Our Beliefs
The Basic Beliefs of Family Church
​
Our statement of faith represents the need of restoration for all mankind. Restoration involves bringing someone or something back to a former condition or position by improving on the present reality. In this sense we are referring to humanity. Restoration through Jesus Christ becomes necessary because of our sin, or rebellion against God. We are born into a state of total depravity. We are nothing without God's transforming power in our lives. Therefore, restoration speaks to the gospel, to our church, and to our city. It includes defining who is God and who are we.
​
Genesis 2-3; Romans 14:23; John 3:16; Colossians 2:20; Luke 18:14; Ephesians 2:1-10
The Trinity
Who is God?
​
God the Father
​
God the Father reigns by His Word. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-wise. He is Creator of heaven and earth ruling over His creation through sovereign care according to the purposes of His glory and grace. God is a personal Father working all things together for the good of those who love Him and express faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, whom He gave to us for the restoration of humanity. He cannot be stopped. We are commanded to fear God.
​
Genesis 1:1-2; John 1:1-3; Psalms 62:11; 111:10; Job 21:22; 1 John 4:8; Isaiah 40:28; 46:10; Acts 17:27; Romans 8:28-30; Acts 4:38-39
​
God the Son
​
God the Son is Jesus Christ, the only begotten, the eternal Word made flesh, conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary. He is fully God and fully man taking upon Himself human nature with its demand and necessities identifying Himself completely with humanity yet without sin. By obedience to the Father and through His substitutionary death on the cross, Jesus Christ absorbed the wrath of God upholding divine justice, removing the guilt wrought by our sins, and restoring our relationship with God. Having redeemed us from sin, He was raised in a glorified body defeating death, darkness, and the enemy, Satan. He then appeared to many witnesses over 40 days before ascending into Heaven were, at the right hand of the Father, He intercedes for His people and rules as Lord over all. Christ will soon return in power and glory according to His promise judging both the living and the dead. The righteous persons who have followed Jesus will dwell with Him for eternity and the unrighteous persons who refused to follow Jesus will spend eternity apart from Him in Hell. We are commanded to follow Jesus.
​
Genesis 1:1-2; John 1:1-14; Luke 1:35; 9:23; 24:1-53; Hebrews 2:5-18; 7:25; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 2:6-11; Revelation 1:18; 12:11; 19:6-9; 20-22; Romans 14:8-9; Matthew 25:31-46
​
God the Holy Spirit
​
God the Holy Spirit is fully divine as Lord and Giver of life. Through the proclamation of the gospel, the good news of Jesus, He enables men and women to understand truth, repent of sin, and confess Christ as Lord and Savior. The Holy Spirit baptizes every believer at the moment of conversion cultivating our pursuit of holiness, comforting us by His Love, and giving us spiritual gifts for the building up of the church. He seals and preserves believers until the promised return and reign of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit has come to bring glory to Jesus Christ, who in turn came to bring glory to the Father. We are commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
​
Genesis 1:1-2; Matthew 3:11, 16; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18; Ezekiel 37:14; Romans 1:4-6; 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 6:9; 12:7-10, 13, 28; Acts 9:31; 13:52; Ephesians 1:11-14; 4:11; John 16:13-15
​
The Church
Who Are We?
​
Fellowship
​
We devote ourselves to fellowship. Fellowship is not just a program of the church but occurs when the church gathers together for worship through the giving of our time, talent, and treasure back to the Lord. We believe the Holy Spirit individually gifts us for the cooperative advancement of the gospel. We are an elder-led, deacon-served, and member-responding, autonomous fellowship of born-again and baptized believers that make up the church through a covenant of faith to God and commitment to one another. Our fellowship should express itself through the church being of one heart and soul, as we love God passionately and love people personally.
​
Acts 2:42; 4:31-33; 6:3-6; 14:23; 20:28-30; Ephesians 1:22-23; Hebrews 10:24-25; 13:17-18; 1 Corinthians 5:1-12; 12:29-31; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; 4:14; 5:3-16; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Peter 5:1-5; Romans 12:1-21; 16:1-16; Matthew 18:15-20; 28:18-20; Mark 12:29-31
​
Teaching
​
We devote ourselves to teaching. The Bible is God's Word written by men who were divinely inspired and serves as God's personal revelation of Himself to humanity. It is completely true and trustworthy, inerrant and infallible, consisting of the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament. We are given responsibility to learn from it, teach it, follow it, and model it. Repentance and water baptism by immersion are the public signs of our acceptance of God's Word. Baptism is an ordinance of the local church along with communion. A continued life of sanctification, growing continually into the image and likeness of God, should follow these ordinances. It is our duty and command to make disciples of all nations.
​
Acts 2:38-39, 42; 8:35-39; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Romans 6:3-5; 15:4; Matthew 3:13-17; 5:17-18; Psalm 119:9-11, 105; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 2:2-3; Deuteronomy 11:18; 1 Timothy 6:11-12; Colossians 2:12; 3:16; Acts 1:8
​
Prayer
​
We devote ourselves to prayer. Prayer is communication with our Creator. Prayer involves praising, repenting, asking, and yielding to the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Prayer should be persistent and is expected of the church. It shapes us as we tune into the heart of God, who both notices the cry of His people and answers according to His divine providence and will. Prayer does not change God; it changes us as we trust him more fully and conform to His image and will for our lives. Our reward is a continued, ongoing relationship with God. Along with a regular pattern of prayer, the church should undergo seasons of fasting. Fasting is an intentional period of refrainment for the purposes of focusing on God. We believe in both private and corporate prayer and fasting as the church.
​
Acts 1:14; 2:42; Psalms 40:1; 42:1; 66:19; 1 Corinthians 16:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Isaiah 64:8; 1 John 5:14; Matthew 6:5-18; 21:22; John 14:13-14; Romans 10:13; Joel 1:14; 2 Chronicles 7:14
​
Communion
​
We devote ourselves to communion. We believe restoration is evident when our communion, an ordinance of the church along with baptism, includes the elements of gospel, community, and mission. The gospel element of communion is evident in the bread and wine representing the body and blood of Jesus Christ. When we partake in communion we boldly proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ. The community element of communion is evident when we eat and drink together as one body, the church. As the church we serve one another sacrificially by the power of the Holy Spirit. The mission element of communion is evident in us knowing we will not have this meal in the physical presence of God until we do so with Him at the consummation of His kingdom. Communion leads us to humbly submit to God and His church.
​
Acts 2:42; 20:7; Matthew 16:27; 26:26-30; 1 Corinthians 11:27-29; 15:24-28, 25-58; Galatians 5:13; Hebrews 13:14-16; John 14:1-3; Revelation 19:6-10; 2 Peter 3:7-18
​
​
Disclaimer: These Basic Beliefs of Family Church are not exhaustive. To further explore our beliefs and practice, click here