![]() A basket is available in the sanctuary for the use of believers who wish to contribute. 3 (John 1:7) Thus you will notice that we never take up a collection at any service. For instance, we believe strongly that only real Christians should contribute financially to the Lord’s work. We have a few beliefs and customs that are held by most of us. Making the gospel clear in a Sunday school class or during the Family Bible Hour is certainly appropriate, however. Most evangelism took place outside the gathered meetings of the church. Real faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Rom 10:17)Īlthough believers in the early church recognized that an unbeliever might happen to be present in a church service (1 Cor 14:23), church services were not designed primarily for evangelism or primarily to appeal to the unsaved. God calls us to “preach the Word” (2 Tim 4:2), not to pander to the tastes of those who want “their ears tickled” (2 Tim 4:3-4). The Lord’s Supper, for example, is only to be observed by real Christians (1 Cor 11:27-32) Yet today in many churches extensive programs and whole church services are designed solely to appeal to non-Christians. God designed the church primarily for the worship, fellowship, encouragement and for edification of real believers. Almost always it refers to those who have been “called.out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet 2:9) and thus have been “transferred.to the kingdom of His beloved Son.” (Col 1:13) In other words, it means real Christians. The Greek word translated church in the Bible means called-out ones. It needs to be taken seriously and advance preparation is strongly encouraged. It should be a place where questions, teaching, sharing and discussion are all appropriate in small group settings. We believe a worthwhile Sunday school is a desirable goal for any church. Our second weekly service, the Family Bible Hour, is more structured like the typical “morning worship service” in most churches, with music, prayer, and a message from the Word. It centers on the Lord Jesus and is a time of remembrance for what He has done for us, especially His death to pay for our sins. (Acts 20:7) One of our services each week is devoted exclusively to worship and the Lord’s Supper. Yet many churches today are more apt to emphasize such things as singles’ groups, music programs, ski trips, and aerobic classes.įrom the book of Acts it seems that the early church celebrated the Lord’s Supper each week. We believe that those four activities should characterize Christian gatherings of the church today, too. In Acts 2:42 we read that they were “continually devoting themselves” to teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread (the Lord’s supper), and to prayer. If you are a genuine Christian, not disfellowshipped for living in rebellion against the Lord, and if you believe that the Lord has called you to be in regular fellowship with us, then you are welcome and accepted on that basis. For that reason, we don’t have any formal membership. (Acts 2:47) We don’t wish to exclude those whom the Lord has received. It is the Lord who adds to the church whose who are being saved. The church, after all, is not our property it belongs to the Lord. Christian need room to breathe spiritual, freedom to disagree on non-essentials, and the opportunity to grow and change their views in response to the Word of God. We do not wish to exclude believers who may have minor doctrinal differences with us. Our doctrinal statement is brief, basic, and one that we believe any true Christian could readily affirm. ![]() We have no desire to start a new denomination or to claim any particular title. The early church knew nothing of invisible pew-warmers. ![]() ![]() In fact, the Bible compares the church to a family or a household (1 Tim 3:15), not to a corporation! We stress things like hospitality, getting to know one another, accountability, and the involvement of each believer. We believe that, generally speaking, “small is beautiful”-and that church gatherings should be more like an extended family than like a large corporation or a theatrical performance. We do believe that there is a need to come back to “the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” (2 Cor 11:3) and to return to uncomplicated and edifying gatherings of Christian believers. We are glad for any and every church in the area that preaches the historic gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and holds to the inerrancy and authority of scripture. Aren't there enough churches of almost every imaginable description in the area? We certainly do not wish to foster divisiveness or encourage an attitude of competition between ourselves and any other Bible-believing church. ![]()
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