Frequently Asked Questions

We get a lot of questions about our church and so we compiled a quick guide to answer the most common ones...

1. Where do you hold services?
   We are not currently holding public services and we do not have a church building. Right now our launch team meets on Wednesday nights for a Bible study and prayer. All churches begin with a group of dedicated Christians who want to reach their city for Jesus. As they work together, pray together, and spread the word in the community a new church forms. The building, programs, and worship services are a product of their work and come at the end of the planting process.

2. What is "church planting"?
   Church planting is a made-up word used to describe the work of starting new churches. Jesus started one church and so we say "planting" because we "snip pieces" off the main body and put them in new places. A plant is meant to grow and produce fruit and the same is true for a church plant. Church plants might lack the resources and power of established churches but what they benefit from is a highly dedicated group of local missionaries (who can be any ordinary person) who know each other, serve the community, and create an environment that is ten times more effective at reaching the unchurched than an established church is.

3. So...are you Protestant or Catholic?
   Anglicans are Protestants. What everyone thinks of as Anglicanism came out of the reformation of the Church of England in the 1500s. We do not pray to saints, we do not believe in Transubstantiation (the belief that the bread and wine in Communion transform physically into Jesus), we do not follow the pope, we hold the Bible as our highest authority, and we believe that we are saved by grace through faith. The English Reformers did maintain some more catholic practices like bishops, liturgical worship, and a central role for the sacraments in our spiritual life. While some would like to say that Anglicans have more in common with Roman Catholics than Protestants this is demonstrably false. The biggest indicator of where we align on these issues is that the Anglican Church in North America is in full communion with the Lutheran Church but we are not in communion with the Roman Catholic Church. And without Luther there would be no Protestants.

4. If you aren't Roman Catholic why do you where a clergy collar?
   The clergy collar originated with the Presbyterian church in Scotland and was later appropriated by Roman Catholic clergy in English speaking areas. In those days, men's shirts had detachable collars for easy cleaning. Scottish clergy decided to wear their collars backwards as an outward sign that they have turned their backs on this world and decided to fully follow Jesus. Just as police and doctors wear uniforms, pastors wear collars to let everyone know that they are "on duty" in case someone needs pastoral care.

5. How can I join your church?
   Right now we are not holding any public services because we are in the building stage of our new congregation. We are always looking for people who might want to join us to help launch the church. These first members of our church are called "core team members" because they form the foundation of this new church. These are mature Christians who want to live on mission in McKinney. They must be willing to give financially to the church, serve in many different ways, and be present at our gatherings. The process of joining the core team begins with a conversation with Pastor Seth. It then moves to a period of discernment which is several follow up conversations to make sure everyone is on the same page. If everything seems right it ends with an invitation to join the team. If you or someone you know might want to join us in our work please email Seth (seth@ascensionmckinney.org)

6. What are some other ways I can help?
   We always need prayer. We truly believe in the power of prayer and we trust that God hears us and cares for us. You can join our prayer team to receive our newsletters. You can donate to our church plant. All gifts are tax deductible and every penny goes to help reach McKinney for Jesus. You can also help us by connecting us to other people who might want to help. If you know someone who might want to join us or someone who would like to donate please reach out to us and let us know.