, we celebrate the unique gifts God has entrusted to both women and men for the building of His Church and the advancement of His Kingdom.

At The Woods Church, we believe that marriage is God's design and a sacred covenant established by Him. Scripture teaches that marriage is a lifelong, faithful union between one man and one woman, reflecting God's covenant love and serving as the foundation for healthy families and communities.

Because we value marriage so highly, we are committed to helping couples build strong, Christ-centered relationships. We encourage engaged and married couples to pursue biblical teaching, intentional discipleship, healthy communication, and spiritual growth together. We believe that investing in marriages before and throughout every season of life helps strengthen families and reflects God's heart for His people.

We also recognize that we live in a broken world where sin, abuse, betrayal, abandonment, and other painful circumstances can deeply damage relationships. While God's desire is always for faithfulness, reconciliation, and the permanence of marriage whenever possible, we understand that divorce is sometimes a tragic reality. We approach these situations with both biblical conviction and Christlike compassion, seeking wisdom, healing, and restoration rather than judgment.

The Church of the Nazarene teaches that God's grace is available to every person, regardless of their marital history. Divorce is not an unforgivable sin, nor does it place someone beyond God's love, forgiveness, or purpose. Through repentance, healing, and discipleship, every believer can experience restoration and continue to grow in their relationship with Christ and His Church.

At The Woods Church, we are committed to walking alongside individuals, couples, and families in every season of life. Whether preparing for marriage, strengthening an existing marriage, recovering from divorce, or seeking healing from relational pain, our desire is to help people experience the hope, grace, and transforming love of Jesus Christ.

At The Woods Church, we believe that every human life is created in the image of God and possesses inherent dignity, value, and worth from conception to natural death. Because every person is lovingly created by God, we are committed to protecting, honoring, and caring for human life in every stage and circumstance.

As a church in the Church of the Nazarene, we affirm the sanctity of unborn human life and believe that abortion should not be used as a means of personal convenience, birth control, or population management. We encourage the protection of both mother and child whenever possible and seek to be a church that supports families through compassion, practical care, and the love of Christ.

We also recognize that pregnancy can involve heartbreaking and medically complex situations. In the rare cases where serious medical conditions place the life of the mother, the unborn child, or both in jeopardy, we encourage individuals and families to seek careful medical guidance, wise Christian counsel, and prayerful discernment as they make difficult decisions before God.

At the same time, we acknowledge that many people carry deep pain related to miscarriage, infertility, pregnancy loss, abortion, or difficult reproductive decisions. Our desire is never to respond with condemnation but with the grace and truth of Jesus Christ. We believe God's forgiveness, healing, and restoration are available to every person who comes to Him, and we are committed to walking alongside individuals and families with compassion, dignity, and hope.

At The Woods Church, we believe that every person is created in the image of God and is deeply loved by Him. Every individual has immeasurable worth, dignity, and value, and everyone is welcome to explore faith, experience authentic community, and grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ.

We believe that God created sexuality as a good gift to be expressed within the covenant of marriage between one man and one woman. Scripture presents marriage as God's design for lifelong, faithful covenant relationship, and we believe that sexual intimacy finds its fullest expression within that covenant. Like every area of our lives, our sexuality is ultimately intended to honor God and reflect His holiness and love.

Because of this biblical conviction, we believe that all sexual intimacy outside the marriage covenant—including premarital sex, adultery, pornography, and same-sex sexual relationships—falls outside God's design. At the same time, we recognize that every person experiences the effects of living in a broken world. Regardless of the particular struggles we face, all of us are called to surrender every area of our lives to the transforming work of Jesus Christ.

As a church in the Church of the Nazarene, we believe that God's grace is available to every person. We do not define people by their temptations, struggles, or past choices. Instead, we believe that through the power of the Holy Spirit, every believer is invited into a lifelong journey of discipleship, holiness, and Christlike transformation. God's grace not only forgives—it also empowers us to live faithfully as we follow Jesus.

