Skip to main content

ABOUT

VISION

We are a gospel-centered mission-driven family.

Irving is diverse, divided, and driven, and we want to be diverse, unified, and driven toward our ultimate mission to love God, love people and make disciples of all nations for God’s glory.

  • One of the most ethnically diverse zip codes in the United States

  • A population of 240,000 and experiencing rapid residential and commercial growth

  • The second largest city in Dallas County

  • Home of one university and several colleges

Gospel-Centered – We abide as we understand our ultimate mission internally.

Mission Driven – We abide as we live out our ultimate mission externally.

Family – The ultimate mission makes us gospel partners who are children of God in the kingdom of God.

MISSION

Our ultimate mission is to love God, love people and make disciples of all nations for God’s glory.

Loving God – To follow the Great Commandment of Jesus to Love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Matthew 22:35-40, Luke 10)

Loving People – To follow the Great Commandment in loving all people in and out of our community (Luke 10, Galatians 6:10)

Making Disciples – To follow the Great Commission to go and make disciples, baptizing them literally and figuratively and teaching them to follow Jesus, immersing them deeper in the gospel (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8)

All Nations – To minister and make disciples of all tribes, tongues and nations, locally and globally, by planting churches (Acts 1:8, Matthew 28:18-20)

For God’s Glory – To put the glory of God foremost in all we do (1 Corinthians 10:31, 2 Corinthians 4:1-18)

BELIEFS

Doctrine of God

We believe in one God eternally existing as one essence and three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, each of whom is fully God, yet there is one God. This is the theological idea that is seen throughout the Scriptures as God has revealed himself as One God from the Father, by the Son, and through the Holy Spirit. We believe the Christian faith must confess God’s Trinitarian nature. (Deut. 6:4-9; Deut. 29:29; Mark 12:29; Matt. 28:18-20).

We believe in Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity, eternally begotten but not made. We believe in the Virgin Birth (Matt. 1:18). We believe in the virgin birth humanity and deity were united in one person, Jesus Christ (Luke 1:35) who is fully God and fully man. We believe Christ is truly human without inherited sin (Luke 1:35), and that Jesus Christ is the one true mediator between God and men (1 Tim. 2:5).

We believe that Christ fulfills the three major offices among the people of Israel in the Old Testament. We believe as prophet, Christ is the one whom the prophecies in the Old Testament were about (Luke 24:27). Not only that, we believe Jesus himself is the ultimate source of revelation from God (John 14:9). We believe Jesus is our High Priest, as the perfect sacrifice for sin (Heb. 9:26), leading us into God’s presence (Heb. 9:24), and interceding on our behalf (Heb. 7:25).

We believe that Jesus Christ is King (Matt. 2:2), was crucified, died, resurrected on the third day, is seated at the right hand of the Father, and will one day return to judge the living and the dead (Rev. 19:11-16; Phil. 2:10).

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son. We believe that the Holy Spirit empowers. This empowerment is life giving (Ps. 104:30), and sustaining (Job 34:14-15). We believe that the Holy Spirit regenerates (John 3:6-7). We believe that the Holy Spirit gives gifts and power for service, as seen in the life of Jesus’ ministry (Matt. 3:16) and the life of the disciples (Acts 1:8). We believe that the Holy Spirit reveals (2 Pet. 1:21) and illuminates God’s Word (John 14:26). We believe that the Holy Spirit unifies the church (Acts 2:44-47). We believe that the Holy Spirit enables believers to obey the commands of God through progressive sanctification (Gal. 3:2-5).

Doctrine of Revelation

We believe God has revealed Himself to the world in creation, the Holy Scriptures (the Bible), and through Jesus Christ the Son. We believe that God has revealed himself to His creation in the general knowledge of His eternal power and divine nature. (Rom. 1:18-32; Ps. 8). He has revealed Himself to us in His Son (Jesus Christ), the incarnate Word (Heb.1:1-2),  and in Scripture, the inspired Word (2 Tim. 3:16).

We believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the perfect divine revelation of who God is. Jesus Christ is God with us (Matt 1:23) and the “image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15), “the exact imprint of his nature” (Heb. 1:3) and a perfect reflection of God the Father (John 5:19).

We believe the Holy Scriptures (the Bible), the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, are the inspired (God breathed) Word of God and are free from error in their original writings. These writings are the verbally inspired Word of God, which is supremely authoritative and without error. Scripture has been preserved by the power of the Holy Spirit for us to recall the truths taught by God (2 Pet. 14-15) and are sufficient for all that God requires for us to believe and do and is therefore to be believed, as God’s truth and instruction in all that it commands and teaches. We are to obey Scripture as God’s command in all its truths and to trust it as God’s declaration decree to mankind in all that it promises (Isa. 40:6-8). When God’s people receive the Scriptures by reading, hearing, believing and obeying the Word of God by the power of the Holy Spirit, they are equipped as disciples of Christ and witnesses of the gospel (Rom. 10:14-17).

Doctrine of Creation and Providence

We believe that the triune God is the creator of all things, visible and invisible. and that God created everything from nothing. We believe that each person of the Trinity has eternally existed as One God and is united, present, and active in creation. We believe that all things were created good, and humanity was created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27). Creation was initially good, but sin entered the world and distorted creation (Gen. 3). We believe though broken, humanity still retains the dignity and worth as image bearers of God. We believe God rules and reigns over everyone, place and thing. (Gen. 1:-1-2; Gen. 1-3; Col. 1:15-20; Ps. 24).

We believe God’s providence, that He is continually involved and active with all created things. We believe He keeps all things existing, functioning and maintaining the properties with which He created them for. God’s creative power allows creation to be held together by Him. Creation is governed by God in all things and in every action, and can only act according to how God allows in His will and purpose, according to how He created them. He directs their distinct properties, causing them to act as they do and directs them to fulfill His purposes (Heb. 1:3; Col.  1:15-23; Neh. 9:6).

Doctrine of Humanity

Humanity is part of the gospel story of God in the creation, fall, redemption and restoration of man and creation of God’s Kingdom. Humanity was created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27). Therefore, all human life is valuable and should be valued in the highest regard and treated with love and respect, being created in the image of God. We as humans are given the image-bearing responsibility from God to expand His kingdom as we live out God’s cultural mandate to fill the Earth and cultivate it according to His good purpose and design (Gen. 1:28).

Doctrine of Sin

We believe sin came into the world through the fall, where Adam and Eve were deceived by Satan (Gen. 3, Rom. 5:12). We believe God allowed sin to enter the world to reveal His glory in the story of His kingdom through the restoration of all things to Himself, and His Kingdom being established in accordance with His will. We believe that through Adam’s sin all humanity inherits a corrupt nature, from generation to generation, which makes all men accountable, inheritors of sin, and depraved in their human state (Rom. 3:9-20; 5:12).

We believe humanity’s depravity is radical in its corruption, pervasive in it’s deception, and perverse in its subjection of humanity as slaves to sin (Rom. 6-7). It extends to all of mankind’s mind, will, body, and affections. We believe humanity apart from Christ lives under the dominion of sin and Satan (Eph. 2:1-3). Therefore man is at enmity with God, hostile toward and hateful of God (Rom. 3:9-20). Mankind’s spiritual state is a result of the Fall and original sin that man inherits, leading us to live as slaves to sin against a holy, righteous God. The only hope to escape God’s wrath and eternal judgement is to be regenerated by God by repenting and believing in the gospel of Jesus to save mankind from sin to new life in Jesus for God’s glory.

