WHO WE ARE
We are a Spirit-filled, multi-cultural church that is passionate about God and passionate about people. At SCC, we believe church isn’t like a family, it is family – the family of God. We desire for people of all backgrounds to come into a relationship with God and become a part of His family.
PASTORS
Igor and Oksana Melnichenko
Lead Pastors
Our SCC lead pastors, Igor and Oksana Melnichenko, have a heart for people to experience the life-changing power of God. They are passionate about people truly knowing Christ and equipping them to fulfill God’s purpose for their life. They strongly believe in the next generation and honor the faith of those that have gone before us.
Both Pastor Igor and Oksana emigrated to the U.S. more than 30 years ago from the former Soviet Union. It was a great call and blessing of God that brought them to America, where they and their families were able to freely worship God. They felt called to ministry in Sarasota, and were married here 18 years ago. They have two daughters, Milana and Daria, who bring them much joy and contentment. They love
“family time” as their girls put it, enjoy the many beautiful places in Sarasota, and love to travel. They
recently discovered the secret of the egg style ceramic grill, and enjoy spending time with people.
At SCC we live to make disciples by knowing Christ, building strong connections, and equipping people to fulfill their calling.
CHRIST.
CONNECTION.
CALLING.
vision
We see Sarasota City Church impacting our city, our nation, and the world by training leaders who will raise up other leaders.
OUR BELIEFS
We believe the Bible to be the Holy Spirit inspired Word of God. It is accurate, authoritative and
applicable to our everyday life.
We believe in one eternal God who is the Creator of all things. He exists in three Persons: God the
Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He is perfectly holy, just, loving, and truthful.
We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, His sinless life and His atoning
death through His shed blood. We believe in His resurrection and His ascension to the right hand
of the Father. He is the only One who can reconcile us to God. We’re saved by God’s grace
through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
We believe sin separates each of us from God and His purpose for our lives. In order to receive
forgiveness and the new birth we must repent of our sins, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and
submit to His will for our lives.
We believe that our eternal destiny in either Heaven or Hell is determined by our acceptance or
rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
We believe in water baptism by immersion in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit.
We believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit with speaking in other tongues, as the Spirit gives the
utterance, to be the initial evidence of this experience. We believe in the operation of the nine
gifts of the Spirit and encourage people to live so that these gifts may manifest in their lives.
We believe God’s church consists of all that are born again and believe in Jesus Christ as their
personal Savior. We believe in the power of believers gathering together for prayer, worship, and
communion.
We believe the Church exists to carry on the ministry of Jesus Christ and further advance His
kingdom by undoing the works of the enemy, preaching the good news, and making disciples.
We believe in the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We believe in the sacredness of marriage between one man and one woman and family
commitment. We promote strong family values.