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What Do We Believe? The Church

We believe that in the New Testament the term church designates God's people in their totality or in local assembly. The church is a fellowship of persons redeemed in Christ Jesus, divinely called, divinely created, and made one under the sovereign rule of God. The church is a local body - an organism indwelt by the Holy Spirit, a fellowship of believers, voluntarily banded together to hear the Word of God proclaimed, celebrate the Gospel sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion, worship, study, Christian service and propagate the Gospel at home and abroad.

Religion in the worship of God cannot be confined to any particular structure or any particular place because the worship of God is conducted within the heart of an individual at any time, any place according to the dictates of the heart. "The woman saith unto Him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshiped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her. Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship; for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." John 4:19-24. "Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold the kingdom of God is with you." St. Luke 17:21. "For in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring." Acts 17:28.

We believe we are to work in cooperation with all believers who desire the literal fulfillment of Christ's prayer, "that they all might be one," while maintaining scriptural sovereignty under God, to fulfill our purposes according to the dictates of our own conscience.

We believe we are to be committed to His teachings, the Gospel sacraments, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in us by His Word and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth.

We believe the New Testament speaks also of the church as the body of Christ, which includes all of the redeemed of all the ages.

The Church in its inclusive sense, is the fellowship of persons redeemed by Christ and made one in the family of God. The church, in its local sense, is a fellowship of believers, voluntarily banded together to hear the Word of God proclaimed, celebrate the Gospel sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion, worship, nurture, and serve.

St. Matt 6:15-19; 18:15-20;
Acts 2:41-42, 47; 5:11-14; 6:3-6; 13:1-3; 14:23,27; 15:1-30; 16:5; 20:28;
Rom. 1:7;
I Cor. 1:2, 3:16; 5:4-5; 7:17; 9:13-14;
Eph.1:22-23; 2: 19-22; 3:8-11,21; 5:22-32;
Phil. 1:1;
Col. 1:18;
I Tim. 3:1-15;4:14;

I Peter 5:1-4;
Rev. 2:3, 21:2-3 4:3; 5:8-10; 6:1-23; 8:1-18; 29-39;10:9-10,13; 13:11-14;
I Cor. 1:18,30; 6:19-20; 15:10;
II Cor. 5:17-20;
Gal. 2:20; 3:13; 5:22-25; 6:15;
Eph. 1:7; 2:8-22, 4:11-16;
Phil. 2:12-13;
Col.1:9-22; 3:1.

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