Christ established His church on earth to represent Him, carry on His work and
take care of His people. He loved it and sacrificed Himself for the church (Eph.
5:25). Wherever the Gospel has gone, local churches have been established. The
Bible does not indicate that it is ever God's will for even a single believer to live
unattached from a local church. Most of the New Testament letters were written to
local churches. Others, like I and II Timothy, were written about local churches. Acts
tells us about the establishment of local churches. Revelation contains messages
to the local churches.
We welcome all who know and love the Lord Jesus Christ as their Lord, Savior and
God to our fellowship. We expect them to be undefiled in their walk. We obey the
two major memorial observances which the Lord Jesus commanded, which are
believer's baptism (immersion in water of confessing Christians) and the Lord's
Supper (taking the communion elements in memory of His body and blood).
We are not perfect in our church or in our lives. Like weak and failing mortals
throughout the world, we have our faults and failures. On the other hand, we cannot
tolerate the practice of such things as immorality, disruptive behavior and
disgraceful conduct by those who claim the name of Christ and fellowship with us.
We are not the only correct local church nor do we have a monopoly on the truth.
We do not say that everyone else is wrong and we alone are right. We recognize as
fellow believers and God's children all who belong to Christ through the miracle of
the new birth and by the effective application of His blood shed upon the Cross.
The great basic doctrines of the Christian faith are those we share with all other
true believers. The death of Jesus for our sins, His bodily resurrection from the
dead, the deity of Christ, the hope of Heaven for the saved and the eternal
punishment of the lost are a few examples. In addition to these truths, we share
with many other churches (although not all) such beliefs as believer's baptism, the
inerrancy of the Word of God (the Bible), eternal security of the believer, and the
pre-millennial and pre-tribulation return of the Lord Jesus Christ for His Church.
We seek to be loyal to the Lord and to the principles of His Word, as we
understand them. We are not under the authority or jurisdiction of any church
system or hierarchy of any kind. We do not use any denominational or brand name.
We prefer to be called only by the names in the Bible used of all Christians as
believers, saints, brothers or sisters in Christ and children of God. Denominational
names will not mark out the people of God in Heaven. Therefore, we do not want to
glory in them here.
There are certain principles in our church practice at Fellowship which distinguish,
but do not divide us, from other churches that are faithful to Christ. This means that
we cooperate with other believers or churches that are loyal to Christ when our
common interests make this desirable. On the other hand, we have our
understanding of the Word which may differ from theirs in matters of church
function. Among these are the following:
1. Christ is the only Head of the church (Eph. 5:23, Col. 1:18) and center of
gathering (Matt. 18:20), not an organization or church leader. We believe every local
church is directly accountable to Christ and to no one else (Rev. 1:16,20).
2. Every believer in Christ is a priest (I Pet. 2:59) and a saint or holy person (I Cor.
1:2). There is no division in the Bible between believers as a clergy on one hand,
and a laity or common people on the other hand. There is no basis for teaching
that a certain class of people who have undergone a ceremony called ordination
are exclusively given the rights to carry out Biblical functions, while others are
denied those opportunities. The entire clerical or priestly system in churches is
something we perceive as unbiblical.
3. Every person in Christ has been given a spiritual gift to use in building up others
in the church (Eph. 4:11-12, I Cor. 12). We believe they should be encouraged to
use these gifts and to function in the church. It is not desirable to have a paid
professional ministry team do for the congregation what the believers need to be
involved in doing themselves.
4. We see that the New Testament indicates that the structure of the church
meetings be such that there is a commitment to Bible teaching, opportunity for
fellowship among the saints, regular observance of the Lord's Supper, and
dedication to prayer (Acts 2:42). In regards to the Lord's Supper, we also see that
the New Testament indicates a weekly observance of this memorial feast (Acts
20:7). There should be opportunity for collective (participative) public worship in
accordance with I Cor. 14:26,29,34. In all church meetings, the sisters wear
headcoverings as taught in 1 Cor. 11:2-16.
