CHURCH COVENANT
Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, and on the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, we do now in the presence of God, angels, and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another, as one body in Christ. We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this church, in knowledge, holiness, and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and tl1e spread of the gospel through all nations. We also engage to maintain family and secret devotion; to religiously educate our children; to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment; to avoid all tattling, backbiting, and excessive anger; to abstain from the sale and use of intoxicating drink as a beverage, and to be zealous in our efforts to advance the kingdom of our Saviour.
We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember each other in prayer; to aid each other in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation, and mindful of the rules of our Saviour, to secure it without delay. We moreover engage that, when we remove from this place, we will as soon as possible unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God's Word.
Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, and on the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, we do now in the presence of God, angels, and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another, as one body in Christ. We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this church, in knowledge, holiness, and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and tl1e spread of the gospel through all nations. We also engage to maintain family and secret devotion; to religiously educate our children; to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment; to avoid all tattling, backbiting, and excessive anger; to abstain from the sale and use of intoxicating drink as a beverage, and to be zealous in our efforts to advance the kingdom of our Saviour.
We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly love; to remember each other in prayer; to aid each other in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation, and mindful of the rules of our Saviour, to secure it without delay. We moreover engage that, when we remove from this place, we will as soon as possible unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God's Word.
DOCTRINAL STATEMENT
(A) SCRIPTURES
We believe that the Holy Bible is the Word of God and as originally written was verbally inspired, and the product of Spirit controlled men and therefore has truth without admixture of error for its matter. We believe that it is the true center of Christian union and the only infallible rule for all human conduct, creeds and opinions (2 Tim. 3:16-17) (2 Pet. 1:19-21) (Psa. 68:11).
(B) GOD
We believe that there is only one living and true God, infinite in every excellence; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three personal distinctions, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - one in substance and equal in every Divine perfection (Exodus 20:2-3) (Isaiah 45:22) (1 Cor. 8:6) (1 John 5:7).
(C) JESUS CHRIST
The Lord Jesus Christ is both true God and perfect man, a unique, supernatural manifestation of God in the flesh (2 Cor. 5:19) (1 Tim. 3:16); born of the virgin Mary after having been miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35) (Matt. 1:18-20); the only Saviour of mankind (Acts 4:10-12) (John 14:6), and the proper object of our worship.
(D) HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Divine person, equal with the Father and Son and of the same substance and nature; that He convicts men of sin, righteousness and judgment, bears witness to the truth, is the agent of new birth, that He seals, endues, guides; teaches, witnesses to, sanctifies and helps the believer, indwelling every true child of God (John 14:16-17) (John 16:12-15) (Romans 8:14-27) (2 Cor. 13:14).
(E) THE DEVIL OR SATAN
We believe in the distinct personality of Satan, that he is the god of this world, author and prince of all the powers of darkness and sin, and is destined to the judgment of an eternal justice in the lake of fire (Matt. 25:41) (2 Cor. 4:4) (Rev. 20:10).
(F) CREATION
We believe that God created the heavens and the earth, including all life, "Each after its own kind," by direct act and not by the process of evolution (Gen. 1 & 2) (Psa. 33:6-9) (John 1:3) (Col. 1:16-17.
(G) THE FALL OF MAN
We believe that man, in the person of the first Adam, was created in innocence but by voluntary transgression fell into sin, thus plunging the whole race into condemnation and death, so that now all mankind is born in sin and shapen in iniquity, and become practical sinners with the first expression of personal choice, not only by constraint but by choice and so are without excuse before God (Gen. 3) (Gen. 5:1-4) (Romans 5:10-19) (Eph. 2:1-3).
(H) THE ATONEMENT
We believe that the only escape from the condemnation of sin is through the atonement wrought by Jesus Christ, when he voluntarily took upon Him a human body, being made in the likeness of men (Rom. 8:3) (Phil. 2:7), yet without sin and by His suffering, death and resurrection made full satisfaction to the justice of God for the sin of man; that the blessings of this salvation are given on the grounds of grace to all who believe and confess and that it is the immediate duty of all to improve these offers of mercy (John 3:1-19) (Acts 4:12) (Acts 16:30-33) (Rom. 10:9-13) (2 Cor. 5:17).
