Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?
We have qualified writers to help you.
We assure you a quality paper that is 100% free from plagiarism and AI.
You can choose either format of your choice ( Apa, Mla, Havard, Chicago, or any other)
NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.
NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.
Background
A local church is formed by a group of believers who come together to share a common faith, belief and surrender to Jesus Christ under the same building. The church has a structure as defined in the Biblical context. The New Testament demonstrates a baptism understanding of the church, classical congregations, and ordinance. For the purpose of discipleship, and an orderly worship, the church elects some of its members for the administrative positions such as elders, pastors, and bishops. A local church must impact its surrounding community through discipleship, impacting good values, preaching and teaching, and acting as a sacred secular divide.
Doctrinal Statement
Ordinance of Baptism
We believe in Baptism by water where professing believers are immersed in water. We believe that the baptized followers of Christ are gifted with the Holy Spirit to dwell in them. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Christian helper sent by God the Father and the Son to convict believers about righteousness, sin and judgement (Stewart, 70). He came to regenerate, dwell, empower, impart gifts, and baptize believers in the body of Christ and enable them live righteous lives.
We follow the teachings and example of Jesus Christ, who was baptized by water in river Jordan, by John the Baptist. We believe that through baptism Jesus Christ received the Holy Spirit which enabled Him to obey and teach the word of God. We believe that through baptism and confession of sin we receive salvation from sin (Stewart, 70). We believe that God gives salvation to those who believe and confess their faith in Him through grace. As believers in Jesus Christ, we are called to confess by word of mouth and believe in our hearts that Jesus died for us to be saved. As a result, we are sanctified and our grace renewed which is evidenced by living a righteous life and having good deeds.
We believe that baptized Christians should obey and preach the teachings of the Bible through the help of the Holy Spirit. We believe that the Bible is the word of God which constitutes of 66 books, the New and Old Testament. We believe that the Bible is written under the full inspiration of the Holy Spirit and is without error. It gives humankind authority in faith, conduct, and all matters found in their original writing.
Ordinance of the Lords Supper
We believe that the Lords Supper is the body of Jesus Christ which was committed by Jesus only. We believe that Jesus Christ commanded His believers to share His body as a sign of faith and salvation in Him (Dutko, 268). In faith, we take the Lords Supper as bread and cup, blessed by the Holy Spirit. We believe that in taking the Lords Supper as a congregation is a sign of unity and fellowship. We confess that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. We believe that Christians should have a personal examination, confess their sin and seek forgiveness before taking the Lords Supper.
As we share the body of Christ, we confess our faith in the existence and triumph of Jesus Christ. We believe in Jesus Christ, the son of God, who was born by the Virgin Mary to become flesh through the power and conception of the Holy Spirit. He lived a sinless life, preaching and teaching the gospel. The Lords Supper reminds us of the crucification, death, and resurrection of the body of Christ.
We take the Lords Supper in belief that Jesus Christ ascended into Heaven where He continues with ministry duties and shall return to Earth. We believe that God, in His own time and manner shall bring the world to an end and establish a new heaven and earth (Dutko, 268). Jesus Christ shall return to earth in a glorious form as promised to judge mankind. The unrighteous shall be punished by being consigned in an everlasting fire prepared for Satan and his angels. The righteous shall be transformed to a glorious body and dwell with the Lord forever. We believe that we shall share a meal and celebrate with Christ in His great banquet table.
Position Statement on the Leadership of the Church
Church Elders
The office of church elders or presbuteros. in Greek, is commissioned in the Bible to provide protection and nurture the church. Elders are seen as the shepherds to the flock, that is, the congregation. Their main duties is to protect, teach and lead the congregation with good morals. In the absence of a bishop or pastor, an elder has the authority to baptize and serve the Lords Supper.
An elder is a leader of a congregation, and thus has to be an experienced Christian to lead the young in faith. In our church, for one to qualify for the position of elder, they must be full members of the church for at least four years. An elder is also required to be mature of age, from 30 years and above. Men and women elected to the office of eldership must be of good conduct and live a godly life through the help of the Holy Spirit.
Pastor/Teacher
A pastor, known as Poimen in Greek, is the head of a local church, who acts as a spiritual care giver of the congregation. The duty of a pastor is to minister the word, teach and guide Christians according to the Bible through the help of the Holy Spirit. He has a duty to baptise and serve the Lords Supper. He serve his local community through visiting an carrying for the disadvantaged, councils and condemns evil deeds, and encouraging Christians to live a godly life.
In our church, for one to be elected as a pastor, the must be called to serve through the power of the Holy Spirit. They should be a full member of the church for at least five years, baptised and full of the Holy Spirit. They are required to possess good morals and live a godly life. The church does not discriminate or elect pastors on the basis of gender as we believe all people are called to serve God equally.
Bishop
In the early Christian church, the Bishop was termed as Episkopos meaning overseer. In our church a Bishop has the role of the overseer of many churches. As the church developed and the congregation multiplied, there was a need to split the local church according to their location. Each local church is headed by a pastor while the Bishops role is to oversee the administration of many local churches.
A Bishop has to be a faithful Christian who has professed their faith in Jesus Christ. They must be baptised by water and full of the Holy Spirit. They should be a full member of the church for more than ten years. One ascends to the position of Bishop from a pastor of one of our local churches for at least three years. They are require to be of good conduct and live a godly life relating well with members of the congregation. The position is not gender specific as we believe both men and women are called to serve equally in the house of the Lord. Our church does not believe in succession of position or spiritual power through blood or any relation as it is not taught in the Bible.
Works Cited
Dutko, Joseph Lee. Beyond Ordinance: Pentecostals and a Sacramental Understanding of the Lords Supper. Journal of Pentecostal Theology 26.2 (2017): 252-271.
Stewart, Dianne M. 6. The Ordinance of Baptism, 1843. Victorian Jamaica. Duke University Press, 2018. 69-72.
Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?
We have qualified writers to help you.
We assure you a quality paper that is 100% free from plagiarism and AI.
You can choose either format of your choice ( Apa, Mla, Havard, Chicago, or any other)
NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.
NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.