5. We believe in plural leadership. Although missionaries or church-planters often
establish local churches through the labors of one individual, it is the pattern of
Scripture to have a shared leadership (Phil. 1:1, Acts 20:28, Titus 3:5-9, I Tim.
3:1-13). This does not mean that outstanding men cannot have special leadership
or speaking gifts which may be preeminent.
There are certain privileges of being a part of our local fellowship. Some of these
are:
1. Pastoral care by those accountable for your souls (Heb. 13:17, I Pet. 5:2-4).
2. Mutual support in a body of believers committed to each other and to the
fellowship as a whole.
3. Instruction from the Word of God.
4. A place of collective worship, collective prayer, collective service, collective
testimony and collective support.
5. Instruction and help for children, performances of marriages, funerals, visitation
of the sick, help for families in trouble.
6. Participation in missionary work through the commendation and financial
support of missionaries, especially those upon the foreign field.
There are responsibilities that rightfully go with these privileges. Some are:
1. Live a life appropriate for a follower of the Lord Jesus so that you will be a asset
to Him and to the church (Col. 1:10, Eph 5:l&2).
2. Be respectful to the counsel of your leaders in the church and pray for them (I
Thes. 5:12-13, Heb. 13:17).
3. Participate in our collective function according to the abilities that God has given
you. Be ready to serve and help. Do not simply come and go as a Sunday listener
to sermons. (I Cor. 12:4-7, 11-12, Eph. 4:12)
4. Give to God and His work through your local church (I Cor. 16:1-2). Financial
responsibility starts at your spiritual home.
5. Follow the pattern of Acts 2:42. Be steadfast in the apostles doctrine, fellowship,
breaking of bread and prayer. Take advantage of every opportunity to study the
Word with us and to be a Scripturally-intelligent believer.
6. Do all you can to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3).
Learn to forbear, forgive, and resolve differences with all men, but especially of the
household of faith.aa
take care of His people. He loved it and sacrificed Himself for the church (Eph.
5:25). Wherever the Gospel has gone, local churches have been established. The
Bible does not indicate that it is ever God's will for even a single believer to live
unattached from a local church. Most of the New Testament letters were written to
local churches. Others, like I and II Timothy, were written about local churches. Acts
tells us about the establishment of local churches. Revelation contains messages
to the local churches.
We welcome all who know and love the Lord Jesus Christ as their Lord, Savior and
God to our fellowship. We expect them to be undefiled in their walk. We obey the
two major memorial observances which the Lord Jesus commanded, which are
believer's baptism (immersion in water of confessing Christians) and the Lord's
Supper (taking the communion elements in memory of His body and blood).
We are not perfect in our church or in our lives. Like weak and failing mortals
throughout the world, we have our faults and failures. On the other hand, we cannot
tolerate the practice of such things as immorality, disruptive behavior and
disgraceful conduct by those who claim the name of Christ and fellowship with us.
We are not the only correct local church nor do we have a monopoly on the truth.
We do not say that everyone else is wrong and we alone are right. We recognize as
fellow believers and God's children all who belong to Christ through the miracle of
the new birth and by the effective application of His blood shed upon the Cross.
The great basic doctrines of the Christian faith are those we share with all other
true believers. The death of Jesus for our sins, His bodily resurrection from the
dead, the deity of Christ, the hope of Heaven for the saved and the eternal
punishment of the lost are a few examples. In addition to these truths, we share
with many other churches (although not all) such beliefs as believer's baptism, the
inerrancy of the Word of God (the Bible), eternal security of the believer, and the
pre-millennial and pre-tribulation return of the Lord Jesus Christ for His Church.
We seek to be loyal to the Lord and to the principles of His Word, as we
understand them. We are not under the authority or jurisdiction of any church
system or hierarchy of any kind. We do not use any denominational or brand name.