(I) SALVATION
We believe that faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ whose death, burial, resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Father is the only premise for salvation (Eph. 1:7) (Rev. 1:5); that this faith is begotten through hearing the Word of God (Rom. 10:17) (1 Pet. 1:18-25), that it is the free gift of God, wholly apart from human works (Eph. 2:8-9), that by new birth one dead in trespasses and sins is quickened into eternal life, made righteous, justified (2 Cor. 5:21) (1 Cor. l :30) (Rom. 3:21-26), and is made partaker of the Divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4) eternally secured unto the praise of His glory.
(J) THE CHURCH
We believe every born again believer is by the mystical act of God accorded a place in the body of Christ; and that this body is Biblically identified as "The Church" (Eph. 3:3-7) (Col. 1:24) (1 Cor. 12:12-13). We believe that a local church is a congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant of faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws; exercising the gifts, rights and privileges invested in it by His word; that it has the absolute right of self government directed by the Holy Spirit and it is answerable only to Christ, and that in all matters of membership, polity, government, discipline and benevolences the will of the local church is final (Acts 2:41-42) (1 Cor. 11:2) {Eph. 1:22-23) (Eph. 5:23-24) (1 Tim. 3:17) (Col. 1:18) (Acts 20:17-18). We believe in the absolute separation of church and state (Matt. 22:21).
(K) CHURCH ORDINANCES
We believe that there are two church ordinances; Baptism and the Lord's supper (Communion).
(L) THE LORD'S RETURN
We believe in the bodily, personal, imminent, premillenial return of Jesus Christ; that He will come before the seven year tribulation period to catch away His church, coming only into the air, and that He will come with His church at the close of the tribulation to judge the living nations and to set up His kingdom (1 Thess. 4:13-16) (Matt. 25:31-46) (Rev. 19: 11-21).
(M) RESURRECTION
We believe in the resurrection of the bodies of the dead; that believers who sleep in Jesus will be raised at the coming of Christ for His church and caught up with transformed living saints to meet the Lord in the air, and that the wicked dead will be raise at the close of the Millenial Kingdom and stand in their bodies at the Great White Throne judgment to receive their final sentence to doom (John 5:21-30) (1 Thess. 4:16) (Rev. 7:9-17) (Rev. 20:11-15).
We believe that the Holy Bible is the Word of God and as originally written was verbally inspired, and the product of Spirit controlled men and therefore has truth without admixture of error for its matter. We believe that it is the true center of Christian union and the only infallible rule for all human conduct, creeds and opinions (2 Tim. 3:16-17) (2 Pet. 1:19-21) (Psa. 68:11).
(B) GOD
We believe that there is only one living and true God, infinite in every excellence; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three personal distinctions, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - one in substance and equal in every Divine perfection (Exodus 20:2-3) (Isaiah 45:22) (1 Cor. 8:6) (1 John 5:7).
(C) JESUS CHRIST
The Lord Jesus Christ is both true God and perfect man, a unique, supernatural manifestation of God in the flesh (2 Cor. 5:19) (1 Tim. 3:16); born of the virgin Mary after having been miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35) (Matt. 1:18-20); the only Saviour of mankind (Acts 4:10-12) (John 14:6), and the proper object of our worship.
(D) HOLY SPIRIT
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Divine person, equal with the Father and Son and of the same substance and nature; that He convicts men of sin, righteousness and judgment, bears witness to the truth, is the agent of new birth, that He seals, endues, guides; teaches, witnesses to, sanctifies and helps the believer, indwelling every true child of God (John 14:16-17) (John 16:12-15) (Romans 8:14-27) (2 Cor. 13:14).
(E) THE DEVIL OR SATAN
We believe in the distinct personality of Satan, that he is the god of this world, author and prince of all the powers of darkness and sin, and is destined to the judgment of an eternal justice in the lake of fire (Matt. 25:41) (2 Cor. 4:4) (Rev. 20:10).
(F) CREATION
We believe that God created the heavens and the earth, including all life, "Each after its own kind," by direct act and not by the process of evolution (Gen. 1 & 2) (Psa. 33:6-9) (John 1:3) (Col. 1:16-17.
