In the Heart of the City With a Heart for the City
Located in the heart of historic El Paso, our heartbeat is to see gospel renewal in our city and through it, the world. Jesus and changed our lives for the better and we believe he can change anyone’s life. All we do is rooted and grounded in the gospel of Jesus and our longing to see that gospel renew all things.
What To Expect
We believe Sunday is the best day of the week. 👏
Our services are weekly on Sundays at 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
What’s a typical service like?
We love the gospel of Jesus. Our whole meeting is centered on the gospel of grace––the good news about Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. It’s in everything we do from singing, to testimonies, to preaching.
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We love to sing. Our time of singing features both classic hymns and newer songs but all our music is grounded in the truth of God's Word and the gospel.
We love kids. During the service, we provide a room for moms of children 0-2 with comfy chairs and a video feed of the main meeting. We also have a kids ministry up to 5th grade.
We want to help. Our Information Table has friendly volunteers that can help you get connected and answer any questions you may have. If it's your first time joining us, make sure to stop by the table and pick up a free gift.
What about my kids?
We welcome kids to our services. Kids love our Cross of Grace kids program where they learn a Bible lesson, have fun, and meet new friends. Your children are also welcome to stay with you, if you’d prefer to keep them in the main meeting.
We introduce kids to Jesus. Our curriculum is The Gospel Project for Kids. In our kids ministry we don’t replace parents, but hope to come alongside them, so we make lots of handouts and lessons available for kids to take home.
We value safety. Kids will be participating in the kids program must be securely checked in and out of their classes.
We have space for babies, too. We provide a room for moms of children 0-2 with comfy chairs and a video feed of the main meeting
What songs do you sing?
We sing a mix of classic hymns and new songs. Colossians 3:16 calls us to sing a mix of the most ancient songs as well as newly written songs, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
Our family of churches has a music arm called Sovereign Grace Music, so we’re regularly singing new songs written by friends there.
Can I see what a service looks like?
Check out previous services via the button below. Helpful to get an idea, but it’s not the same as being there in person.
When should I arrive?
We recommend arriving about 10 minutes before the service to check any kids into kids ministry, find a seat, and grab a cup of coffee.
Where should I go when I arrive?
Our friendly greeters and ushers will meet you at the door. They’ll have badges and friendly faces.
- Checking kids into kids ministry? Just follow the signs or ask someone with a badge.
- Have questions? Head into our Connect Room and look for the big sign that says “Information Table” -- it’ll be staffed with friendly people who can help.
- Looking for coffee? Head into our Connect Room on the left for a cup.
Where should I park?
Feel free to park anywhere in the front lot, back parking lot, or use street parking.
We have disabled parking up front in the front lot, if needed.
How do I get to the church building?
We’re located in the heart of the city near the intersection of I-10 and US-54. We’re located in the the Austin Terrace Historical District, in the heart of El Paso, an area with a rich history dating back to some of the earliest days of the settlement.
What should I wear?
Dress however you feel comfortable.
What is the preaching like?
You’ll hear three things in every message:
- Faithful Exposition // We usually preach section by section through the Bible helping people understand God’s Word for themselves
- Practical Application // We make sure that every passage makes a difference in our lives, changing us, comforting us, and encouraging us.
- Gospel Hope // We preaching the gospel from every passage of Scripture because the gospel is the center of the Bible’s story, Bible’s doctrine, and our lives.
Messages from Ricky Alcantar, our Lead Pastor, also air on the radio in El Paso through KELP Radio each weekday at 12:30pm.
Our Values
These are the Biblical principles and practices that shape our life together as a church.
Open Bibles
We live life with open Bibles. We want to learn to read our Bibles, understand them, and be shaped by them.
Open Tables
None of us are meant to live the Christian life alone. We value warm and genuine relationships where friends become like family.
Open Lives
We believe that we all need one another and others need us. We don’t want a Christian life lived at arms-length, but authentic and open lives ready to change for the better with God’s help.
Simple Structures
We’re not a complicated church. We really only do three things:
- Church gatherings on Sunday
- Groups meeting during the week
- Daily life where we parent, work, and serve
But as the gospel changes us in those three areas, everything changes
Sustainable Pace
We are aiming to make an impact over the long haul in our lives, families, and our community. So we aim to run at a sustainable pace that makes a difference not just for a year but for a lifetime. As a church begun in 1979 we’ve seen the value of running well over the long haul.
Sending Culture
We don’t want to measure our effectiveness as a church by our seating capacity but our sending capacity. As a church at the crossroads of nations and cultures we want to reach out city, and through it, the world.
Our Beliefs
Our beliefs are like a strong and sturdy foundation for us to build on with our lives and ministry.
