Christ the Redeemer Anglican Church Profile

Christ the Redeemer Anglican Church (ACNA) is an age-varied group of faithful and Biblical believers in the Tri-Cities, WA, and a congregation of the Diocese of Cascadia in the Pacific Northwest, USA. The Tri-Cities, which includes Kennewick, Pasco, Richland, and surrounding areas, has a population of around 300,000 with a diverse educational, agricultural, technical, and ethnic makeup. This region of southeastern/south central Washington is blessed with the natural attractions of major rivers, desert, and mountains nearby. There seems to be a lot of room for church growth in our greater metropolitan area. Our fellowship has functioned for about 13 years with volunteer priests and deacons and without a space of our own. Our Mission Council/Vestry has put together this little glimpse into who we are, who we want and where we want to go based on our current context and from the input of the entire council.

You can learn more about the Tri-Cities area here.

Who We Are

Faithful: We are members of Christ the Redeemer because we have individually chosen to faithfully uphold and preserve the clear teachings of Holy Scripture in the face of much opposition. As a body unified in Christ Jesus, we are committed to grow in faith and understanding through intentional and proper study of God’s Word, examining, as the Bereans (Acts 17:11), all current cultural and ecumenical matters in accordance with a broad and properly developed understanding of Scripture.

Traditional: We are a conservative Anglo-Catholic parish. We use the ACNA Book of Common Prayer (2019) and embrace the traditions, worship, and wisdom of the ancient Church.

Older: We tend to be mature in years, but few of us think of ourselves as old, and we seek God's gift of wisdom as we try to grow closer to Him.

Learning: Our midweek studies are well attended by more than half of our Sunday morning worshipers, as well as a few who do not attend our services. This faithful attendance is a testament to our desire for more knowledge and fellowship. The content of the midweek studies is Bible based, Christian book based, or topical.

Many hats: We are few in numbers, so members must perform many tasks in order to operate as a church. We have a good set of skills in our group to provide for the primary needs of leading the ministries of the church, and members serve willingly. However, we recognize this as a potential for burnout among those willing to serve.

Knowledge, training, experience: Among our members, the knowledge, training, and experience in church development varies, making our church body richer and fuller because of our differences. We endeavor to learn from each other, making each of us feel like our contribution counts.

Who We Want

Faithful: We seek a priest who is, first of all, faithful. We understand this to include a priest with a solid, unshakable, salvation experience and a biblical faith; one who is confident in the authority, power, Good News, and hope of the Holy Scriptures; one who has a godly reputation, practicing the spiritual discipline of godly living, personal prayer and Bible study.

Experienced: We desire an experienced church planter with a demonstrated ability to grow a faithful congregation. Our ideal candidate will be young enough to be energetic, but old enough to be wise.

Anglican: We desire a priest who is suitably educated/degreed for Christian, pastoral leadership and has both experience and broad exposure (including working familiarity with more than one congregation) within our denomination, the ACNA. Our desired candidate would thoughtfully prepare and deliver sermons that primarily coincide with the Lectionary readings to ensure that a cohesive message is presented in our services. These qualities will equip this individual for the wise nurturing and edification of our congregation, for directing and overseeing its observances of worship, and for the building of community both within our congregation and in fellowship with other churches in our Diocese.

Strong Servant Leader: We seek a strong leader with the heart of a servant: one who has good communication skills, can oversee the administration of our church, and who is able to delegate and empower lay ministry & leadership; one who demonstrates characteristics such as empathy, listening, stewardship, and commitment to the personal growth of the members of our parish.

Personable: We desire a candidate who genuinely loves people and has a heart for the multifaceted Body of Christ. While this person need not be an extrovert, we seek an individual who is personable, situationally energetic, and comfortable interacting with people from all walks of life.

Evangelist: We desire a candidate with an evangelical nature, wanting to carry the Good News of Jesus Christ to others. He must be courageous and willing to take on issues which may be controversial and unpopular in today’s world.

Where We Want to Go

Faithful: As we move forward with our chosen candidate, we desire to grow in our faithfulness to the Lord in obedience to His word in all aspects of our lives and to be encouraging to and praying for each other as we follow Christ in discipleship. We desire Christian education, which we recognize as necessary for the growth and health of a parish, including basic religious education (catechesis) and other opportunities for all ages like weekly study and prayer groups, that we may be a community of believers where ordinary people are changed by the grace and goodness of Jesus Christ to become faithful members of His church and humble servants to our hurting world.

Space: It is essential for the growth of our parish to have our own worship space, one in which we are not reliant on another congregation’s schedule or rules, one in which we may meet in fellowship as well as for Holy Communion.

Growing & Loving: As we grow in numbers and Christian maturity, we desire to be a group attracting new believers from all walks and ages of life. We will strive to be a welcoming and loving parish, keeping the closeness we currently enjoy while broadening our sphere through outreach to include more of those who are unable to join us physically. We want to be known for our love by faithfully giving to our own body of believers as well as ministering to needs in our community.

Traditional: We want to maintain our conservative values without compromise. We can be flexible enough to include some more contemporary worship styles but still respect our Anglican heritage.

Fellowship: We know a parish is more than just a group of people who meet in a room once a week. We are a family, a community of people who share common beliefs and sentiments. We desire regular and frequent fellowship, practiced in social, prayerful, or educational gatherings. Regular fellowship would allow us to interact with each other, to share in the spiritual growth of each other. It would promote a healthy and growing parish.