STATEMENT OF FAITH

(BYLAWS, ARTICLE 2)

A.  Doctrine

1.  Foundation.  Fellowship of Christ professes the Christian faith, established on the confession of Jesus as Messiah, the Son of God, and resurrected Lord of heaven and earth.  Jesus is the unique incarnate Word of God, and He lives today, calling all to receive Him as savior, and as the one to whom all authority has been given.

2.  Holy Scripture.  Fellowship of Christ believes that the Bible is the inspired Word of God from Genesis to Revelation. The 66 canonical books of the Old and New Testaments are the rule and authority for faith, morals, and service, against which all other authorities or interpretations must be measured.

3.  The Gospel.  “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith.” (Romans 1:16)  “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (John 3:16)  

4.  Sacraments.  Fellowship of Christ recognizes two sacraments, Baptism and Holy Communion. 

5.  Trinity.  Fellowship of Christ believes God exists in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Three in One, the Trinity.

6.  Christian Expression.  We are first and foremost Christian.  Within Christianity we are Protestant; within Protestantism we are Methodists.

7.  Heritage.  Our doctrine is guided and aided by three key movements in history.

a.  Creeds.  In the first four centuries after Christ on earth, in addition to the canonization of Scripture, we received the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed.

b.  Protestant Reformation.  In the sixteenth century, the Protestant reformers asserted the primacy of Scripture, the necessity of grace and faith, the priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:9) and limited the sacraments to baptism and holy communion. The Reformers emphasized the Five Solas: Sola Gratia (grace alone―Romans 3:10-12; Ephesians 2:8-9), Sola Fide (faith alone―Romans 4:4-5), Sola Christus (Christ alone―John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 10:9); Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone―2 Timothy 3:16-17), and Soli Deo Gloria (glory to God Alone―1 Corinthians 10:31; Titus 3:4-5).

c. Methodism.  In the eighteenth century, evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charles Wesley, clergy in the Anglican Church in England, emphasized the experiential nature of faith as direct encounter with the risen Lord. They worked to develop the fruit of this faith, by the power of the Holy Spirit, in individual and communal life. Through the works of John and Charles Wesley, a distinctly Methodist expression of Christian faith and life, of practical divinity, emerged.  Methodism placed emphasis on the universal work of grace, the new birth, and the fullness of salvation, the pursuit of entire sanctification.

B.  Social Witness

1.  Marriage and Sexuality

a.  We believe that the term “marriage” has only one legitimate meaning, and that is marriage sanctioned by God, which joins one man and one woman in a single, covenantal union as delineated by Scripture. Marriage ceremonies performed in any facility or space owned, leased, or rented by this church will be only those ceremonies sanctioned by God, joining one man with one woman as their genders were determined by anatomy at birth (and not subject to change). Whenever there is a conflict between the church’s position and any new legal standard for marriage, the church’s statement of faith, doctrines, and biblical positions will govern. (Gen. 2:24; Eph. 5:22-23; Mark 10:6-9; I Cor. 7:1-9) 

b.  We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of marriage as defined in above. We believe that any other type of sexual activity, identity, or expression that lies outside of this definition of marriage, including those that are becoming more accepted in the culture and the courts, are contradictory to God’s natural design and purpose for sexual activity. (Gen. 2:24; Gen. 19:5; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1: 26-29; 1 Cor. 5:1; 6:9-10; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4)

c.  We believe that God creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, unchangeable genders together reflect the image and nature of God, and the rejection of one's biological gender is a rejection of the image of God within that person. (Genesis 1:26-27)

2.  Sanctity of Life 

a.  Abortion. We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being created in the image of God and must be valued and protected, (Job 3:16; Ps. 51:5; 139:13-16; Isa. 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jer. 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:36, 44)

b.  Euthanasia. We believe that an intentional act or omission that facilitates premature death, is assuming a decision that is to be reserved for God. We do not believe that discontinuing medical procedures that are extraordinary or disproportionate to the expected outcome is euthanasia. (Ex. 20:13; 23:7; Matt. 5:21; Acts 17:28)

3.  Love.  We believe that we should demonstrate love for others, not only toward fellow believers, but also toward those who are not believers, those who oppose us, and those who engage in sinful actions. We are to deal graciously, humbly, gently, and patiently with those who oppose us. God forbids the stirring up of strife, the taking of revenge, or the threat or use of violence as a means of resolving personal conflict or obtaining personal justice. Although God commands us to abhor sinful actions, we are to love and pray for any person who engages in such actions. (Lev. 19:18; Matt. 5:44-48; Luke 6:31; John 13:34-35; Rom. 12:9-10; 17-21; 13:8-10; Phil. 2:2-4; 2 Tim. 2:24-26; Titus 3:2; I Peter 3:8-9; 1 John 3:17-18)

4.  Protection of Children. We believe that children are a blessing from the Lord and must be absolutely protected within the church from any form of abuse or molestation. The church has zero tolerance for any person, whether paid staff, volunteer, member, or visitor, who abuses or molests a child. (Ps. 127:3-5; Matt. 18:6, 19:14; Mark 10:14)