Doctrine of Salvation

We believe that Christ’s work through his life and death for our salvation was the atonement of sins (John 3:16). We believe that both the love of God and the justice of God were the cause of the atonement (Rom. 3:25). We believe that through the atonement of Christ, his perfect obedience is counted as our righteousness (Rom. 5:19), and his suffering and death was in our place. We believe that Christ was the perfect sacrifice for our sins (Heb. 9:26), that he was the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:10), that he is reconciling us back to God (2 Cor. 5:18-19), and redeemed us from the bondage of sin and Satan (Col. 1:13).

We believe that Jesus Christ physically resurrected from the dead. We believe that the entire New Testament bears witness to the resurrection of Christ. We believe that Jesus Christ’s resurrection was unlike anyone before; he was the “first fruits” of a new life all believers will live (1 Cor. 15:20). We believe that Jesus’ new body was both his actual and new; actual in that the disciples could touch his hands and his feet (Matt. 28:9), and new in that it was imperishable, in glory and in power (1 Cor. 15:42-44).

We believe that Christ’s resurrection ensures our regeneration (1 Pet. 1:3), ensures our justification (Rom. 4:25), and ensures that we will be resurrected as well (2 Cor. 4:14). We believe that after Jesus Christ resurrected, he ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9-11) and is seated at the right hand of the Father (Heb. 1:3). We believe that our union with Christ will enable us to be partakers in the resurrection, ascension, and authority with Christ in the age to come (Rev. 3:21).

Doctrine of the Church

We believe that the church is the community of true believers in Christ (Eph. 5:25). We believe that the church is both local and universal, visible and yet invisible. We believe that the head of the church is Christ (Eph. 4:15-16). We believe that the church exists to love God, love people, and make disciples of all nations for God’s glory (Matt. 22:35-40; Matt. 28:18-20).

We believe that baptism is an ordinance of the church administered once to those who have professed faith in Jesus Christ. We believe that the mode of baptism is to be carried out by immersion in water (Mark 1:5;10), as signified in practice by the apostles, and symbolized by Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection (Rom. 6:3-4). We believe baptism was ordained by Christ (Matt. 28:19) to convey that the believer went down into the grave when going down in the water, and now walks in newness of life with Christ when being raised.

We believe in believer’s baptism, reserved for those who demonstrate a profession of faith. We believe that baptism is not necessary for salvation (Gal. 5:1-12; Luke 23:43), but is obedient to the command of Christ.

We believe that communion, or the Lord’s Supper, is an ordinance of the church administered repeatedly to those who have professed faith in Jesus Christ. We believe Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper (Matt. 26:26-29) to be a rich symbol of the new covenant he would institute through his life, death, and resurrection.

We believe Christ’s death is symbolized through the breaking of bread and the cup pouring out. We believe when the bread is broken it symbolizes the breaking of Christ’s body and that when the cup is poured out it symbolizes Christ’s blood being poured out for us (1 Cor. 11:26). We believe the Lord’s Supper is symbolic, and that Christ is spiritually present in a special way when we partake of the bread and the cup. We believe that the Lord’s Supper looks forward to a more wonderful meal when we will dwell in the full presence of God forever (Rev. 19:9).

We believe that the local church should be governed according to the New Testament pattern, specifically as it defines the church offices. We believe one of the offices is that of eldership. We believe there should be a plurality of elders as opposed to a single elder (Acts 14:23). We believe there is unity and consistency in elders governing and keeping watch over the local church (Acts 20:28).

We believe the primary functions of an elder are to rule and to teach (1 Tim. 5:17). We believe elders are to rule in the manner of shepherding as prescribed in 1 Pet. 5:2-5 and to teach by giving instruction in sound doctrine and refute those who contradict it (Titus 1:9). We believe and elder should be qualified on the grounds of 1 Tim. 3:2-7 and Titus 1:6-9. We believe another church office is that of deacon. We believe the primary function of a deacon is to lead by serving the local church. We believe deacons serve the church in various ways, and are subject to the authority of the elders. We believe a deacon should be qualified on the grounds of 1 Tim. 3:8-13.

