The Sanctuary Church Charter

Established May 2025 – Modified July 2025

The Sanctuary Charter is the heart of who we are and what we believe. It lays out the foundation of our mission, our values, and our commitment to God’s love and grace. Here you can read the full charter that guides our fellowship and shapes our shared journey of faith.

I. Preamble and Purpose

We, the fellowship of The Sanctuary, stand with faith in God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As disciples of Christ, we desire to walk the path of grace, love, and spiritual growth, leading to the Kingdom of Heaven. Though our foundation is in this faith, our doors are open to all who seek a relationship with God — however they understand God — regardless of religious background, belief, or tradition. The Sanctuary is a sacred refuge for the seeking, the hurting, and the hopeful — a community rooted not in religious dogma or ritual, but in the shared journey of surrender, awakening, and the transforming presence of God. 

Our mission is to open the door to those exploring faith for the first time, reopen it for those who still seek God after being hurt, shamed, overlooked, or discouraged by religion in the past, and welcome all who wish to walk with us in fellowship and love. Whether you carry emotional, mental, or spiritual burdens, have walked a difficult road, or are hoping to rebuild your life with God after a season of darkness, you are welcome with us. 

At The Sanctuary, we hope to reflect the love of God through compassion, acceptance, and understanding. We believe that no one is beyond grace, and that no journey is too early or too late to begin. With God, your past does not limit or define you. The wounds and struggles we carry can, through His love, become sources of strength, peace, wisdom, and service — both for ourselves and for others — when we honestly seek God’s way of life.

II. Core Beliefs

1. We acknowledge God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit as the cornerstone of our faith and spiritual life—while keeping the door open for all to discover God as they understand God.
2. We believe God reveals Himself in deeply personal and unique ways to every sincere seeker, reminding us that no single image or definition can contain the fullness of God.
3. In time, we discovered that our own strength, self-reliance, and ego—the ways of the flesh—fall short. Though they may sustain us for a while, they cannot provide the lasting peace, purpose, or love our souls truly long for. In that realization, many come to see that what we seek is not self, but communion—not pride, but relationship with a greater power: the living God. It is in surrender, not striving, that we begin to experience the transforming grace that only God can give.  
4. Through experience, we discovered that no other human power, authority or principle could awaken our spirit to its full potential – That all real awakening and life is from God’s Holy Spirit.
5. While we reflect on the full breadth of Scripture — both Old and New Testaments — and draw insight from many other inspiring sources, our central focus remains the teachings and example of Jesus Christ.
6. Though we walk as disciples of Christ, we are not defined by the Christian label, nor do we expect others to be. We welcome all who seek God in truth and love, embracing the diversity of spiritual journeys that lead toward God’s love, grace and wisdom.
7. Our unity is not found in perfection of doctrine, but in a shared commitment to love, healing, acceptance, and transformation through a living relationship with God.
8. We seek to embody God’s unconditional love and service by cultivating a spirit of genuine welcome, spiritual exploration, and mutual support.

III. Our Identity

We Are:

• A spiritual refuge for the seeking, the hurting, and the willing.
• A study group of scripture and shared spiritual experience.
• A fellowship of all walks of life.
• A community based in honest connection and a living relationship with God.
• A place of transformation through surrender, reflection, and grace.
• A home of progress and growth towards God’s great Spirit.
• A family of God’s children helping one another, as best we can, to heal and recover and restore our faith and relationship with God.

We Are Not:

• A religious institution that exalts perfection, doctrine, or judgment.
• An authority in the lives of anyone.
• A space for pious performance or pretending.
• A platform to generate religious celebrity or prestige of individuals.
• A place for spiritual consumerism — selling prayers and healing.
• A political or earthly force for change in the world.
• A society of judges fighting against or condemning our brothers and sisters of the earth. 

IV. Our Core Principles – The Ten Pillars of the Sanctuary

These are not laws, but the heartbeat of our walk with God:

1. Surrender – We lay down our self-reliance, and need for control, acknowledging their failure and our desire to seek spiritual principles.  
2. Faith – We seek the presence of a loving God who can restore our souls to wholeness, acknowledging God, as we understand God, to be the source of life, truth, and love.
3. Confession – We seek to accept the truth about ourselves with honesty and courage, knowing that only in truth can we draw nearer to God..
4. Responsibility – We take ownership of our own struggles in order to heal and amend our lives and relationships.
5. Humility – We do not elevate ourselves above others, knowing that grace is a gift, not a reward. We walk with grace, not pride.
6. Obedience – We commit to walk in the light we are given, day by day, trusting that God will continue to lead us in truth.
7. Restoration / Forgiveness – We seek to become peacemakers by pursuing healing in ourselves and reconciliation with others through the grace of forgiveness. As we were forgiven, so too do we practise forgiving others and releasing resentment and shame. 
8. Awareness – We practice daily reflection, listening for God’s messages found in others, in the world around us, or directly from the Holy Spirit. We seek to remain teachable.
9. Communion – We deepen our connection to God through prayer, meditation, stillness, creativity, awareness and presence.
10. Service – We freely carry what we’ve received from God to others in love, offering experience and service, not preaching.

