ABOUT
MAIN
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MISSION
STATEMENT
We
are members of the Body of Christ
Who glorify God in worship, are
Obedient to the Great Commission,
Faithful to the Word, and
Fruitful in the World
PURPOSE
STATEMENT
To
relevantly present the Gospel so as to lead the non-believer into a
personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the new believer into a faithful
follower of Jesus Christ, the faithful follower into a fruitful leader
to empower God’s people for works of service—to build up
the Body of Christ.
Fulfilling
this mission statement is dependent on 5 areas:
1.
Worship – Loving God with all of our heart, soul, and strength
(Deuteronomy 6:5)
2.
Missions – Responding to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to his
Great Commission so as to partner with him in seeking to save the lost
ones in the world (Matthew 28:18-20)
3.
Empowerment – Coaching others to discover their gifts and then
empowering them through discipleship, education, and mentoring to partake
in the joy of being a fully contributing member of the local church
(Ephesians 4:12)
4.
Community – Creating a community so as to build healthy biblically-based
relationships with one another for encouragement, accountability, and
family (Acts 2:42)
5.
Outreach – Communicating the Gospel of Jesus in relevant ways
that speaks to the heart (Matthew 5:13-16)
STATEMENT
OF FAITH
THE
WORD OF GOD
We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without
error in the
original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
and that it has
supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. 2 Timothy 3:16-17,
2 Peter 1:16-21,
I Thessalonians 1:13.
THE TRINITY
We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing
in three persons, that
these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct
but harmonious
offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption. Deut. 6:4,
2 Corinthians
13:14, Matthew 28:19.
GOD THE FATHER
We believe in God, the Father; an infinite, personal Spirit, perfect
in holiness, wisdom,
power and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the
affairs of men,
that He hears and answers prayers, and that He saves from sin and death
all who come to
Him through Jesus Christ. Exodus 3:14, John 4:24, John 14:6.
JESUS CHRIST
We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived
by the Holy Spirit. We
believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings. We
believe in His
substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven,
perpetual
intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth Matthew
1:21-23, 1
Corinthians 15:1-4, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.
THE HOLY SPIRIT
We believe in the Holy Spirit who came to earth from the Father and
Son to convict the
world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify,
and empower all
who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells
every believer in
Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide. Acts 5:3-4;
John 16:7-15; 1
Corinthians 3:16.
REGENERATION
We believe that all men are sinners by nature and by choice and are
therefore, under
condemnation. We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust
in Jesus Christ as
Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit. John 3:3-5, 2 Peter 1:4,
2 Corinthians 5:17.
THE CHURCH
We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which
Christ is the head and
all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church,
consisting of a
company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession
of faith, and
associated for worship, work and fellowship. We believe that God has
laid upon the
members of the local church the primary task of giving the gospel of
Jesus Christ to a lost
world. Ephesians 1:22-23, I Corinthians 12:13; Acts 2:41-42; Matthew
28:19-20.
CHRISTIAN CONDUCT
We believe that a Christian should live for the glory of God and the
well-being of his
fellowmen; that his conduct should be blameless before the world; that
he should be a
faithful steward of his possessions, and that he should seek to realize
for himself and
others the full stature of maturity in Christ. Philippians 2:12-16,
2 Peter 1:16, 2
Corinthians 8-9.
THE ORDINANCES
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to
the local church;
baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that Christian baptism
is the immersion of a
believer in water into the name of the triune God. We believe that the
Lord’s Supper was
instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death. We believe that
these two
ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the
Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 28: 18-20, Romans 6: 1-15, I Corinthians 11:23-30.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
We believe that every human being has direct relations with God, and
is responsible to
God alone in all matters of faith, that each church is independent,
and must be free from
interference by an ecclesiastical or political authority; that therefore
Church and State
must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling
its duties free from
dictation or patronage of the other. Acts 4:20, Acts 5:29, I Peter 2:5-9.
CHURCH COOPERATION
We believe that local churches can best promote the cause of Jesus Christ
by cooperating
with one another in a denominational organization. Such organization,
whether regional
or district conference, exists and functions by the will of the churches.
Cooperation in a
conference is voluntary and may be terminated at any time. Churches
may likewise
cooperate with inter-denominational fellowships on a voluntary basis.
John 17: 14-21,
Romans 12:4-5, Ephesians 4:11-13.
THE LAST THINGS
We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ
to earth and the
establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the
body, the final
judgment, the eternal felicity of the righteous, and the endless suffering
of the wicked. 1
Thessalonians 4:13-18, Revelation 20:5-13, John 14:1-3.
CHURCH
COVENANT
-
Our promise before God by which this church exists as a body of believers
and which
every member accepts is as follows:
- Having
been led, by the Holy Spirit of God to receive Jesus Christ as
Savior and
to confess Him as Lord, and on confession of this faith having
been baptized in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
we do now and in
the presence of God and this assembly most solemnly and joyfully
covenant with
one another as one body in Christ to lead a life worthy of the
Lord, fully pleasing
to Him.
-
We promise with the aid of the indwelling Holy Spirit to forsake
the ways of sin
and to walk together in Christian love and in the paths of righteousness.
With this
in view, we agree to strive together for both the peace and purity
of this church, to
sustain its worship and steadfastly to cherish and hold its ordinances,
discipline
and doctrines; to contribute as faithful stewards, such time and
talent, and money
in the measure that God prospers each of us, that the responsibility
for the work of
the local church and the world-wide ministry of spreading the
Gospel be faithfully
and effectively discharged as commanded in Matthew 28:18-20.
-
We also agree individually to maintain family and private devotions;
to teach the
Bible to our children; to seek the salvation of our kindred and
acquaintances; to be
just in our dealings and faithful in our engagements to everyone;
to combine zeal
and knowledge in our efforts to advance the cause of our Savior;
to make Christ
first in all things both spiritual and temporal.
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We further agree to give and receive admonition with meekness
and affection; to
remember each other in prayer and to aid each other in case of
sickness and
distress, to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy
in speech; to be
slow to take offense but always ready for reconciliation, and
mindful of the
Scriptures to seek it without delay; to encourage one another
in the blessed hope
of our Lord’s return.
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We further agree that when we move from this area, we will unite
as soon as
possible with a local church of like beliefs and convictions where
we can carry
out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of the Word
of God.
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As members, we sincerely and specifically promise that:
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We will protect the unity of our church by acting in love towards
other members
by refusing to gossip and by following its leaders. ( Rom. 14:19;
Eph. 4:29; Heb.
13:17)
- We
will share the responsibility of our church by praying for its
growth, by
inviting the unchurched to attend, by warmly welcoming those who
visit. ( 1
Thess. 1:1-2; Luke 14:23; Rom. 15:7)
- We
will serve the ministry of our church by discovering our gifts
and talents by
being equipped to serve by our pastors, by developing a servant’s
heart. ( I Pet.
4:10; Eph. 4:11-12; Phil. 2:3-4,7)
- We
will support the testimony of our church by attending church meetings
(as
defined in Article 10) regularly, by living a godly life, by giving
faithfully. (Lev.
27:30; I Cor. 16:2; Phil. 1:27; Heb. 10:25)
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