WHAT IS AN "EIGHTH DAY CHURCH"?

Or, more accurately, EIGHTH DAY FAITH COMMUNITY?

The Eighth Day Faith Community is one of the nine faith communities in the tradition of the Church of the Saviour, an ecumenical Christian church in Washington, D.C. Eighth Day takes its name from the belief that God has continued to create beyond the biblical seven days. The eighth day of creation is the life we now lead, one in which we are to be co-creators with God of a reign of justice and compassion as witnesses of Divine Love expressed in Jesus Christ.

We are a multi-ethnic worshipping community consisting of covenant, intern, and community members. In keeping with the belief in the “priesthood of all believers,” there is no paid pastor. Instead, each year Eighth Day selects the community’s leadership team, rotates leadership roles among the membership and worshipping community, and actively encourages new people to also exercise their various gifts.

The commitment each one makes when becoming a member of Eighth Day reflects the belief that the love of God, Creator, Savior, Sanctifier, calls each of us to a life of self- and corporate giving to our world. We believe that the way to closer union with God is three-fold: a journey inward of spiritual disciplines and growth; a journey outward of service to and with others, especially those at the margins of society; and a journey together in community which supports our spiritual growth and holds us accountable for becoming mature, informed Christians and for using our gifts.

The "History" page explains how we were part of the Church of the Saviour - which decided it was getting too big and in 1976 broke up into smaller "Faith Communities."

The "Missions" page describes the concept of mission groups and the various missions and nonprofit charities that the church has helped start.

The "Beliefs" page explains what we believe and how we try to live out these beliefs.

The Eighth Day "Membership Commitment" is central to our life in the church.