The Village has an active relationship with the Christian Reformed Church (CRC). Pastor Eric Cepin and Pastor Mark Crawford are ordained in the CRC, and we receive a grant from the Arizona Classis that supports part of Pastor Daniel McConnell’s salary. We are not a CRC congregation, but we participate in the life of Arizona Classis by hosting meetings, serving on committees, and contributing financially toward Classis operational needs.

The CRC recognizes The Village as an emerging church connected to the Classis. We have not formally joined because we are committed to a broader, ecumenical theological posture while remaining rooted in historic Christian orthodoxy.

At The Village, child dedication is our default. Parents bring their child before God, and the church commits to pray, support, and help raise that child toward Jesus in the normal life of worship, Scripture, and community: “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15, NIV)

We also create space for infant baptism when believing parents request it. Some families understand baptism as a covenant sign, God placing his name on a child and marking them as belonging among the visible people of God, under the care and teaching of the church: “I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.” (Genesis 17:7, NIV)

We want to be clear about salvation. Neither dedication nor baptism automatically saves. Each person must come to repentance and faith in Christ as they grow: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8, NIV)

Dedication and infant baptism are similar in that both welcome children and put discipleship in the open. Parents are not meant to carry formation alone; the church shares the responsibility: “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children.” (Deuteronomy 6:6–7, NIV)

They are different in what they are doing. Dedication is a prayer and a vow without the baptismal sign, while infant baptism includes water as the church’s way of marking someone with God’s promise and placing them inside the community’s care: “The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:39, NIV)

A short note on early church practice: from the earliest centuries, Christians treated baptism as the normal entry into the church, and the New Testament shows whole households being baptized. Christians differed at times about timing, but infant baptism appears early in church history and became widely practiced: “At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized.” (Acts 16:33, NIV)

Child dedication, as many churches practice it today, developed later as a pastoral practice in communities that reserve baptism for a personal confession of faith. It gives families a public way to entrust children to God and commit to raising them in the faith, and it echoes the biblical pattern of parents offering their children to the Lord: “So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.” (1 Samuel 1:28, NIV)

We receive infant baptism as legitimate. If someone was baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we do not re-baptize. We honor that baptism and call the person to live into what it points to through ongoing faith and discipleship: “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” (Ephesians 4:5, NIV)

We hold to historic Christian teaching on marriage as a covenant between a man and a woman, and we believe sexual intimacy belongs within that covenant. We also want to be a church where people can bring real questions and real experiences without fear or shame. We will treat every person with respect, listen carefully, and walk with people toward Jesus in community. Below is a collection of Village sermons on marriage and sexuality.

At first glance a Village Sunday gathering can feel unusual. Our songs aren’t the ones you hear on the radio. Some were written around kitchen tables or during late-night prayer. Others are older hymns that we’ve rearranged to fit the voice of our community. People often ask, Why does it sound like this? Why do we sing songs I’ve never heard before? Why aren’t things more polished? Here’s why:

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The Village Church is a neo-monastic “mega house church” in Tucson. It is a community built around shared life, shared practices, and a simple mission: healing the city, one person at a time.
What we are: A church that feels more like a household than an event. We gather around Scripture, prayer, meals, and real relationships.
Our neo-monastic posture: Think “open monastery.” We practice intentional rhythms while staying present in ordinary life, neighbors, work, schools, and the city.
What Sundays look like: Two gatherings, morning and evening, with worship and teaching in a living-room feel, and a shared meal after each service.
Our theological center: We hold to historic Christian faith, Scripture, the Triune God, Jesus, salvation by grace, the church, baptism and communion, and the hope of Christ’s return.
Our core values: Accessibility, authenticity, community, creativity, spiritual disciplines, and truth. These aren’t catchphrases. They’re how we try to live together.
How you belong: We offer clear on-ramps. Some people join through a one-year belonging covenant. Others start by contributing to an art project and learning our rhythms from the inside.
Our discipleship engine: Pilgrim Groups are central. They are gender-specific groups that meet every other week, bi-monthly, to practice Scripture, prayer, confession, and discernment in a relational way. This is also where practices like Trinitarian prayer and the Hot Seat show up as normal ways we listen, pray, and follow Jesus together.
How formation and care happens: Much of our formation grows out of Pilgrim Groups, along with mentoring with pastors, soul-care, and wise counsel in the life of the community.
Worship at The Village: We sing original music and hymns. The aim is worship that forms us, not performance.
How we’re led: Elder-Pastors give spiritual oversight through prayer, teaching, and care. Lead Ministers help carry the practical work of the community and keep day-to-day ministry coordinated.

Here ya go. Have fun exploring! Old Website