Introduction to the New Church

In the New Church, often called the Swedenborgian Church, we worship one God, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Creator of heaven and earth and the Redeemer of the human race, in whom is the Divine Trinity. We teach that the Lord is Love itself and Life itself and that everyone is saved who has a genuine faith in Him. A genuine faith means believing in Him and a life lived according to that belief. The life of religion, then, consists of rejecting evil actions because they are the work of the devil and come from hell. Good actions should be done because they are the work of the Lord and come from Him.

We learn about living the life of religion from the Lord's Three-fold Word, consisting of the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Writings for the New Church. The Writings for the New Church were written by Emanuel Swedenborg in the 18th century. Everything in the Old and New Testaments is a parable with a deeper meaning that teaches how to live the life of religion leading to heaven. The life of religion is a life of service to the Lord and to the neighbor.

Those who live a religious life in this world choose to live in heaven after death, where they can continue to live a life of service. Those who don't live in such a fashion choose to enter into hell. Hell is not a punishment inflicted by the Lord, but is a way for the Lord to protect the free will of those who choose a life of evil. Our freedom is one of the most important things to the Lord; He would rather allow us to reject Him than force us to love Him, even if it means our unhappiness.

Some of the most important ideas to the New Church are the teachings about marriage. As husband and wife grow closer together and closer to the Lord, their lives become so intertwined as to be one life. Because of this, their marriage continues after death and they live as a married couple in heaven to eternity. Those who die unmarried find a perfect spouse when they enter heaven. This is because marriage is the source of the greatest happiness that two people can experience.

If you have questions about New Church teachings, try asking the chatbot below. NB: This is a fairly early version and its answers are not always fully reliable.

Key New Church Beliefs

Our Lord Jesus Christ is the one loving God.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the one God of heaven and earth — the all-powerful Creator and Provider, and an approachable, loving, personal God who reaches out to all of us. The Father is the soul, the Son is the body, and the Holy Spirit is the activity of the One Divine Person. He is love itself, and so is incapable of anger or coldness towards any human being. He is intimately aware of the directions of our lives, and works in countless ways to inspire our free response to all that He offers. Read more about God.

The Bible is God speaking through literal stories and a systematic inner meaning.

The Bible, also known as the Word of God, is how God teaches us. In the pages of His Word He teaches us about Himself, about eternal life, and He teaches that heavenly happiness (in this life and in our eternal life) can be found by living according to His commandments. We can read the Bible on many different levels. There is a literal meaning, a history of God's relationship with His people, and a deeper symbolic meaning which teaches us about our own spiritual lives. On the deepest level the Bible is about God's love for all people and His work to bring us close to Himself in heaven. We call this symbolic meaning the "internal sense" of the Word. Read more about the Word.

Love is the basis of Scripture.

Jesus said that the two great commandments are to love God and to love other people, and that all of Scripture refers back to these two commandments. What we love determines who we are, and whether or not we go to heaven. The whole of heaven rests on love as its foundation. Read more about love.

Life after death, heaven, and angels are all real.

Life after death is real, and much more knowable than many people believe. The book Heaven and Hell by Emanuel Swedenborg has inspired people for over two centuries with its detailed description of life after death. It teaches that death is merely a transition from the natural world to the spiritual world, where life continues for all people according to the patterns they have developed in life. Those who have cooperated with God in this life by striving to become better people find themselves in heaven in the next life. Those who have chosen to put themselves above their neighbors gravitate towards others like themselves in the place called hell. People freely choose their eternal destiny. Read more about life after death, heaven, and angels.

Heaven is for all who love God and live according to His commandments.

People who love God and follow His commandments (while on earth) will become angels and live in heaven after death. Their life will not be a life of eternal leisure. Everyone in heaven discovers personal satisfaction and meaning from useful service to others. The spiritual love that makes for beautiful heavenly life within a person also creates a beautiful spiritual environment around them. In heaven this environment is experienced just as we experience the objects around us in this world, only far more vividly. Read more about heaven, angels, and life after death.

Salvation is progressive and involves an ongoing process of spiritual growth.

Being "born again," or saved, does not take place in a single moment. Having faith and living it are two parts of a journey of change and growth. The New Church teaches that every person is saved (chooses heaven) who acknowledges God and lives according to the Ten Commandments. The Lord works through many churches in many nations to make sure that all people have the opportunity to learn these two most basic principles of religion. Read more about faith and salvation.