(G) THE FALL OF MAN
We believe that man, in the person of the first Adam, was created in innocence but by voluntary transgression fell into sin, thus plunging the whole race into condemnation and death, so that now all mankind is born in sin and shapen in iniquity, and become practical sinners with the first expression of personal choice, not only by constraint but by choice and so are without excuse before God (Gen. 3) (Gen. 5:1-4) (Romans 5:10-19) (Eph. 2:1-3).
(H) THE ATONEMENT
We believe that the only escape from the condemnation of sin is through the atonement wrought by Jesus Christ, when he voluntarily took upon Him a human body, being made in the likeness of men (Rom. 8:3) (Phil. 2:7), yet without sin and by His suffering, death and resurrection made full satisfaction to the justice of God for the sin of man; that the blessings of this salvation are given on the grounds of grace to all who believe and confess and that it is the immediate duty of all to improve these offers of mercy (John 3:1-19) (Acts 4:12) (Acts 16:30-33) (Rom. 10:9-13) (2 Cor. 5:17).
(I) SALVATION
We believe that faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ whose death, burial, resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Father is the only premise for salvation (Eph. 1:7) (Rev. 1:5); that this faith is begotten through hearing the Word of God (Rom. 10:17) (1 Pet. 1:18-25), that it is the free gift of God, wholly apart from human works (Eph. 2:8-9), that by new birth one dead in trespasses and sins is quickened into eternal life, made righteous, justified (2 Cor. 5:21) (1 Cor. l :30) (Rom. 3:21-26), and is made partaker of the Divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4) eternally secured unto the praise of His glory.
(J) THE CHURCH
We believe every born again believer is by the mystical act of God accorded a place in the body of Christ; and that this body is Biblically identified as "The Church" (Eph. 3:3-7) (Col. 1:24) (1 Cor. 12:12-13). We believe that a local church is a congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant of faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ; governed by His laws; exercising the gifts, rights and privileges invested in it by His word; that it has the absolute right of self government directed by the Holy Spirit and it is answerable only to Christ, and that in all matters of membership, polity, government, discipline and benevolences the will of the local church is final (Acts 2:41-42) (1 Cor. 11:2) {Eph. 1:22-23) (Eph. 5:23-24) (1 Tim. 3:17) (Col. 1:18) (Acts 20:17-18). We believe in the absolute separation of church and state (Matt. 22:21).
(K) CHURCH ORDINANCES
We believe that there are two church ordinances; Baptism and the Lord's supper (Communion).
- Mode of Baptism - The pastor or some person authorized by the church shall administer the ordinance of baptism by a single immersion in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. It sets forth in a beautiful and solemn way our faith in a crucified, buried and rise\n Saviour, with its effects in our life of death to sin and resurrection to a new life. Baptism is a prerequisite to the privileges of church membership.
- The Lord's Supper (Communion) shall be served to the congregation by the pastor, or some person designated by the church, through its deacons on the first Sunday of each month, and/or at the discretion of the deacons. Since it is the Lord's table none who are His shall be barred but the pastor shall frequently state the scriptural order (I Cor. 11:28-29), and shall explain the meaning of the ordinances. Believers who through no fault of their own are unable to participate in the public observance of the Lord's supper, may request private administration of this ordinance at a time and place of mutual convenience.
(L) THE LORD'S RETURN
We believe in the bodily, personal, imminent, premillenial return of Jesus Christ; that He will come before the seven year tribulation period to catch away His church, coming only into the air, and that He will come with His church at the close of the tribulation to judge the living nations and to set up His kingdom (1 Thess. 4:13-16) (Matt. 25:31-46) (Rev. 19: 11-21).
(M) RESURRECTION
We believe in the resurrection of the bodies of the dead; that believers who sleep in Jesus will be raised at the coming of Christ for His church and caught up with transformed living saints to meet the Lord in the air, and that the wicked dead will be raise at the close of the Millenial Kingdom and stand in their bodies at the Great White Throne judgment to receive their final sentence to doom (John 5:21-30) (1 Thess. 4:16) (Rev. 7:9-17) (Rev. 20:11-15).