Preface
We, the members of Berean Family Church, desiring to form a local New Testament church for the glory of God, the advancement of His Kingdom, and the restoring and strengthening of the family unit, have prepared the attached Statement of Faith and Practice as a summary of our doctrines and practices. We hold that the Scriptures, the Word of God, are to be the all-sufficient and authoritative rule for our faith. We have sought through the study of God’s Word and much prayer to set forth what we believe are the major doctrines of that Word and our practices in applying that Word to our life as a body of believers. This document is not a fetter to bind us, but an assistance to us in holding ourselves accountable to the Word of God, in proclaiming our beliefs, in training our children in sound doctrine, and in educating visitors as to our faith and practice. While we consider these statements as conforming to Scripture, we recognize we are fallible men and therefore consider this a “living document” open to modification as the Spirit of God guides us into all truth. We welcome all comments or questions regarding the contents of our Statement of Faith and Practice.
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I. The Triune God
We believe that there is one living, true, holy, and sovereign God who is self-existent, infinite, eternal, immortal, and immutable in all His attributes. He is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. Within the being of this one true God exists three eternally distinct and coequal Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each is fully God with the same attributes, glory, power, and perfection’s yet the God-head is one and indivisible.
The triune God is all-sufficient and does not stand in need of any of the creatures He has made. In six days, He created from nothing the heavens and the earth and all things thereon for His own glory. Over all His creatures He is sovereign and in all His doings with them He is just and holy.
A. The Father
We believe in God the Father, the first person of the Trinity, an infinite, self existent, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. He is the Father to the Son who is eternally begotten of Him. He sent forth the Son to redeem a people to Himself according to the good pleasure of His will. He is the very essence of eternal life and is worthy of being worshipped in spirit and in truth.
B. Christ, the Son
We believe in Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, who took upon Himself human flesh through the miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. He is both true God and true Man in one Person forever. Christ lived a perfect, sinless life, died on the cross as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the elect. He rose bodily from the dead, and ascended into Heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of the Father, serving as the High Priest and only Mediator for His bride, the church. He will return bodily and visibly to the earth as King of Kings and will judge every human being who has ever lived.
C. Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit is the eternal Third Person of the Triune God, the Regenerator and Sanctifier of the redeemed, and the Bestower of spiritual fruit and gifts. He is the guarantor of our inheritance who indwells every believer, teaching them all things concerning Christ, interceding for them before the Throne of Grace with groanings too deep for words, and empowering them to serve and glorify their Lord.
II. Scripture/Bible
We believe that the Holy Scriptures as given to us in the 66 books of the Old and New Testament are the plenary (entire and complete), infallible (in their original writings), and verbally inspired Word of the one, true, and living God and, furthermore, have been preserved by God to this present day. We hold these Scriptures to be the supreme and final authority in life, godliness, and doctrine.
Practice: We desire to faithfully proclaim this Word in expository manner, as God enables us. Thus proclaiming the whole of God’s truth for our daily lives.
III. Man
We believe that in the beginning God created man after His own image and likeness, being upright and sinless. By an act of disobedience on Adam’s part, the whole of mankind is fallen into a state of sin, misery, and separation from God. As a result of this fall, death came upon all and all since the Fall are conceived in sin, brought forth in iniquity, and so by nature are children of wrath. All human beings are condemned by God because of their sinful condition, both through their relationship to Adam and through their own individual choice. In this fallen state, man is radically depraved, totally unable to save himself, justly deserving of the wrath of God, and without ability to come to
IV. Salvation
We believe that the salvation of a soul is based entirely upon the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ on the cross and not on any work or merit of man. Though all men deserve God’s wrath, He, before the foundation of the world, determined to save some according to His infinite mercy. He elected or chose them according to His sovereign grace, gave them to His Son to redeem, in time quickens them to life by the power of His Spirit, and grants them the grace to repent of their sins and the faith to believe on His Son, Jesus Christ, as their Savior and Lord. All that the Father gave to His Son, a great multitude that no one can number, shall believe and shall be preserved by Him in Christ for eternity. We believe God has chosen through the preaching of the Gospel to call them that will believe on Christ for salvation. We also believe that those who trust Christ as their Savior also must acknowledge Him as their Lord, bringing forth fruits that reflect their repentance and faith.