Love in marriage can become spiritual and continue to eternity.

A marriage is truly a spiritual covenant between a man and a woman, and the love that is shared by a couple who are united this way is a beautiful gift from the Lord. When spiritual principles are applied not only to one's spiritual growth, but also to the marriage relationship, troubled times can be overcome, and that marriage will grow in friendship, mutual support, and happiness. Genuine marriage does not end with death, but continues to eternity. Read more about marriage, and love in marriage.

The Second Coming is not the end of the world, but a new revelation.

When Jesus made His first advent, He came in a way that people did not expect: He came as a healer and a teacher of spiritual truth, not as a conquering king. A lot of people expected Him to share their interest in earthly glory and earthly kingdoms—but He taught that His kingdom is "not of this world" (John 18:36). He had come to show His people the path to heaven; earthly things were simply not His purpose or His priority.

The same thing is true of His second advent. He is not interested in establishing an earthly kingdom. He is not interested in ending the world either. His desire is to lead people to heaven—how would ending the world serve that purpose?

The New Church teaches that the Lord has already made His second coming, not in person but as the "Spirit of Truth" that He promised He would send (John 15:26). Over the centuries after His first advent, the church built up clouds of misinformation and falsity around His truth. So He has come again, to clarify the path to heaven. He has revealed the deeper meaning of the Bible, so that we can clear away the cloud, and understand anew what He has always asked of us: to love Him, to love our neighbor, and to obey His commandments. He came in a way that we didn't expect (as He foretold, Matt. 24:44), and much of the world missed it. But we believe that He's working, even now, to come to individual minds and hearts as the Spirit of Truth, and show us the way. Read more about the Second Coming and the new Christianity.

Happiness comes when we invite God into our lives and live as He teaches.

We open ourselves to the love of God by turning away from evil and learning to do what is good. When we act from that love by living a useful and productive life for the sake of others, the Lord opens heaven within us and prepares us for an eternal life of ever-growing love and happiness in heaven.  Read more about happiness and fulfillment.

God endows us with the capacity to choose our eternal destiny.

The Lord ensures that each of us has the freedom to choose what we want to believe and how we want to live. He gives us this ability, knowing full well that we can use it to reject Him and serve ourselves. Yet by means of it we can turn to Him and see the wisdom in freely choosing to serve others as He asks. Freedom is the cornerstone of individual spiritual growth.

Wondering about something else?

If you have questions about New Church teachings, try asking the chatbot below. NB: This is a fairly early version and its answers are not always fully reliable.

New Church Theology

New Church thought is based on the mid-1700's theological works of Emanuel Swedenborg. He published two groundbreaking works of Bible interpretation, and 16 other books on the nature of God, humanity, reality, and life after death. The New Christian Bible Study project has assembled a large collection of Swedenborg’s works and made them freely available online, in many languages. Explore it!

Vision & Purpose

The VISION of the Pittsburgh New Church is that we can provide a spiritual home and community for all in the Pittsburgh area who love the Lord and want to grow and support one another in life and faith according to His Word. This uniquely includes:

• A special focus on Jesus Christ as the infinite God present for us in His Divine Humanity.

• An understanding of the Bible and eternal life enlightened by the spiritual writings of Emanuel Swedenborg, whose inspired message appeals especially to the rational mind.

• A commitment to the life of faith through love and charity toward the neighbor.

The PURPOSE of the Pittsburgh New Church therefore is:

• to engage as fully as possible in this work, worshiping, learning and working together,

• and sharing our vision with all in the Pittsburgh area who, searching for a deeper, stronger faith, are receptive of a whole new approach to traditional Christianity.

Pastor Jared Buss

Pastoral work has always spoken to me—I’ve wanted to be a minister ever since I was a child. I am honored and delighted to be able to serve the Pittsburgh New Church as its pastor.

I received my M. Div. from the Bryn Athyn College of the New Church Theological School in 2015, and shortly afterwards I began work as an assistant pastor at the Olivet New Church in Toronto, Canada. I moved to Pittsburgh in July of 2021. My wife, Justine, and I have three children, and we’re happy to call Pittsburgh our home.

I look forward to many years of working and growing with this congregation, as we strive to bring love of the Lord and love of the neighbor into our lives and into our communities.