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Statement of Faith and Practice The Bible is the Word of God, accurate in showing us what to believe and reliable in telling us how to live. It reveals the one and only God, a sovereign Lord who is Father, Son, and Spirit. Jesus Christ is His unique Son, and through Him and His sacrifice on the cross, we can be forgiven for our sin and live in Heaven forever. Truly believing these things will transform us continually into holy, loving, and effective people.
This Ministry has Several Key Factors: *We advocate open worship through the active participation of all church members in worship services. We believe when lay people are forbidden audible, public worship, they and God are both robbed of a rich and intimate experience. *We advocate open sharing by all members of the congregation in the meeting. We believe traditional services, in which all communication is pre-planned and centralized at the pulpit, prevents believers from sharing fully in each other's lives and in the life of the congregation. *We advocate open ministry whereby each member of the congregation participates in the ministry he or she is called to, whether within the church or outside of it. We believe the traditional church in its present form fails to support and back each of its members in ministry, which interferes with the Holy Spirit led use of gifts and talents in ministry. *We advocate that the church should return to Biblical patterns of meeting. We believe the church has left the Scriptural ways of gathering as seen in Acts 2:44-47, I Cor 12:4-7, I Cor 12:27-30, I Cor 14:26-33, and Eph 4:3-16, among others. *Pastors have a very significant role in an open church, and we strongly support them in their call from God to shepherd His people. We believe their function in the conventional church should change to primarily equipping the saints for the work of the ministry. The Church is the whole body of Christ, and must not be divided. Everyone related to God by faith is a member of equal standing in His family. In Him there is neither male nor female, Jew nor Gentile, clergy nor laity, but one royal priesthood. God gives us different talents and tasks not to divide us, but to bring us together more tightly. When a fellowship meets for worship or sharing, I Cor. 14:26 says that it's OK for each person to contribute something. That means everyone has as much right to participate as anyone else, addressing God or the saints. Implications: When your church meets for worship or sharing, 1 Co. 14:26 says that it is OK for each person to contribute something. That means you have as much right to participate as anyone, addressing God or the saints. (But no matter what views you hold on church patterns and traditions, you have no right to split-up a congregation over those views.)
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