Doctrine of Resurrection and the Consummation of the Kingdom of God

We believe in the physical resurrection of the dead for all time when Christ returns. We believe that Christ was the first fruit of what our resurrection will be like (1 Cor. 15:12-58). We believe that when Christ returns, the souls of those who have died and belong to Christ will be joined with their new bodies (1 Thess. 4:14). We believe that for those who have not yet died that belong to Christ on the day of his return, they will immediately be changed into their new resurrected body (1 Cor. 15:51-52). We believe that those who are outside of Christ will resurrect to eternal judgement with Satan and his hosts, being finally separated from the presence of God enduring eternal punishment. (Rev. 20: 7-15). We believe that for those in Christ, our new resurrected bodies will be like Christ’s resurrected body. We believe our resurrected bodies will be physical, imperishable, glorious, powerful, and spiritual (1 Cor. 15:42-49). We believe that our resurrected bodies will be suitable for inhabiting the new heavens and the new earth (2 Pet. 3:13), proclaiming the glory of God who makes all things new (Rev. 21:1-5).

LEADERSHIP

Israel Martinez

Israel was born in Germany in a military family living in various countries and states until he was 9, and his family moved to the Dallas area. He is of Puerto Rican descent and was raised in a predominantly African-American city (DeSoto, Texas) and grew up in a predominantly white Baptist church while often being labeled as Indian or Middle Eastern.

Israel came to know the Lord as his personal savior at age 10. He has worked in the local church serving in music, youth, children, teaching, preaching and missions ministries. He is also a veteran of the United States Air Force and worked as a public school teacher in Irving, Texas.

Israel holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Business from Dallas Baptist University with minors in Biblical Studies and Spanish, as well as a Masters of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. .

During seminary, God began to put church planting on Israel’s heart, and after graduating, his church sent him and his family out to do a 2-month vision trip in Frankfurt, Germany. He loved it but knew God was calling him and his family back to Texas to learn and serve the church in a pastoral role and prepare to lead a church plant in the States. He has served in full-time in ministry and pastoral roles since 2011.

Israel is married to his wonderful wife, Candace, and they have five beautiful children, Felicity, Annabeth, Evangeline, Titus and Clara.

Redeemer Church Irving’s Advisory Board

Redeemer Church Irving has an advisory board from our sending churches and partner organizations to guide the church in its mission and vision.

Sending Churches

REDEEMER MIDLAND

Israel raised support for a two-year church planting residency, which started at Redeemer Church in Midland, Texas. Redeemer is part of the Acts 29 church planting network and has played an integral part of planting gospel-centered churches throughout West Texas and has even sent numerous teams to plant churches in unengaged nations overseas.

http://redeemermidland.org/

THE VILLAGE CHURCH

After a one-year residency at Redeemer, the Martinez family and Redeemer were led to partner with The Village Church to have Israel continue his residency. The Martinez family is excited to see the gospel-centered partnership of Redeemer and The Village Church to send the Martinez family out to plant Redeemer Church Irving.

https://www.thevillagechurch.net/sending/church-planting

Partners

REDEEMER NETWORK

The Redeemer Network is a collective of Acts 29 churches across Texas who are committed to working together to multiply new churches.
As a network, we share a collaborative, church planting residency that is designed to develop and prepare aspiring planters and church planting teams effectively. Aside from working together to train planters, we also fund these churches together and work to provide ongoing support to all churches in the Redeemer Network.

https://www.redeemernetwork.org/

ACTS 29

As a family of church-planting churches we are about one thing: church planting. We exist to encourage, resource, facilitate, support and equip churches to plant churches that will plant church-planting churches!

https://www.acts29.com

The Baptist Missionary Association of Texas (BMAT)

The Baptist Missionary Association of Texas (BMAT) consists of approximately 400 Baptist churches across the state of Texas. Our association endeavors to unify the work of the churches as they fulfill the Great Commission in their local communities, the State of Texas, and ultimately, the world.

https://www.bmatexas.org/