V. The Church - Its Purpose and Our Practice
We believe our purpose as a church, the called out and gathered people of God, is to proclaim the glory of our great God, the whole council of His will as expressed in His Word, and in particular the person and work of Christ in redemption. It is our goal to set aside the Lord’s Day as a day of corporate worship, prayer, edification, and fellowship. We resolve to encourage one another through exhortation, accountability, and caring for each other’s needs. We also resolve to visibly carry the standard of God’s Word to the community, zealously defend the faith and maintain pure doctrine (orthodoxy), and actively apply the Word of God to every area of life (orthopraxy). We are committed to faithfully practicing the "One Anothers" of Scripture.
We, as a church body, do agree with the summary of Christian Biblical doctrine set forth in the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith and, while keeping Scripture pre-eminent, encourage all participating families in the church to become familiar with its teachings.
VI. Elders
We believe, in accordance with the pattern and teaching set forth in Scripture, that believers should gather in local assemblies under the government and ministry of men through a plurality of elders. These elders should be called by God, recognize in themselves that call and its Biblical qualifications, and be acknowledged by the church body as having that call and meeting all the qualifications set forth in Scripture. The leadership of the elders should be marked by humility, faithfulness to the Word of God, loving service and consistent example to the church body. While the elders are overseers of the flock, they are themselves members of the flock and are subject to discipline as are members. Neither the number of elders, nor their term of office shall be fixed by the church.
VII. Deacons
We believe, in accordance with the pattern and teaching set forth in Scripture, that deacons are men set apart for the work of service in the body of Christ. Their calling, acknowledgment, and selection shall follow the same pattern as that for elders. They are to assist the elders in the work of the Lord, being responsible to administer the daily practical and benevolent concerns of the church that the elders may devote themselves to prayer and the preaching of the Word. Although they, unlike elders, need not be able to teach, yet they should be men of faith and wisdom and may, like Philip and Stephen, be used of God to minister His Word.
Practice: Deacons are to assist the elders in interviewing those seeking to Covenant with us, in the administration of the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and the control and use of the church finances.
VIII. The Gospel Ordinances
We believe the Scriptures teach that Christ established two ordinances for His church: water Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. They are not means of salvation, but are signs and seals of the Covenant of Grace and are properly administered according to Scripture to every member of His church.
Practice: We believe that it is primarily the father’s role, as head of his family, to determine if members of his family are eligible to partake of these ordinances, although he may seek the advice of the elders and deacons in these matters.
Baptism: Baptism should be administered to those professing faith in Christ as their Lord and Savior and who have demonstrated a work of grace in their hearts. According to Scripture, it shall be administered via immersion in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Practice: Baptism should be administered by the head of the family or an elder or deacon.
The Lord’s Supper: The Lord’s Supper shall be served to the assembled church, with the exception of those under church discipline, to all those professing faith in
Practice: We believe the Lord’s Supper should be served every Sunday as a memorial of Christ’s substitutionary death on our behalf, as a celebration of our redemption and life in Him, and, most importantly, as a means of communion with our Savior and each other as His body.
The elements shall be distributed by the heads of households (fathers) or an elder or deacon if needed.
IX. The
We believe that the family unit is the foundational structure in God’s order and, in great measure, the faithfulness of succeeding generations is shaped via the discipleship of children in sound, Biblical doctrine by their parents. We will strive to build up spiritually strong families within our church, encouraging fathers to be the spiritual heads of their homes, and promoting family unity. We will worship together as families, teaching and preaching the Word of God, and as God leads us, provide training for the family unit.
We will also in our life together as God’s people honor the family structure by honoring the father as the head of the family and addressing the family through him. We will seek to train men, including the young men, for leadership and encourage and affirm the women in their Biblical roles as wives, mothers, and helpmeets. We will advance the cause of distinctively Biblical education, encouraging and supporting those who homeschool their children, and promoting a godly view of culture and family life. We will beseech the Lord in prayer for the turning of the hearts of fathers to their children and children to their fathers and promote a multi-generational vision of faithfulness within our families.
In accordance with the teaching of Scripture, we believe that it is the mans role to lead his family in both private and corporate worship. Therefore, we do not allow women to teach or preach nor to lead in prayer or give testimonies during the corporate worship service.
X. Statement of Specific Practices
· We, as a church body, do believe it is contrary to Biblical principles for women to serve in the armed services of our country, particularly in combat or combat support roles.
· Eschatology – we do not hold to a specific position as a body, but are open to discussion.
