What we believe.

We do not belong to a particular denomination but have participated in Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian and Assembly of God churches. We generally agree with traditional Protestant doctrine. Please see our statement of faith for specifics.

We do have a building… in Costa Rica. We would love to have a building in Northern Virginia as well. In fact, in the future we hope to. For now, we have chosen to invest our resources to serve others in Costa Rica. We love our local community in Northern Virginia and there are a lot of great churches that have great buildings and amazing ministries. The Bible says that the church is one body with many parts (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). That means we can recommend other local churches that might have what you are looking for that we are unable to provide right now.

This great question is related to the one above. One of our pastors, Ben Henriques, started ministry as a youth pastor and a Sk8 Church missionary. Children, youth and young adults are so special! Because our community in Northern Virginia is small, we have chosen to include everyone together during our gathering. We have loved this format. However, we understand that this does not work for everyone, especially those with small children. In the future, as God leads, we may add specific youth and children’s ministries. For now, there are several local churches that have excellent programs we can recommend.

The short answer is, that is where God has led us to serve. Of course, we are deeply involved in discipleship and witness where we live as well. But, as former missionaries in Portugal, we understand the need for long-term investment in a community to have lasting impact. We believe that relationships provide the most meaningful path towards transformational growth. Relationships take trust, faithfulness and time. We are currently praying about other locations God may be leading us to serve in.

Ben Henriques and Dr. Joe Henriques serves as elders and teachers. Ben has a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Joe received his Doctor of Ministry from Dallas Theological Seminary and a Master of Theology from Capital Bible Seminary. Both have served on staff at other local churches before starting IONA Fellowship.

We believe that the Bible provides us with our final authority for faith and life. As we study Church history we find that this provides the safest path forward. Things have gotten weird whenever hot topics or a single figurehead were the primary drivers of doctrine or church life. Sometimes this puts us at odds with current trends. At other times, it allows us to be more gracious and generous towards the vulnerable and overlooked.

In conclusion, we believe that the Bible is the inspired, infallible Word of God. It can be read and understood by anyone who is willing to accept its straightforward teaching. And while we have studied both, we don’t believe that you need to read Greek or Hebrew to understand the vast majority of Biblical teaching.

So, about current issues? We look to the Bible to understand how to respond. We don’t play games or try to force Scripture into whatever cultural box that is currently trending. After all, we are not trying to convince anyone of our personal beliefs. We do want to understand what God has revealed through his Word about how we can realize an abundant, eternal life. If you have specific questions, we’d love to share a cup of coffee or tea and have a conversation.