Called by God
We believe the church is the people called by God through Jesus
Christ. People who respond in faith are united with the local
congregation by the public confession of baptism. Church members
commit themselves to follow Christ in a life of discipleship
and witness as empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Body of Christ
The church is one body of believers, male and female, from every
nation, race and class. The head of this body is Christ. The
church, united by the one Spirit, makes Christ visible in the
world. The church exists as local bodies of believers and as
a worldwide community of faith.
Worship
The church is nourished and renewed as God's people gather regularly
to glorify God. The early church gathered on the first day of
the week to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead. The worshipping community celebrates God's faithfulness
and grace, reaffirms its faithfulness to God, builds up the
members of the body, and seeks God's will for its life and mission.
As the church observes baptism, and the Lord's Supper, it proclaims
the good news of salvation.
Fellowship and Accountability
The church is a covenant community in which members are mutually
accountable in matters of faith and life. They love, care, and
pray for each other, share each other's joys and burdens, admonish
and correct one another. They share material resources as there
is need. Local congregations follow the New Testament example
by seeking the counsel of the wider church on matters that affect
its common witness and mission. Congregations work together
in a spirit of love, mutual submission, and interdependence.
The New Testament guides the practice of redemptive church
discipline. The church is responsible to correct members who
continue to sin. Congregations forgive and restore those who
repent, but formally exclude those who disregard discipline.
Gifts for Ministry
Through the Holy Spirit God gives gifts to each member for the
well-being of the whole body. These gifts are to be exercised
in God's service to build up the church and to minister in the
world.
God calls people to equip the church for ministry. Leaders are
to model Christ in their personal, family, and church life.
The church is to discern leaders prayerfully, and to affirm,
support, and correct them in a spirit of love.
Matthew 16:13-20; Matthew 18:15-20; John 13:1-20; John 17:1-26;
Acts 1:8; Acts 2:1-4; Acts 37-47; Acts 11:1-18; Acts 15:1-35;
Romans 12:3-8; I Corinthians 5:1-8; I Corinthians 12-14; II Corinthians
2:5-11; Galatians 3:26-28; Galatians 6:1-5; Ephesians 1:18-23;
Ephesians 2:11-22; Ephesians 4:4-6; Ephesians 11-16; I Thessalonians
5:22-23; I Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:7-9; I Peter 2:9-12; I Peter
5:1-4.
