Who we are
Missio Dei is an Anglican Christian community in the heart of Ridgewood, dedicated to the Mission of God as expressed in the person and ministry of Jesus. We are a missional community centered around Sacrament and Service, dedicated to loving our neighbors and caring for the stranger.
Our church is a member of the Diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others (C4SO), an Anglican diocese founded on five key values: Kingdom, Spirit, Formation, Mission, and Sacrament. C4SO began as a church-planting movement and now unites churches across various regions in the U.S. to carry out mission-driven ministry, plant new churches, and contextualize Anglican tradition to meet the needs of local communities. Through this connection, we are part of a larger movement dedicated to spreading the love of Jesus and building up God’s kingdom.
Our Pillars: Sacrament & Service
Sacrament and Service are how our community lives out its Mission. By aligning our lives with the sacramental practices of the church and serving our neighbors, we grow together in the likeness of Jesus.
The term Sacrament refers to something sacred. The church’s sacramental life connects us with God and teaches us to see the sacred in ourselves, others, and creation. This transformation takes time and comes from a consistent, “long obedience in the same direction.”
Consequently, at its heart, Christianity is a life of service. Saint James says, "faith without works is dead," and true religion prioritizes caring for the vulnerable. We are the church only in so much as we love our neighbors and help strangers. We are called to “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.”
What We Believe
Holy Scripture
We receive the Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God, containing all things necessary for salvation and serving as the final authority for Christian faith and life.
The Triune God
We believe in one God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—eternally one in being and three in persons.
Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ, fully God and fully human, proclaimed the Kingdom of God, died for our sins, rose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, and will come again in glory.
Salvation and New Life
We believe that through Christ’s saving work God reconciles sinners to Himself by grace. Through faith, repentance, and the renewing work of the Holy Spirit, believers are made new and called to lives of holiness, mercy, and faithful discipleship.
The Church
We believe the Church is the Body of Christ, called to worship God, proclaim the Gospel, make disciples, and embody God’s love in the world.
Sacraments
We confess Baptism and the Lord’s Supper as Sacraments instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church as means of grace and signs of the Gospel.
Apostolic Order
We receive the historic Episcopate, locally adapted, as part of the apostolic life of the Church and a sign of its unity and continuity.
Creeds and Councils
We confess the historic faith of the undivided Church as expressed in the Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds and affirmed by the Ecumenical Councils in accordance with Holy Scripture.
Anglican Tradition
We receive the 1662 Book of Common Prayer as a standard of Anglican worship and discipline, and the Thirty-Nine Articles as a faithful witness to essential Anglican doctrine.
Justice & Liberation
We believe the Gospel proclaims good news to the poor and freedom to the oppressed. Following the example of Christ and the prophetic witness of the Church, we affirm a preferential concern for the poor and marginalized. Drawing from the wisdom of liberation theology and the lived faith of Latino/a and Black Christian communities, we seek justice, mercy, and the dignity of all people made in the image of God.
The Kingdom and New Creation
We believe God’s Kingdom has come near in Christ and will be fully revealed at His return, when the dead will be raised and all creation renewed.
Our Staff
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Lead Planter
Ryan Diaz is a Puerto Rican writer. poet, and pastor from Queens, NY. He holds a BA in History from St. Johns University and a MA in Biblical Studies from Reformed Theological Seminary. He lives in Ridgewood with his wife Janiece and his son Damian. He is a long-suffering, at times delusional, NY Mets fan.