The Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself is the sole and final source of all that we believe. We do believe, however that the foregoing Statement of Faith accurately represents the teaching of the Bible and, therefore, is binding upon all members. All literature used in the church shall be in complete agreement with the Statement of Faith..
Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, and on profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of our Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, we do now, in the presence of God, angels, and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another, as one body in Christ.
We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this church in knowledge, holiness and comfort, to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline and doctrines; to give it a sacred preeminence over all institutions of human origin; and to contribute cheerfully and regularity to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the Gospel through all nations.
We also engage to maintain family and private devotions; to religiously educate our children; to seek the salvation of our kindred, acquaintances, and all others; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful to our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment, to avoid all tattling, backbiting, and excessive anger, to abstain from such worldly amusements as watching ungodly movies, gambling, inappropriate music and dancing; to be free from all oath-bound secret societies and partnerships with unbelievers; to abstain from the sale or use of tobacco in any form, narcotic drugs, or intoxicating drink as a beverage; and to be zealous in our efforts to advance the Kingdom of our Savior.
We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember each other in prayer, to aid each other in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy of speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation, and mindful of the rules of our Savior, and to secure reconciliation without delay.
We moreover engage, that when we remove from this place, we will as soon as possible unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God's Word.
Upon a majority vote of the members present at any church service or meeting, membership shall be extended to all who have had and whose Ives evidence a genuine experience of regeneration through faith in and acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ as persona Savior who renounce sin; who endeavor to live a consecrated lie wholly unto the Lord, who fully Subscribe to the Statement of Faith contained herein; who enter into the church covenant container herein; who agree to submit to the authority of the church and its leaders as set forth herein; and
upon compliance with any one of the following conditions:
Each candidate for membership shall be counseled by a member of the Church staff or other qualified counselor before being accepted into the Church and, after having been accepted into the Church, participate in our Church Orientation Program.
On becoming a member of this church, in addition to the covenant contained in Section 2.03, each member further covenants to love, honor, and esteem the pastor, to pray for him; to recognize his authority in spiritual affairs of the church: to cherish a brotherly love for all members of the church, to support the church in prayer, these, offerings and with other financial support as the Lord enables; and in accordance with Biblical commands, to support through a lifestyle walk affirming the beliefs and practices of the church.
We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between one naturally-born man and one naturally born woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God's gift of sex. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one's gender by surgery or appearance. (Gen 2:24; Gen 19:5, 13; Gen 26:8-9; Lev 18:1-30; Rom 1:26-29; I Cor 5:1; 6:9; I Thess 4:1-8; Heb 13:4)
2. We believe that the only Scriptural marriage is the joining of one naturally-born man and one naturally-born woman. (Gen 2:24; Rom 7:2; I Cor 7:10; Eph 5:22-23).
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