Our Personal Life as a Christian

The teaching of Christ is that life itself has been entrusted to us and that we are to live our life exercising good stewardship. This is true because we recognize God’s ownership of all because He created everything. This is also true because we who were doomed and lost have been redeemed by God’s grace from the wages of sin, “eternal death.” This understanding becomes the Christian’s view of life and impacts their use of all the resources committed to them. Believers are called to use the resources of their time, ability and finance as faithful stewards and to give of these generously, sacrificially and proportionately.

We caution involvement in various forms of gambling because they can lead us away from the faithful stewardship of our personal finances, into greed or addictive behavior.

God created men and women with the wonderful capacity for sexual intimacy. The Bible clearly indicates that this intimacy is to be exclusively expressed within the marriage of a man and a woman.

We honor God by giving attention to the proper care of our body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Our Christian witness calls us to show moderation in the use of that which is good and to avoid addictive substance abuse (drugs, tobacco & alcohol.) The most complete way to model this witness is when an individual makes the personal choice to simply abstain from any of these potentially addictive substances.

Scripture teaches a holistic view of life that includes the sanctity of human life from conception to death and a respectful care for all of creation and the earth’s resources.

Loyalty to Christ means rejecting competing spiritual loyalties including witchcraft, astrology, and all forms of the occult.

Our Home Life as a Christian

We believe that every couple should be committed to making their marriage one that will last a lifetime. This belief motivates us to assist in fostering the ongoing growth of the marriage relationships within our congregation.

At times divorce is the painful outcome of flawed human relationships. We stand ready to provide ministry that demonstrates loving care and seeks to assist with personal recovery from the struggles that are part of facing divorce, remarriage, single parenting and the like.

Christians should seek to develop a home life that is marked by love, respect and trust as each member of the family practices mutual submission. All forms of domestic violence and abuse are inconsistent with this goal.

Our Church Life as a Christian

Believers should promote a sense of unity and fellowship within the body of believers. They should show concern one for the other and share in each other’s burdens. It is our personal responsibility to cooperate with and promote the work of this congregation in light of its stated purpose for ministry. Anything that would create disunity should be avoided. Should differences arise between believers, they are instructed to follow the rules recorded in Matthew 18:15-17, 35.

The Scriptural method for doing the actual work of the church includes the personal involvement of each individual who identifies with the congregation in ministry and service. The pastor is a gift from Christ to the church for the purpose of equipping God’s people to actually do ministry (Ephesians 4:11-12.) As such the pastor’s role is more like that of a coach of those who minister.

Our Statement of Faith is essential to who we are as a congregation. All who partner with us should be comfortable with these basics. We also recognize that there are differences throughout the body of Christ on those points of doctrine not essential to salvation. We urge all that walk with us to be tolerant toward theological views that may vary from our own. We will practice the principle: “In things essential, unity; in things nonessential, liberty; and in all things, charity.”

The Scriptural method for the monetary support of the work of the church is through tithing (the first tenth of our income.) Scripture is clear that when we do not tithe we are cheating God of what is due Him. When we tithe faithfully God promises that there will be “enough” for all the needs of the church and that we will personally be blessed instead of living under a curse (Malachi 3:8-12.)

Believers are truly all one body, the body of Christ (Galatians 3:28.) In our practice and understanding, no ministry position within the body of Christ is restricted to any one gender. God gives talents, gifts, and calling to both men and women in all areas of ministry.

While our church seeks to reach and minister to people of all ages, we have a special interest in both reaching and passing the torch of leadership to a younger generation.

Multiplication is to be expected in the body of Christ. As such, church planting is a long term goal of our congregation.

We are committed to the development of relationships over programs. It is our purpose to do a few ministries well and avoid a cluttered program that puts too many demands on the lives of our partners.

Our Life in Society as a Christian

Believers should witness to their faith in Christ by word and deed. Our congregation encourages the personal involvement of all believers in friendship evangelism. Our Christian witness should be evident in our social life, our personal business practices, and in our places of employment. Those without Christ will find Him best through a one on one relationship.

Christians are called to consistently show love and concern for all people everywhere. Our life should be a testimony that lifts up peace and compassion amidst a world of violence and prejudice. We consider racism, prejudice, and discrimination to be sins against our fellowman, and therefore sins against God, who created all humankind in His image. We should recognize and respect the human dignity of all people and at all times treat others (especially those who differ from us), as we would wish to be treated.

As Christians, we should seek ways in which we can be a positive impact in our community, state and nation. Our highest allegiance is to God and His kingdom but we also affirm appropriate loyalty to and respect for our government. Each individual among us is free to exercise their personal convictions as to how they will respond during times of war whether combatant, noncombatant or as a conscientious objector. We also recognize the place for honest differences of opinion regarding a variety of issues within our society.

We do not endorse any system of government or political party and we take a neutral stance on purely political issues. Individual believers should pray for their government officials and participate in the political system as their conscience dictates. The role of government and politics is different from the role of the church. The political process is not the path through which our church seeks to address the problems of society. We believe that true and lasting solutions come when Christ changes individual human hearts. It is to this end that we focus our energies