Since God made all souls, all souls matter to God.
We’re eager to hear your story. Here’s ours.
The Carlins.
We are rural people from the Midwest. Though we’ve been in Florida the past 8 years, we are returning to ‘our roots’. The Midwest is a uniquely wonderful place to live. We have developed a burden for rural Midwest towns because they are some of the most overlooked areas in America. There are roughly 30 million people in this region who don’t live in large cities. Most people assume rural places (esp. in Midwest) are more Christian or religious than urban centers. Our experience (and recent statistics) tell a different story. Our vision is to plant and support strong churches in small places. The rest of this page describes what we mean by ‘strong churches’. We hope to meet you soon, and are eager to begin our life in Crawfordsville, IN.
Gospel-Centered.
All Souls is centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ, because the gospel is the life-blood of the Church. The good news the Bible proclaims is that Jesus has fully accomplished salvation for his people. That’s what the entire Bible is about. Therefore, as a gospel-centered church, we aim to proclaim the fullness of Christ from every passage of scripture (Old and New Testaments). Everything we preach and teach centers on Scripture’s message that you are saved in Christ alone, by grace alone, through faith alone, and are to live for the glory of God alone. This is the covenantal promise God made with Christ. Therefore, all souls must come to Christ for salvation. Once you do, spiritual growth occurs in a gospel-centered manner, as well. Growing as a child of God occurs by grace and faith as you’re set free from the power guilt and shame as you learn to live in joyful obedience to Christ. All that we believe and do is shaped by these realities.
Sacramental.
All Souls is a sacramental church. Fundamentally, we are worshipers of the living God. We experience Christ as priest, because he is the one who brings us into God’s presence and makes us holy and righteous. Through Christ, our worship is acceptable to God! He is both the priest who brings us into God’s presence and the sacrifice offered to cleanse us from our sin. In him, we are reconciled to God: completely cleansed, fully forgiven, truly righteous, and totally accepted. This is not merely “salvation so I’ll go to heaven when I die.” The Church doesn’t just proclaim the truth about Christ, we experience it. Through the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, Christ forms our identity by drawing us to rely more on him rather than ourselves. The Church’s sacramental nature enables believers to experientially worship their ascended Savior and King.
Confessional.
All Souls is a confessional church. We believe Christ speaks today through his Word in the Church. What you believe about God (and how you believe) matters. We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament are covenantal books inspired directly by God. Therefore, the Bible is the only authoritative text revealing who God is and how humans can have a relationship with him. We don’t interpret the Bible however seems best to us, though. We belong to a 400 year old religious tradition that subscribes to and affirms the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Westminster Catechisms as faithful interpretations of the Bible. We confess Reformed Theology as Biblical theology. Christ speaks truth through his Word in the Church. He is the prophet who has made known God’s will for humanity’s salvation. Come and hear what he has to say.
Missional Presence.
All Souls is missional because Christ has filled the Church with his saving presence through the Spirit. The Church exists as Christ’s temple presence on earth. When Jesus was on earth, people were changed as they encountered his presence. Now in his ascension, people are still changed by encountering his presence. Wherever there is a true Church, it functions as an embassy between heaven and earth. It’s when you participate in the Church that you enter the saving presence of Christ as the ascended Prophet, Priest, and King. Because of Christ’s real presence in his Church, the Church is missional by its very existence. If you’re not a Christian, we want you here. This is where you will find Christ.
Communal.
All Souls is a communal church. We care deeply about forming meaningful relationships in a corporate community. The Christian life is not to be lived in isolation. God intends for his people to be together because he is present in the Church to guide and nourish them spiritually. We need Christ as King, and we experience his oversight and care through the Church. He exercises his authority through ordained leaders. He provides loving care through deeds of mercy. In the community of believers, Christ is present and ministers to his people through his people. Therefore, we love one another, serve one another, give to one another, care for one another, rebuke one another, know one another, sin against one another, and forgive one another. This is the way Christ tangibly ministers to his people. You need a Christian community.