Theology
The object of this church
shall be to bind together followers of Jesus Christ for the purpose of
sharing in the worship of God and in making His will dominant in the lives
of people, individually and collectively, especially as His will is set
forth in the life, teachings, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
This church acknowledges
Jesus Christ as its head and finds in the Holy Scriptures, interpreted
by the Divine Spirit through reason, faith and conscience, its guidance
in matters of faith and discipline. The reformers understood that Scripture
is written in such a way that any and every person is capable of understanding
it—at least in general if not the details. Moreover, the reformers
believed, and we affirm, each follower of Jesus should take on that task
individually—and it's a primary task of the church—to help
us interpret Scripture. The Bible is the church's book and we learn it
in community. All of our reading, understanding, and interpreting is assisted
by the Holy Spirit sent by God to "illumine" our reading, worship,
and all other aspects of our faith.
The following statement
of principles, therefore, is not a test but an expression of the spirit
in which the church interprets the Word of God. We adopt the following
principles as expressive of our faith and doctrinal attitude:
- The Holy Bible,
our only rule of faith and practice.
- The Lord Jesus
Christ, the only head of the Church and our only Savior.
- Christian, a
sufficient name for Christ's followers.
- Christian character
of life, the only test of fellowship.
- Individual interpretation,
the right and privilege of all Christians.
- The union of
all followers of Christ, even as Christ prayed.
