The Church

10. THE CHURCH

We believe that a Church according to the Scriptures is a gathering of believers voluntarily associated together. This group meets regularly to build each other up in their faith in Christ and to worship Him, as well as to observe the ordinances and spread the Gospel.

We believe a New Testament church is not a national or universal organization, but an autonomous body, free from outside control and responsible to Jesus Christ, the only properly recognized Head of the Church. These independent, local churches fellowship with others of like faith and practice for mutual strengthening and fellowship.

Each church has its own officers. These usually consist of pastors and deacons. A pastor, who in scripture is also called “Bishop”, “Elder” or “Overseer”, is called of God to teach and preach the Word of God. The deacons, who may vary in number according to the needs, assist in the leadership of the overall ministry of the church.

The two divinely appointed ordinances for the New Testament Church are baptism and the Lord’s Supper. They are not sacraments, that is, they do not contribute toward salvation, but are testimonies of faith and obedience to Christ.

Baptism is for believers only and is by immersion in water in the name of the Triune God – Father, Son & Holy Spirit. It signifies the believer’s identification with Christ in His death, burial & resurrection and is a public testimony of repentance and faith inChrist.

The second ordinance known as “The Lord’s Supper”(communion) is to be observed by baptized believers and portrays the death of Jesus Christ as well as the communion/fellowship that exist between the believer, Jesus Christ and other believers. In this memorial feast, God’s people portray the death of Christ and testify to their dependence on Him and their hope in Him. Believers are instructed in 1 Corinthians 11 to examine themselves to test their own worthiness to partake of the emblems of Christ’s body and blood.

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The church father Augustine famously referred to the sacraments as “visible words.” When children are learning, they often need pictures or tangible objects to help them understand a lesson. This is what God provides for us in these visible, tangible signs. He comes down to us as to children so that we truly grasp, remember, and have confirmation of His covenant promises.