We take seriously our charge to educate our entire congregation in the Scriptures and Biblical theology (Col. 1:28). Thorough Biblical instruction will save souls from hell (I Tim. 4:16), strengthen the body of believers (Eph. 4:11-16), protect the church from false doctrine (II Tim. 4:1-4), and help us overcome false arguments (II Cor. 10:4-5). The Word of God should be taught to individuals from a young age, because God’s guidance will be needed in all areas of their lives (II Tim. 3:14-17).

We believe it is our duty to teach the whole council of God at age appropriate levels. Our children’s classes will be focused on Biblical education, rather than entertainment. When one considers how many hours a week our children are educated in school and steeped in contemporary culture, it is crucial to focus the few church hours on Biblical instruction.

We believe all truth is God’s truth, so at times it may also be necessary to teach history, culture, science, or philosophy in order to accurately teach God’s word. Some of the doctrines in the Bible are controversial, but we do not intend to shy away from those subjects. If each member is well versed in the Scriptures and history, culture, science, and philosophy—where they touch Biblical issues, we believe he will be prepared to understand and counter any incorrect arguments.

We believe men are supposed to be the spiritual leaders of the church, so our mixed adult classes will be taught by men. This decision has nothing to do with a woman’s ability, rather we are upholding God’s plan in this matter (I Tim. 2:11-14). God created men and women differently, and directed men to be the heads and protectors of their own families (Eph. 5:25-27). Since the church is the family of God, it is vital that it be led and protected by men of integrity.

We believe that teachers, by definition, have a significant impact on their students’ lives, so we will make sure all our teachers uphold sound Biblical teaching. False teachers can pose a serious threat to our congregation, so our elders and evangelist will guard against false teaching.

We encourage all members and their families to study on their own at home. We know that Biblical instruction at church is limited by time. We will make a consistent effort to encourage family devotions and home Bible studies (Deut. 6:6-9).

Educational Guidelines

• Teachers should be well prepared for every lesson.
• Children can fellowship before services, after services, and at youth activities. Class time should be devoted to learning. This is not to say that there can’t be opening activities, crafts, puppets, etc, but all class activities should reinforce Biblical teaching.
• Because there is no clear transition from childhood to adult, we will only ask men to teach mixed classes above 6th grade. Too many children grow up without enough positive male influences in their lives, so we want to encourage our men to be more involved in teaching the youth. We will also need women to be youth sponsors and teach the female teens.
• All teachers in our congregation will be approved by the evangelist and/or elders and asked to sign a Teacher’s Statement of Faith before teaching.
  

Christ commanded the church to teach, immerse, and teach as many individuals as possible, so we will emphasize evangelism and missions in our congregation.

We believe the truth must be taught in love. We believe in the eternal punishment of those who do not accept Christ as the scriptures teach, but this does not give us any personal satisfaction. Love is our motivation for proclaiming the gospel. We do not preach for selfish gain or to feel superior. On the other hand, we don’t really love the lost if we are afraid to proclaim the whole truth (Eph. 4:15).

We believe that only the teaching of God’s Word can convert the lost. Evangelism can be done in many ways, but it must always include a clear explanation of God’s Word. We will also seek to meet the physical and emotional needs of those around us. Through friendship and meeting people’s needs many may be drawn to Christ, but we will not use these things as leverage to manipulate the lost.

We believe we must be consistent in telling people what to do to be saved. We will be honest, upfront, and unashamed of God’s plan to redeem men. We will clearly show what the Bible commands us to do to be saved. Diminishing controversial parts of God’s plan may make us more acceptable to denominations, but definitely unacceptable to God.

We believe God’s word emphasizes that we are to be holy and this distinction will draw the lost to Christ. Things produced by our culture can at times be useful in helping a non-Christian better understand or connect with God’s Word. We believe this is what Jesus did with his parables, and what Paul did with the “Unknown God” (Acts 17:24-31). They used their culture simply to illustrate a point, but the heart of their message was always from God’s Word. They did not make use of perverse Greek plays which would have been popular in their day; neither should we use movies, songs, and literature from our culture to appear stylish, funny, or cool.

We believe that our zeal for evangelism should not be limited to our local area, so we will support faithful missionaries. In our country we are blessed with many churches which teach the truth. Bibles are readily available. In many places in this world the truth is totally unknown and the Bible is inaccessible (Rom. 10:14-15).

Evangelism Guidelines

• The whole plan of salvation will be included in each invitation and our visitor packets.
• Any literature, music, drama, etc. used in a class or service must obviously illustrate a specific Scriptural teaching. All questionable material must be approved by the elders and/or evangelists.
• A minimum of 10% of the church’s budget will go directly to missions.

We are distressed that corporate worship has become a divisive issue in the church today, so we drafted this document to help avoid confusion and controversy in the future.

We believe all the songs we sing must be consistent with the Bible. Songs are written to share information. We must be sure the message we sing is in step with the message we speak.

We believe our worship services should be appropriate for all participants. We will not market a worship style to any particular demographic. The conflict that has started in our current age between different generations is a trick from the devil meant to spread enmity among comrades and weaken the church. Singing old songs connects us with a heritage of Christian work and teaching. Learning new songs adds to our repertoire from which we can praise God.

We believe that worship should touch both the heart and mind of the participants (Matt. 22:37). Even a Biblically accurate song can be so repetitious as to have a mind-numbing effect which distracts the worshipper and leaves him susceptible to any influence. This kind of motivation is not a healthy foundation for growing a church or individual. Each song should touch both the heart and mind of the worshipper because of the truth of its message. Worship should promote awe of God, awareness of our sins, joy because of grace, and a desire to serve (Psalm 29:1-2; 100).

We believe evangelism is achieved by the teaching of the Word, so we will not rely on music to attract or retain converts. Music can draw someone closer to Christ, and prepare them to hear the Word, but faith comes by hearing the Word (Rom. 10:17).

We will not conduct our worship services in a manner associated with secular music styles. This applies to the attitude, dress, appearance, and mannerisms of musicians and song leaders (Rom. 12:2). Certain styles are so strongly associated with cultural rebellion, generational division, and immoral lifestyles that they cannot be permitted in the church. In general, the tone of worship should be reverent and in good taste.

Worship Guidelines

• In order for the message of any song to be understood, it must be heard. Therefore, we don’t want the volume of the music to overwhelm the voices of the singers.
• Worship preparation cannot take place during any of the services.
• Non-Christian songs will not be played during the services, regardless of the wholesome content.
• The centerpiece of every service is the Lord’s Supper. Meditations should be short—about 5 minutes. They must have a scriptural theme. Please no jokes, cute stories, or personal illustrations.
• If we have music during the Lord’s Supper, it should be very low so as not to distract our prayers.
• Musicians and song leaders should be tasteful in dress and humbly bring glory to God—not self. Don’t wear flashy or revealing clothing to look like performers.