What We Believe

Sunday School

Sunday mornings at 10:00am

WHO WE ARE

Our Vision:   “Love God, Love Others, Change the World”

Our Mission:   “Help People Find & Follow Jesus”

We would love to have you join us on the journey of a lifetime!

SIMI COMMUNITY CHURCH CORE BELIEFS

The Word of God

We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.

The Trinity

We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons (the Trinity), that are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption.

God the Father

We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayers, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ

We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning, death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal, visible return to earth.

The Holy Spirit

We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment; and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide.

Regeneration

We believe that all men are sinners by nature and by choice, and are therefore, under condemnation. We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit.

The Church

We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible confession of faith, and associated for worship, work and fellowship. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world.

Christian Conduct

We believe that a Christian should live for the glory of God and the well-being of his fellowmen; that his conduct should be blameless before the world; that he should be a faithful steward of his possessions; and that he should seek to realize for himself and others the full stature of maturity in Christ.

Human Sexuality

Legitimate sexual relations are exercised solely within a marriage. Sexual activities, such as but not limited to, adultery, fornication, incest, homosexuality, pedophilia and bestiality are inconsistent with the teaching of the Bible and Simi Community Church. In addition, lascivious behavior, the creation and/or distribution and/or viewing of pornographic material, and efforts to alter one’s gender, are incompatible with the biblical witness. Marriage has been established by God. Simi Community Church recognizes marriage exclusively as the legal union of one man and one woman in which such union is a lifelong commitment.

The Ordinances

We believe that Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church; baptism and the Lord's Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water into the name of the triune God. We believe that the Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Religious Liberty

As to religious liberty, we believe that every human being has direct relations with God, and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; that each church is independent and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority; that therefore Church and State must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its duties free from dictation or patronage of the other.

Church Cooperation

We believe that local churches can best promote the cause of Jesus Christ by cooperating in a denominational organization. Such an organization, whether a regional or district conference, exists and functions by the will of the church. Cooperation in a conference is voluntary and may be terminated at any time. Churches may likewise cooperate with interdenominational fellowships on a voluntary basis.

The Last Things

We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal felicity of the righteous, and the endless suffering of the wicked.

Who is Jesus?


The Man


Jesus was born in a small rural town called Bethlehem roughly 2000 years ago. He was born into a lower–class family, to a teenage virgin mom and lived a relatively quiet life until the age of 30. At the age of 30 Jesus began his public ministry. Throughout the next three years, Jesus performed miracles, preached messages and proclaimed He was God by His word and His works. As he predicted, Jesus was crucified on a cross to save humanity from sin and death. On the third day, Jesus rose from the grave and appeared to hundreds before ascending into heaven to join the Father.


The Mission


Jesus arrived on the stage of human history on a mission — to reveal who God is, to show His reign as King and to reconcile men and women to God. In reconciling us to God, Jesus lived and died as a sacrificial substitute, living perfectly in the place of sinners, and dying gruesomely in the place of the guilty. Jesus is therefore the savior of the world, the only way for sinners to be saved from the righteous wrath of God. Jesus accomplished His mission through His death, atoning for our sin, and through His resurrection, rising in victory over Satan, sin and death.


The Message


Throughout His ministry, Jesus preached a consistent message. Jesus proclaimed that true life consisted in following him. Jesus calls us to turn from our rebellion, and to love and follow Him. We are to believe that Jesus is our all–satisfying savior, and that He accomplished His mission in the place of our failure.


For those who love and devote their lives to Him, Jesus promises eternal life, abundant joy, the help of the Holy Spirit and reconciliation with God the Father. Those who believe in Jesus are freed from their sin, guilt and shame, and commissioned to continue His mission in sacrificially serving the world and proclaiming the good news of the savior Jesus.


One day Jesus will return, and all things will be restored.

Church History

In the spring of 1960, a small group of believers felt a call to impact the city of Simi Valley with the gospel.  Within the first three years of starting First Baptist Church of Simi Valley, they called their first full-time pastor, held weekly Sunday School, morning and evening services in homes and a nearby church building, and created a master plan for their own campus.  Through what is now called Converge (the Southwest Baptist Conference) a loan was granted, and many members mortgaged their homes to fund the master plan, which included a 5.2 acre site, five separate units for offices, classrooms, a multi-purpose building and an auditorium. In 1963, the first service was held in a completed building and the campus was dedicated to reaching people for Jesus!


For 62 years, God has and still is moving mightily through these lead pastors: Cully Olson (1961-1970), Bruce Herrstrom (1971-1974), Wade Mikels (1975-1984), John Ortberg (1985-1990), Myles Gentzkow (1991-1994), Paul Weir (1996-2020), and currently Tony Silvestri (2021-present day). The name of the church changed three times:  First Baptist Church of Simi Valley (1960-1988), Simi Valley Community Church (1989-2015) and finally Simi Community Church (2016). Many services, classes, community groups, local outreach events, and mission trips have all cultivated an atmosphere of love for God, a love for the people God created and a burden for the lost.  Even though spiritual and numerical growth have ebbed and flowed through the years, our ultimate goal remains the same: to “Love God, Love Others, Change the World!”