Our commitment is to hold together both grace and truth. We will faithfully teach what we believe Scripture says while treating every person with compassion, dignity, respect, and genuine love. We reject hatred, ridicule, or discrimination toward anyone and desire to be a church where people can honestly seek Jesus, wrestle with difficult questions, and experience the hope and transforming love of the gospel.

At The Woods Church, our identity is not found in our sexuality but in Jesus Christ. We believe that true freedom, purpose, and abundant life are ultimately found in following Him.

At The Woods Church, we believe that the Holy Spirit is actively at work in the lives of believers today. The Holy Spirit empowers, transforms, sanctifies, and equips followers of Jesus with spiritual gifts for the building up of the Church and the advancement of God's Kingdom (1 Corinthians 12).

We affirm that speaking in tongues is one of the spiritual gifts described in the New Testament. As a church in the Church of the Nazarene, however, we do not believe that speaking in tongues is the necessary evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit or of experiencing entire sanctification. Scripture teaches that the Holy Spirit distributes gifts according to His will, and no single spiritual gift is given to every believer (1 Corinthians 12:4–11, 27–31).

Because we believe every spiritual gift should strengthen and encourage the body of Christ, our corporate worship gatherings are intentionally designed to be understandable, orderly, and accessible to everyone—including those who are exploring faith for the first time. Following the guidance of 1 Corinthians 14, we seek worship that builds up the entire church and points people clearly to Jesus.

For that reason, speaking in tongues is not practiced as part of our public worship services or corporate prayer ministry. If individuals have received this gift, we encourage them to exercise it in their personal prayer life and private devotion as the Holy Spirit leads. We also ask that people refrain from praying over others in tongues during public ministry settings so that our gatherings remain clear, welcoming, and edifying for everyone present.

At The Woods Church, our focus is never on elevating one particular spiritual gift above another. Instead, we encourage every believer to pursue a life that is fully surrendered to the Holy Spirit, producing Christlike character and faithfully using whatever gifts God has entrusted to them to serve others. The greatest evidence of the Spirit's work is not a particular gift, but a life increasingly marked by the character of Christ and the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23).

At The Woods Church, we believe that God is our Healer. Throughout Scripture, we see God's compassion and power bringing healing to people physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, we believe that God continues to heal today through the work of the Holy Spirit.

We believe followers of Jesus should pray boldly and expectantly for healing. Scripture encourages us to bring every need before God, to pray in faith, and to invite the elders of the church to pray and anoint with oil as an expression of our trust in God's power and presence (James 5:13–16). While we never presume upon God's will or timing, we confidently believe that He hears our prayers and is still able to perform miracles.

At the same time, we gratefully embrace the gifts of medical knowledge and modern healthcare. We believe that all truth and wisdom ultimately come from God, and that physicians, counselors, surgeons, therapists, medications, and medical advancements are often instruments through which God brings healing and restoration. Seeking medical care is not a lack of faith; rather, it is one of the many ways God provides for His people.

The Bible reveals that God's healing work touches every part of our lives:

• Physical Healing – God is able to heal illness, disease, injury, and every kind of physical infirmity. We gladly pray for miraculous healing while trusting God's wisdom and timing.

• Emotional Healing – God brings comfort to the brokenhearted, peace to the anxious, hope to the discouraged, and restoration to those carrying grief, trauma, or emotional wounds. Through His presence, His people, and often through wise Christian counseling and other appropriate care, God continues His healing work.

• Spiritual Healing – Our greatest need is reconciliation with God. Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God forgives our sins, restores our relationship with Him, breaks the power of sin, and brings freedom, transformation, and new life through the Holy Spirit.

While we believe God is able to heal in every circumstance, we do not believe Scripture promises that every prayer for physical healing will be answered in the way or timing we desire during this life. We continue to pray with faith because we trust God's character, not because we can predict His purposes. Whether God heals instantly, gradually, through medical care, or ultimately through the resurrection and the hope of eternal life, He remains faithful and worthy of our trust.

At The Woods Church, we seek to be a community that prays with confidence, trusts with humility, supports one another through suffering, and celebrates every evidence of God's healing grace. description