About Our Church

INVITING PEOPLE TO TAKE THEIR NEXT STEP WITH JESUS

In 2007, Pastor Josh De La Rosa, his family, and a “launch team” moved to Riverside with a calling from God and this goal in mind: to establish a church that introduces adults to Jesus Christ, helps them grow in their relationship to Him, and encourages them to lead their family and friends to follow Christ as well.

15 years later, our mission remains the same. We are a church whose mission is inviting people to take their next steps with Jesus. Everything we do is about that mission. We have now grown to a church of about 600 people. Over the years, God has been at work as we have seen many adults and families come to Christ, and seen many take significant steps of growth in their walk with God. As a church, we exist to know, love and glorify God and be used by Him to help all people know Jesus Christ and become fully devoted followers of Him.

After 15 years of being a mobile church, the Stone Arbor family is now on a faith journey to Build Stone Arbor. We are currently renovating our corner of Riverside to become our future and permanent church home. We envision this property will be a launchpad for future ministries and church plants that would take the message of Jesus to other strategic California cities and around the world - a tool that God would use to serve and share the message of Jesus with the city of Riverside.

Stone Arbor Church comes from a line of like-hearted churches with a vision to see other churches planted and lives transformed by the gospel. We are a part of the 17:6 Network, a group of churches with a vision to see life-changing churches multiplying throughout the world.

We invite you to take your next steps with Jesus with us at Stone Arbor Church.

Map to Stone Arbor

Our Heart Attitudes

There are seven core attitudes that guide what we do. We call these the “Heart Attitudes.” The first four help us to relate with each other as individuals successfully, and the last three help us to relate with the Church and pursue the mission successfully.

  • Life is best lived for others.

    Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. | Philippians 2:3-4

  • Share our lives with each other.

    Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. | Ephesians 4:25

  • Scripture is our guide.

    But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. | Hebrews 3:13

  • Relational rest comes with relational work.

    Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. | Matthew 5:23-24

  • We are Stone Arbor.

    Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. | 1 Peter 4:10

  • We invest in what we value.

    On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. | 1 Corinthians 16:2

  • We are accountable for and accountable to.

    Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. | Hebrews 13:17

Core Beliefs

Jesus is our Lord and the Bible is our guide. We invite you to explore who Jesus is and what the Bible says about how life works at your own pace and in the context of our welcoming community.

  • God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God.

    Genesis 1:1, 26, 27; 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; I Peter 1:2; II Corinthians 13:14

  • Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven's glory and will return again someday to earth to reign as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

    Matthew 1:22, 23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5, 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14, 15; I Corinthians 15:3- 4; Romans 1:3,4; Acts 1:9-11; I Timothy 6:14, 15; Titus 2:13

  • The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. He gives every believer a spiritual gift when they are saved. As Christians we seek to live under His control daily.

    II Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-13, 14:16, 17:3. Acts 1:8; I Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 5:18

  • The Bible is God's Word to us. It was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is the truth without any mixture of error.

    II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20, 21; II Timothy l: 13; Psalm ll9:105, 160, 12:6; Proverbs 30:5

  • People are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. People are the supreme object of God's creation. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called "sin". This attitude separates people from God and causes many problems in life.

    Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3 -6; Isaiah 53:6a; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59:1-2

  • Salvation is God's free gift to us, but we must accept it in order to be saved. We can never makeup for our sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God's way to forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin's penalty. When we turn from our self-ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith.

    Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8,9; John 14:6,1:12; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1

  • Because God gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ, the true believer is secure in that salvation for eternity. If you have been genuinely saved, you cannot "lose" it. Salvation is maintained by the grace and the power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives us this security.

    John 10:29; II Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25; 10:10, 14; I Peter 1:3-5

  • People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in heaven with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence.

    John 3:16; John 2:25; 1 John 5:11-13; Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:15; Matthew 1:8; Matthew 2:44, 46

  • We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life.

    Psalm 139

  • We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person.

    We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.

    We believe that any form of sexual immorality is sinful and offensive to God.

    Gen 1:26-27; Gen 2:18-25; 1 Cor 6:18; 7:2-5; Heb 13:4; Matt 15:18-20; 1 Cor 6:9-10; Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31