V. Community Values – The Heart of the Sanctuary

These are how The Sanctuary maintains unity, humility, and service to one another and to God.

1. God is our Center. Every decision, gathering, and word seeks to reflect God’s will, not our own agendas.
2. We lead by love, not position. Leadership is based on service and spiritual humility — not hierarchy. The only authority is God.
3. Everyone belongs. The only “requirement” is a desire to know God.
4. Honesty is sacred. We create space for people to speak the truth of their journey without shame or masks.
5. We grow together. We do not walk alone. Our strength of unity is in honesty, compassion, and shared purpose.
6. No one is above another. We resist fame, ego, and idol performance. The Sanctuary is a temple of equality and humility.
7. We are spiritual, not commercial. Money, branding, or celebrity must never override our mission to love and serve. Though donations and offerings are accepted, there is no cost or commitment anyone must make to the Sanctuary.
8. We give what we’ve received. We are stewards of the grace we have been given, entrusted to live and share that message and love with others.  Healing becomes helping.
9. We seek to remain teachable as a fellowship. We endeavour to trust in the continual awakening and gifts of the Holy Spirit above our own understanding, not only believing in miracles, but relying on them as a way of life. 

VI. Governance and Leadership

Leadership in The Sanctuary is not about control, but care.
Our ministers serve, our stewards listen, and our decisions are made in discernment, not domination. Though the Sanctuary is founded and primarily ministered by Ryan, Colleen, and Jenn, the following principles help guide and protect the sanctuary:

• We are guided by a council of spiritually mature members, who model humility, wisdom, and love.
• Decisions are made through prayerful consensus, seeking God’s will above all else.
• Titles do not define authority — they define service. God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are the only authority.

VII. Sacred Practices

The Sanctuary honors practices that open our hearts to God: All are invitational, not obligatory.

• Silence, mediation and contemplation, and prayer. Personal and group study and discovery of Spiritual principles.
• Confession and truth-speaking in a general way. We reserve sharing personal details for a trusted friend or loved one. 
• Scripture and sacred texts. Though we primarily focus on the Bible, all sources of wisdom, understanding and inspiration are welcome.
• Song, creativity and art, and spiritual poetry.
• Community fellowships, shared events and groups.
• Service, generosity, and healing acts.

VIII. Membership and Belonging

There is no formal membership in the traditional sense. Belonging is defined by desire — a desire to walk with God and grow in truth, together.  Anyone who seeks to build a relationship with God, as they understand God, is considered a member of The Sanctuary if they say so.
We do not require creeds, but invite covenant: a willingness to live in love, confession, and shared pursuit of God.

We are a fellowship of people from all walks of life, with many religious backgrounds, cultures, traditions and ways of life.  We support all who wish to embrace the Sanctuary to enhance their particular religions and practises, holy days, traditions and spiritual growth.  

IX. Outreach as “Instruments of Peace”

The Sanctuary is not just a place for people — it is a people sent into the world to:

Sow Love Where There is Hatred or Abuse 

• Bibles Studies, live events, chats and groups.
• Gatherings that foster open, empathetic conversation.

Faith Where There is Doubt

• Create safe spaces for spiritual seekers to explore doubts and deeper questions with others.
• Use poetry, storytelling, and scripture to foster growth without fear of judgment.

Hope Where There is Despair

• Support one another through prayer, listening, and encouragement to promote emotional and spiritual care.

Light Where There is Darkness

• Sharing of our stories and of the grace of God who redeemed us.
• Sharing of our ongoing experience and growth to encourage others.

Joy Where There is Sadness

• Encourage faithful expression and healing through unity and understanding.

We partner with no political system and serve no ideology but love. We serve not to be seen but to reflect God’s will.

“It is in giving that we receive; it is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life.”

X. Amendments to This Charter

This Charter is a living document, open to the breath of the Spirit.
It may be reviewed and revised as the community grows, provided that such revisions remain faithful to the Core Principles and Calling of The Sanctuary.