We are the Laborers.
Salt Church’s mission is to make God's Kingdom come and His will be done on earth. We're determined to make disciples and to plant churches that love and obey King Jesus. We are a scrappy, Scripture-loving church that gathers for worship at the Hartfield YMCA in Middlesex, VA.
All About Salt
Salt Church began gathering in May of 2021 in the living room of our pastor. It wasn't long until we moved our growing church to the Hartfield YMCA. However, where we meet is not who we are. Salt Church is a family of believers of Jesus Christ who really love God and are really serious about making disciples. We make sure to not put too much emphasis on inviting people "to church" as our primary means of outreach. Members of Salt Church recognize that they are the ministers of the Gospel. Our primary means of reaching the lost is through each and every member living as an ambassador for Christ and going into all the world and preaching the Gospel.
Salt Church Values
We Love God, For Real, For Real
We aren't merely "American Christians." We are Bible Christians. God is not a part of our lives, He IS our life. Jesus is King and we serve Him faithfully.
God is Good
The Garden of Eden and the life and ministry of Jesus show us God's intentions and plans for humanity. God does not create tragedy, but He does bring resurrection out of it, because He is good.
We Want the Gifts
of the Spirit.
We earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, because the Bible tells us to. Jesus builds up His Church with the gifts, and equips us to be His witnesses.
We Are Noticeable
Salt is bold. Salt is not vanilla. We take seriously our calling to make disciples and we are enthusiastic for God and His Kingdom.
We Fight Where the Fight is
We understand our culture, our times, and how the enemy is attacking. This causes us to faithfully prioritize God's good design for male and female in marriage and all of life. The church must lead the world in all things, and especially in so called "hot button" issues.
We Multiply
As individuals we make more disciples. As a church we plant other churches. Jesus keeps His Church on offense and we are aggressively moving forward.
We Are Deeply Committed to One Another
We are our brother's keeper. Your burden is my burden. Your joy is my joy. Love for the Body of Christ is evidence of love for King Jesus. We want our deepest relationships to be with one another.
11487 General Puller Hwy.
Hartfield, VA 23071
Middlesex Family YMCA
Classroom Building
10:02 AM
Meet the Pastor
John Michael Clark
John Michael Clark is a simple man with a simple mission - to love and follow Jesus no matter what. He was married to his dream girl, Natalie, in 2007 and became an ordained minister that same year, serving as a staff pastor for eight years. John Michael is the founder and CEO of The Family Captain, a coaching business for Christ-following husbands and fathers. John Michael and Natalie are originally from Mathews County and reside in Deltaville where they are raising their three boys - Elijah, Brock, and Hudson.
Our Statement of Faith
The Scriptures Inspired
The Bible is the inspired Word of God, a revelation from God to men, the infallible rule of faith and conduct, and superior to conscience. It alone is the final authority in determining all doctrinal truths. (2 Tim. 3:15-17; 1 Pet. 1:23-25; Heb. 4:12).
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The One True God
The one true God has revealed Himself as the eternally self-existent, self-revealed "I AM," and has further revealed Himself in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and co-eternal (I John 5:7; Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6; Hebrews 3:7-11).
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is God the eternal Son, the second person of the Trinity. On earth, Jesus was 100% God and 100% man. He is the only man ever to have lived a sinless life. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed miracles, died on the cross for mankind and thus, atoned for our sins through the shedding of His blood. He rose from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will return again in power and glory (John 1:1,14, 20:28; 1Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 2:5-6; 1Timothy 2:5).
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Man's Fall and Redemption
Man was created good and upright, for God said, "Let us make man in our image and after our likeness." Man, by voluntary transgression, fell, and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is separation from God. Man’s only hope of redemption is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Gen. 1:26-31; Gen. 2:17; Gen. 3:17; Ro. 5:12-21).
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The Salvation of Man
Conditions of Salvation
We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ; His death, burial, and resurrection. Salvation is a gift from God, not a result of our good works or of any human efforts (Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 2:16, 3:8; Titus 3:5; Romans 10:9-10; Acts 16:31; Hebrews 9:22).
Repentance is the commitment to turn away from sin in every area of our lives and to follow Christ, which allows us to receive His redemption and to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Thus, through repentance we receive forgiveness of sins and appropriate salvation (Acts 2:21, 3:19; 1 John 1:9).
Evidences of Salvation
The inward evidence to the believer of his/her salvation is the direct witness of the Spirit (Ro. 8:16). The outward evidence to all men is a life of holiness (1 Thess. 4:7, 2 Tim.1:9).
The Promise of the Father
All believers are entitled to and should ardently expect and earnestly seek the promise of the Father, the baptism in the Holy Spirit and fire, according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was the normal experience of all in the early Christian church. With it comes the enduement of power for life and service, the bestowment of the gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4,8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31). This experience is distinct from and subsequent to the experience of the new birth (Acts 8:12-17; 10:44-46; 11:14-16; 15:7-9). With the baptism in the Holy Spirit come such experiences as an overflowing fullness of the Spirit (John 7:37-39; Acts 4:8), a deepened reverence for God (Acts 2:43; Hebrews 12:28), an intensified consecration to God and dedication to His work (Acts 2:42), and a more active love for Christ, for His Word, and for the lost (Mark 16:20).
