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STATEMENT OF FAITH
THE NATURE AND PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH
THE FELLOWSHIP

STATEMENT OF FAITH

We Believe...

  • In one God eternally existing in three persons--the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
  • In the inspiration of all the Scriptures by the Holy Spirit and their inerrancy as originally given, and that they are the final authority for our faith and practice.
  • In the incarnation and virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, who by His shed blood and substitutionary death paid the redemptive price for all our sins and for the sins of the whole world. He rose bodily from the dead and ascended into heaven to intercede for us.
  • That man was created by God in His own image for the express purpose of glorifying Him, that through disobedience he became a sinner separated from God's life and fellowship and that he needs personal redemption from sin through the new birth.
  • In the eternal salvation of all who trust the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Savior and the eternal punishment of all who reject Him.
  •   In the work of God's Spirit, in the new birth, indwelling  the believer, causing him to grow into the likeness of Christ and filling him with power to live a godly life and to be a witness to Jesus Christ.
  • In the union of all true believers as one body in Christ.
  • In the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ to the earth bodily to claim His own people, to vindicate Himself and to set all things in order.

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THE NATURE AND PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH

The church is the body of Christ, and He is its living, glorified Head and Lord. The universal Church is composed of all born-again redeemed believers in Christ--past, present and future, from every part of the world--and finds its unity in the Holy Spirit, who indwells the believers individually and as a body. The local church consists of a group of believers in one area who worship corporately and are together involved in carrying out their spiritual gifts according to Scripture, for the study of the Bible and for prayer, in order to go out to evangelize the lost in the local area and to send missionaries to make the Lord Jesus Christ known worldwide.

In fulfilling these purposes in the Peninsula Community Chapel, the following distinctive emphases are maintained:

  • The Lordship of Jesus Christ over the local church, its leadership and believers, in every area of life.
  • The necessity of personal and corporate obedience to God's Word, the Bible, and of teaching it consistently in the assembly.
  • The centrality in the church's ministry of local evangelism and worldwide missions, meeting human needs on both the spiritual and physical levels.
  • A realization that God has chosen to work through local churches in accomplishing His work and that other Christian organizations must be properly related to local churches in fulfilling their ministries.
  • An open fellowship of Christians based on love for Christ Himself and His Word, which enables us to love one another and to maintain our unity in the Spirit, rather than on a confessional statement, ceremony, organization or race.
  • The importance of the family as the basic unit of society and of the local church and the necessity of unity in Christian education at home and church.
  • The necessity of the sacrificial involvement, in time and resources, of every believer as he exercises his spiritual gifts in the ministry of the local church.
  • The importance of Christians living godly lives as directed by the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit, avoiding the bondage both of legal observance of many rules on the one hand and of conformity to the world's value system on the other.
  • The normality of spiritual growth in a believer and the tragedy of little or no spiritual growth, making vitally important the encouragement and tutoring of every believer in Christ, so that he is well grounded in the faith and able to minister to others also.
  • The personal return of our Lord Jesus Christ to claim His bride, the church.
  • Tolerance toward the individual's mode of baptism, not making this an issue for either fellowship or membership. When baptism is practiced, immersion is used as a visible testimony of a new relationship with Christ.
  • The Lord's Table is observed regularly as a memorial to His death, and all who know and love Jesus are invited to partake.

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THE FELLOWSHIP

The Peninsula Community Chapel is committed to the view of the local assembly as a "fellowship" where people may feel free and comfortable before making the commitment of "membership." This conviction is based on the teaching that ". . . faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God." The "fellowship" provides opportunity for inquirers to come under the sound of the Word of God and to be saved. The "fellowship" also meets the need of believers who are not led to make the commitment of membership because they are transient or because they are involved in other ministries. We feel that it is a privilege to "perfect these saints for the work of the ministry" even though that ministry may take place outside the scope of this assembly. Believers within the "fellowship" can freely take part in all the ministries, outreaches and activities of the church, including baptism, dedication of children and the Lord's Table, except in the conducting of church membership business and in holding constitutional offices.

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