The Cascadia New Church is a congregation of the General Church of the New Jerusalem (also known as the New Church). We are based in Washington, Oregon, and southwestern British Columbia. Our beliefs are founded in the Old and New Testaments of the Word of God (The Bible), illuminated by the theological writings of Emanuel Swedenborg. 

The New Church teaches that there is one God, and we know Him as the Lord God Jesus Christ. We look to Him as a being of unconditional love and divine truth, who neither judges nor condemns. We believe that God created the universe and everything in it with a loving purpose. Each thing that happens, even if it appears to be bad, is in service of the greater good of humanity — that is, drawing us closer to the Divine and evolving in spiritual consciousness.

So much of the Bible has meaning beyond the literal sense (the parables are good examples). Emanuel Swedenborg, an eighteenth century theologian and scientist, provided a framework for understanding the Bible's internal meaning, as well as writing many additional volumes which shed light on why we're here and how to develop a functional relationship with God. Swedenborg taught that all people who live good lives, regardless of their religion, are welcomed into heaven. Above all, authentic religion is kindness towards the neighbor and a willingness to be led by God. Read more about our core beliefs.

Our mission is to cultivate our loving connection with the Lord God Jesus Christ and one another as the source of that joy. The nature of the activities to be promoted or carried on are to sustain, support, and promote the promulgation of the doctrinal teachings contained in the Sacred Scriptures as revealed in the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg. We do this by helping people experience heavenly joy through spiritual growth and service.