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The Gifts of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is manifested through a variety of spiritual gifts to build and sanctify the church, demonstrate the validity of the resurrection, and confirm the power of the Gospel. All believers are commanded to earnestly desire the manifestation of the gifts in their lives. These gifts always operate in harmony with the Scriptures and should never be used in violation of Biblical parameters (Hebrews 2:4; Romans 1:11, 12 :4-8; Ephesians 4:16; 2 Timothy 1:5-16, 4:14; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31, 14:1-40; 1 Peter 4:10).
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Sanctification
Sanctification is an act of separation from that which is evil, and of dedication unto God (Romans 12:1,2; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 13:12). Scriptures teach a life of "holiness without which no man shall see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14). By the power of the Holy Spirit we are able to obey the command: "Be ye holy, for I am holy" (1 Peter 1:15,16).
Sanctification is realized in the believer by recognizing his identification with Christ in His death and resurrection, and by faith reckoning daily upon the fact of that union, and by offering every faculty continually to the dominion of the Holy Spirit (Romans 6:1-11,13; 8:1,2,13; Galatians 2:20; Philippians 2:12,13; 1 Peter 1:5).
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The Church
The Church consists of all those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, are redeemed through His blood, and are born again of the Holy Spirit. Christ is the Head of the Body, the Church (Ephesians 1:22-23), which has been commissioned by Him to go into all the world as a witness, preaching the gospel to all nations (Matthew 28:19-20) . The local church is a body of believers in Christ who are joined together for the worship of God, for edification through the Word of God, for prayer, fellowship, the proclamation of the gospel, and observance of the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord's Supper (Acts 2:41-47).
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The Family
God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption.
Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God's unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race.
The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God's image. The marriage relationship models the way God relates to His people. A husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. He has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family. A wife is to submit herself graciously to the authority of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ. She has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper in building the household and nurturing the next generation.
Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate to their children God's pattern for marriage. Parents are to teach their children spiritual and moral values and to lead them, through consistent lifestyle example and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth. Children are to honor and obey their parents.
Genesis 1:26-28; 2:15-25; 3:1-20; Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Joshua 24:15; 1 Samuel 1:26-28; Psalms 51:5; 78:1-8; 127; 128; 139:13-16; Proverbs 1:8; 5:15-20; 6:20-22; 12:4; 13:24; 14:1; 17:6; 18:22; 22:6,15; 23:13-14; 24:3; 29:15,17; 31:10-31; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; 9:9; Malachi 2:14-16; Matthew 5:31-32; 18:2-5; 19:3-9; Mark 10:6-12; Romans 1:18-32; 1 Corinthians 7:1-16; Ephesians 5:21-33; 6:1-4; Colossians 3:18-21; 1 Timothy 5:8,14; 2 Timothy 1:3-5; Titus 2:3-5; Hebrews 13:4; 1 Peter 3:1-7.
Divine Healing
Deliverance from sickness is provided for in the atonement of Christ and is the privilege of all believers (John 5:14).
Provision is made in the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ for the healing of the mortal body (Matthew 8:16-17). Prayer for the sick and anointing with oil are taught in the Scriptures and are privileges for the Church in this present age. It is also one of the gifts of the Spirit (Psalm 103:2-3; Isaiah 53:4,5; Matthew 8:16-17; Mark 16:17-18; Acts 8:6-7; James 5:13-16; 1 Corinthians 12:9, 28; Romans 11:29).
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The Blessed Hope
The resurrection of those who have fallen asleep in Christ and their translation, together with those who are alive and remain unto the Lord, is 6:23; Titus 2:13; 1 Cor. 15:51,52).
The Second Coming
Jesus Christ will physically and visibly return to earth for the second time to establish His Kingdom. This will occur at a date undisclosed by the Scriptures (Matthew 24:30, 26:63-64; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8; Revelation 1:7).
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The Lake of Fire
The devil and his angels, the beast and the false prophet, and whosoever is not found written in the Lamb's Book of Life shall be consigned to everlasting punishment in the lake which burns fire and brimstone, which is the second death (Rev. 19:20; 20:10-15).
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Ordinances
Baptism in Water
The ordinance of baptism by burial with Christ should be observed by all that have repented of their sins and in their hearts have believed on Christ as their Savior and Lord. In doing so, they declare to the world that they have died with Christ and that they have also been raised to walk with Him in newness of life (Matt. 28:19; Rom. 6:4).
The Lord's Supper (Communion)
The Lord's Supper, consisting of the elements, bread and fruit of the vine, is the symbol expressing our sharing in a memorial to His suffering and death, and a prophecy of His second coming, and is enjoined to all believers "until He comes" (John 6:48,51,53-57; Luke 22:19,20; 2 Pet. 1:4; 1 Cor. 11:25).