Read our full Statement of Faith that we share with other Sovereign Grace churches around the world.
Gospel Centrality
We believe that the gospel—the good news of God’s saving activity in Jesus Christ—is the center of our life together.
The gospel is the history of God’s redemptive acts (Ephesians 1:9–12), the center of the Bible’s story (Luke 24:44–47), and the essential message for our faith, life, and witness (1 Corinthians 15:3–11). Our ultimate hope in all that we do is not our plans and labors, but the perfect life, substitutionary death, victorious resurrection, and glorious ascension of Jesus Christ.
Scriptural Authority
We believe the Bible is God’s inspired Word—our final and sufficient authority for faith, life, and ministry.
At the heart of our church is the truth of God’s Word that we believe, cherish, and proclaim together. While the Bible is our only infallible rule of faith and practice, we are also committed to a specific statement of faith that represents a summary of the teaching of Holy Scripture on key points of doctrine essential to the beliefs, conduct, and witness of our church.
Divine Sovereignty
We trust in God’s complete rule and rejoice in His perfect wisdom and goodness in all things.
Scripture presents the all-glorious, triune God as the source and end of all things (Romans 11:36), sovereignly working all things according to His will (Ephesians 1:11). At the center of God’s purposes in the world is the exaltation of His glory through the redemption of sinners (John 17:1–26). To this end, we believe that God sovereignly chooses men and women to be saved in order to display His immeasurable grace and glory (Ephesians 1:3–6; Romans 9:11). God’s sovereign grace in salvation humbles us, fills us with gratitude, and compels us to worship Him and share the message of His grace to all people.
Spirit Empowerment
We depend on the Holy Spirit for power to live the Christian life.
With the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, God’s purpose to dwell among His people entered a new era (Exodus 33:14–16; Leviticus 26:12; John 14:16–17; Acts 2:14–21). We believe the Holy Spirit desires to continually fill each believer with increased power for Christian life and witness, including the giving of His supernatural gifts for the building up of the church and for various works of ministry in the world (Acts 1:8; Galatians 5:16–18; 1 Corinthians 12:4–7). We are eager to pursue God’s active presence in all its breadth, that Christ may be magnified in our lives, in the church, and among the nations (Psalm 105:4; 1 Corinthians 14:1; Ephesians 2:22).
Biblical Design
We embrace God’s good design for gender, marriage, and family, reflecting His glory and purposes in creation.
We believe it was God’s glorious plan to create men and women in His image, giving them equal dignity and value in His sight, while appointing differing and complementary roles for them within the home and the church (Genesis 1:26–28; Ephesians 5:22–33; 1 Timothy 2:8–15). Because these roles give different expressions to God’s image in humanity, they should be valued and pursued in joy and faith. As the redeemed community of God, the church has a unique opportunity and responsibility to celebrate this complementarity, to contend for it against cultural hostility, and to protect it from sinful distortions.
Biblical Leadership
Jesus Christ is the head of the Church and leadership in the church should seek to emulate and honor him.
Jesus Christ reigns as head over His church, and He gives to His church elders (or pastors) to govern and lead local churches under His authority (Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 4:11; Titus 1:5). We believe that men, qualified by both character and gifting, are to serve as elders, shepherding God’s people as under-shepherds of Christ (1 Timothy 2:12; 3:1–7; 1 Peter 5:1–3).
United with Other Churches
We believe that just as the Christian is not meant to live their life alone, local churches aren’t meant to be alone either but vitally linked to others.
We believe that the unity for which Jesus prayed among His people should find concrete expression among believers and churches. Indeed, the New Testament testifies to a vibrant interdependence among churches in the first century (John 17:20–21; Acts 16:4–5; 1 Corinthians 11:16; Galatians 2:7–10). We seek to express a similar interdependence through fellowship, mission, and governance with other Sovereign Grace Churches. Our fellowship extends beyond mere denominational affiliation; we are committed to applying the gospel together in relationships that foster mutual encouragement, care, and a glad pursuit of Christlikeness. Learn more about Sovereign Grace Churches.
Shared Mission
We want to proclaim the gospel in our neighborhoods and across the nations.
Our gospel-centrality entails not only treasuring the gospel personally but sharing it passionately. The risen Christ commissioned His church to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18–20). We believe that commission falls to us and to all believers and that it is fulfilled in a primary way through church planting, whereby the gospel is proclaimed and converts are formed into communities of disciples (Acts 2:21–47; 14:23). We are eager to pursue this mission, relying fully on the Holy Spirit, to see the gospel proclaimed and churches planted throughout the world, that God may be glorified among every tribe, language, people, and nation (Revelation 7:9–12).
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