We prefer to be called only by the names in the Bible used of all Christians as
believers, saints, brothers or sisters in Christ and children of God. Denominational
names will not mark out the people of God in Heaven. Therefore, we do not want to
glory in them here.
There are certain principles in our church practice at Fellowship which distinguish,
but do not divide us, from other churches that are faithful to Christ. This means that
we cooperate with other believers or churches that are loyal to Christ when our
common interests make this desirable. On the other hand, we have our
understanding of the Word which may differ from theirs in matters of church
function. Among these are the following:
1. Christ is the only Head of the church (Eph. 5:23, Col. 1:18) and center of
gathering (Matt. 18:20), not an organization or church leader. We believe every local
church is directly accountable to Christ and to no one else (Rev. 1:16,20).
2. Every believer in Christ is a priest (I Pet. 2:59) and a saint or holy person (I Cor.
1:2). There is no division in the Bible between believers as a clergy on one hand,
and a laity or common people on the other hand. There is no basis for teaching
that a certain class of people who have undergone a ceremony called ordination
are exclusively given the rights to carry out Biblical functions, while others are
denied those opportunities. The entire clerical or priestly system in churches is
something we perceive as unbiblical.
3. Every person in Christ has been given a spiritual gift to use in building up others
in the church (Eph. 4:11-12, I Cor. 12). We believe they should be encouraged to
use these gifts and to function in the church. It is not desirable to have a paid
professional ministry team do for the congregation what the believers need to be
involved in doing themselves.
4. We see that the New Testament indicates that the structure of the church
meetings be such that there is a commitment to Bible teaching, opportunity for
fellowship among the saints, regular observance of the Lord's Supper, and
dedication to prayer (Acts 2:42). In regards to the Lord's Supper, we also see that
the New Testament indicates a weekly observance of this memorial feast (Acts
20:7). There should be opportunity for collective (participative) public worship in
accordance with I Cor. 14:26,29,34. In all church meetings, the sisters wear
headcoverings as taught in 1 Cor. 11:2-16.
5. We believe in plural leadership. Although missionaries or church-planters often
establish local churches through the labors of one individual, it is the pattern of
Scripture to have a shared leadership (Phil. 1:1, Acts 20:28, Titus 3:5-9, I Tim.
3:1-13). This does not mean that outstanding men cannot have special leadership
or speaking gifts which may be preeminent.
There are certain privileges of being a part of our local fellowship. Some of these
are:
1. Pastoral care by those accountable for your souls (Heb. 13:17, I Pet. 5:2-4).
2. Mutual support in a body of believers committed to each other and to the
fellowship as a whole.
3. Instruction from the Word of God.
4. A place of collective worship, collective prayer, collective service, collective
testimony and collective support.
5. Instruction and help for children, performances of marriages, funerals, visitation
of the sick, help for families in trouble.
6. Participation in missionary work through the commendation and financial
support of missionaries, especially those upon the foreign field.
There are responsibilities that rightfully go with these privileges. Some are:
1. Live a life appropriate for a follower of the Lord Jesus so that you will be a asset
to Him and to the church (Col. 1:10, Eph 5:l&2).
2. Be respectful to the counsel of your leaders in the church and pray for them (I
Thes. 5:12-13, Heb. 13:17).
3. Participate in our collective function according to the abilities that God has given
you. Be ready to serve and help. Do not simply come and go as a Sunday listener
to sermons. (I Cor. 12:4-7, 11-12, Eph. 4:12)
4. Give to God and His work through your local church (I Cor. 16:1-2). Financial
responsibility starts at your spiritual home.
5. Follow the pattern of Acts 2:42. Be steadfast in the apostles doctrine, fellowship,
breaking of bread and prayer. Take advantage of every opportunity to study the
Word with us and to be a Scripturally-intelligent believer.
6. Do all you can to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3).
Learn to forbear, forgive, and resolve differences with all men, but especially of the
household of faith.aa
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