MISSION: making disciples of every generation
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in thename of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20, NIV)
A disciple is a follower of Jesus Christ, ever growing in love and obedience to Him. Jesus is worthy (deserving) of disciples who give Him glory from every tribe, tongue and nation. We are committed to making disciples by exalting Jesus Christ through real-life relations
hips, Biblical preaching and authentic worship. And at Faith Bible, you will notice 8 year olds and 88 year olds all worshipping and living life side by side. We need each other. So, we endeavor to love, equip and send every age group (generation) to makedisciples of all nations… for the glory of His great name!
VALUES
Authority of Scripture – We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and is the authoritative and trustworthy rule of faith and practice for Christians. The Bible is both timeless and timely, and is relevant to the common needs of all people and to specific problems of contemporary living. Therefore we are committed to equipping Christians to follow the Lord Jesus Christ in every sphere of life through the preaching and teaching of God’s Word with integrity and authority. – 2 Tim 3.16-17; Is 40.8; Ps 119.105; 2 Pet 1.19; 2 Tim 4.2.
Supremacy of Christ – We believe that Jesus Christ is the head of the church. We believe that He is the living Son of God, fully human and fully divine, and the Second Member of the Trinity. We believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for our sins, was resurrected three days later, ascended into heaven, and lives today. We are committed to knowing Him and making Him known to others, and to abiding by his teachings and commandments. We believe that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. – 2 Tim 4.2; Jn 10.36; Rom 1.4; Jn 10.30; 1 Cor 15.1-8; Eph 4.10; Jer 9.24; Php 3.8-11; Jn 15.4- 10; Eph 2.8-9.
Discipleship – We believe that the primary purpose of the church is to make disciples, and that the goal of our spiritual formation is to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. We believe that Jesus Christ calls believers to be disciples and that discipleship is a lifelong pursuit and journey. We believe that discipleship begins with personal faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and continues throughout a believer’s life, with full maturity never being achieved in this lifetime. Mt 28.18-20; Rom 8.29-30; Rom 3.21-26; Php 1.6.
Love God and One Another – We are committed to loving God and loving others. This love should manifest itself in unity within the local church and outreach to those who do not know Christ as savior. We believe that the world will know that we are His disciples by our love for one another and will know that Christ came as the Savior by our unity with one another. Mk 12.28- 31; Col 3.14; Mt 28.18-20; Jn 14.15; Jn 13.35; Jn 17.20-21.
Ministry Excellence – We value giving our best in service to God because he gave his best: Jesus Christ as the Sacrifice for sin. Therefore, we will seek to honor and glorify Him by maintaining a high standard of excellence in all our ministries and activities. 1 Cor 10.31; Col 3.22-24.
Prayer – We believe prayer is a privilege granted and a responsibility required by our Lord. Prayer is an honest, humble, and earnest calling out to God to perform what only he can bring to pass. Through prayer we acknowledge our dependence on God, exalt Him, seek His guidance, confess our sins, and petition Him for our needs and the needs of others. Ps 32.6; Mt 6.9-13; Eph 6.18; 1 Thes 5.17.
Stewardship – We are committed to managing all resources entrusted to us by God. All things are His and He has appointed us to faithfully administrate His creation. We have a Scriptural duty and obligation to manage those resources and will one day be held accountable for our stewardship. We recognize that all things – including our time, talents, and treasures – are to be used for the glory of God and the furtherance of his Kingdom. 1 Co 4.1-2; Tit 1.7; 1 Pet 4.10.
Family Affirmation – We are committed to supporting the spiritual nurture of the family as one of God’s primary institutions to perpetuate the faith. This includes, but is not limited to, the instruction of children and the facilitation of marriages and family relationships that reflect the reality of Jesus Christ and His church. Gen 2.24; Deu 6.6-7; Mt 19.4-6; Eph 5.22-32.
Elder Leadership – Leadership in the church is not authority as the world understands it. Jesus Christ modeled what a true godly leader is when he washed His disciples feet with His own clothes, and when He died on the cross in our place. The historical examples set by our Lord and the Apostles stands against the way the world sees leadership and authority. In Matthew 23 Christ compares the way religious leaders in His time behaved with the way the church would live: “Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them ‘Rabbi.’ “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Master and you are all brothers.” Alexander Strauch, author of Biblical Eldership, describes the early church as a brotherhood not a heirarchy. “In complete obedience to Christ’s teaching on humility and brotherhood, the first Christians and their leaders resisted special titles, sacred clothes, chief seats, and lordly terminology to describe their community leaders. They also chose an appropriate leadership structure for their local congregations–leadership by a council of elders. The first Christians found within their biblical heritage a structure of government that was compatible with their new family and theological beliefs.” Faith Bible Church is likewise set apart from the common practices of denominations and worldly authority. While our foundational documents do assign the titles of Senior Pastor, Elder, and Deacon to its leaders these positions are defined in the biblical tradition, not the tradition of modern churches. Church leaders are servants, appointed by Christ (Ephesians 4) to promote order and biblically sound teaching in the church. They are called to be “first among equals”, to enable the church for every good thing God has called us to do.