We are often asked, “What kind of church are you?” Our normal response is that we try to be a biblical church. And indeed, one of our basic beliefs is that the Bible is God’s inspired Word and is the final authority in all that we believe and do. We realize that often the person asking the question wants to know something about how we worship and something about our specific beliefs about various matters. We believe that asking “what kind of church are you?” is a fair question. We also believe that it is important that we as a local body of Christ have a clear picture in our mind of Who We Are, What We Believe, Our Mission, Our Vision and Our Values.
In order to be clear about, Who We Are, What We Believe, Our Mission, Our Vision and Our Values, we felt that it was important to commit these important matters to writing. There is a fear that in committing these matters to writing that someone may mistake any such writing or document to be some form of creed. The only way that we know to guard against that happening is to simply state again that our only and final authority is God’s inspired Word, the Bible. That being said, we do believe that one of the beauties of God’s design for the local church is that each congregation is independent and overseen and led by a group of local shepherds under the headship of Christ. Therefore by design each local congregation will have its unique personality while at the same time being part of the universal Body of Christ.
The attached statement of Who We Are, What We Believe, Our Mission, Our Vision and Our Values was developed by a process that sought input from our entire congregation. The Elders presented an initial outline of what they felt should be included in the document and then had the congregation add, delete and modify the document based on input from all who were willing to participate. The final document was reviewed and put in final form by the Elders.
This document will always be a work in progress. As we grow and mature as a Body we will periodically review what we have written and make changes to reflect the maturity and understanding of the congregation. God’s Word never changes, but we pray that as we grow and mature our understanding and application of His Word will grow. We are always open to looking at what we have written and making any revisions necessary to more clearly reflect the teaching of God’s Word.
We pray that this information will be useful in helping our congregation focus on our mission of sharing the love of Christ as we grow in maturity in Christ and serve God by serving others. We also pray that this information will be helpful to those seeking a local congregation of Christians where they can belong and grow in Christ.
Who We Are
We are disciples of Jesus compelled by love.
(II Corinthians 5:14; I John 4:16; 1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
We are united as brothers and sisters in God’s family.
(Galatians 3:28; Hebrews 13:1; Philippians 2:2-4)
We are a church of prayer, where physical, emotional and spiritual needs are met.
(Acts 2:42-47; Matthew 6:25; James 5:16; Philippians 4:6)
We are a grace-oriented church accepting one another in Jesus.
(Romans 6:13-14; Ephesians 1:3-10; Romans 3:21-26; Ephesians 2:7-8)
We are a church helping one another grow in our personal relationship with Jesus.
(Matthew 22:37-40; II Timothy 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Ephesians 4:15)
We are a church that shares the message of Christ.
(II Corinthians 5:16-21; I Corinthians 9:16; 2 Thessalonians 3:1; 2 Timothy 2:2-3, 4:1-2)
What We Believe
There is one God, eternally existing in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
(John 10:30; Genesis 1:26; Isaiah 61:1; Haggai 2:5; Isaiah 7:14; 1 Corinthians 8:4-6; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Luke 1:35-36; Matthew 1:18-23; John 1:32-34; Luke 22:70; Mark 13:11; Luke 12:12; John 8:58; John 14:16-21; Matthew 28:18-19)
God, out of love for His children, sent His son Jesus Christ to establish His kingdom, die for our sins, and rise from the dead.
(Mark 1:14-15; Matthew 4:23; Luke 4:43-44; I Corinthians 15:1-8)
The Bible is the inspired Word of God and is the final authority in life and doctrine.
(II Timothy 3:16-17; I Thessalonians 2:13; Deuteronomy 17:18-20; John 7:38)
Salvation is a free gift of God. The death of Christ on the cross is the only sufficient payment for our sins. All have sinned, but all can be saved through God’s grace. This salvation is available for any who put their faith in Christ as Savior.
(Romans 3:21-26, 6:23; John 3:16-17; Ephesians 2:6-8)
Those putting their faith in Christ should repent of sin, confess that Jesus is Lord and be baptized.
(Romans 10:8-12, Acts 2:38-47; Matthew 10:32)
The church is the body of Christ on earth; empowered by the Holy Spirit to continue helping each other grow and mature as devoted followers of Christ.
(Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 1:22-23)
Our Mission
The Santa Fe Church of Christ exists to share the love of Christ, to grow in maturity in Christ and to serve God by serving others.
Our Vision
Love the Lord our God – WORSHIP (Deuteronomy 6: 4-5)
Accomplished through:
- Committing ourselves to a personal relationship with God
- Inspiring and edifying worship services
- Being a church committed to prayer
- Encouraging loving acceptance of all believers
- Welcoming all with a judgment-free attitude
Love your neighbor – MINISTRY (Matthew 22: 39)
Accomplished through:
- Ministering to hurting people
- Identifying spiritual gifts & utilizing them to help others
- Training & equipping all members
- Building a thorough knowledge of God’s word
- Developing leaders
Go and make disciples – EVANGELISM (Matthew 28: 18-20)
Accomplished through:
- Building relationships and stimulating spiritual growth
- Communicating God’s Word
- Sharing God’s unchanging message as it applies to our daily lives
- Leading seekers to Jesus
Baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit – IDENTIFICATION (Matthew 28:18-20)
Accomplished through:
- Grounding believers in their personal relationship with God
- Encouraging believers in active fellowship with the congregation
- Being a community of believers devoted to one another in love and friendship
- Sharing our faith as Christians
Teaching them – DISCIPLESHIP (Matthew 28: 18-20)
Accomplished through:
- Developing and maturing Christians:
- Character
- Influence
- Righteousness
- Devotion (praying, giving, fasting, etc.)
- Priorities
- Relationships
Our Values
- We value the Father as equal to the Son and Holy Spirit. He is eternal and infinite. He, along with the Son and Holy Spirit, created mankind. Through His grace and mercy, He sent His Son to save mankind from sin. His glory is seen in the Son. He sent the Holy Spirit to live within His children to help them to live for Him. His glory is seen in the Holy Spirit.
(Genesis 1:1, 26-27; Psalms 90:2; Matthew 28:19-20; John 3:16) - We value Jesus Christ as the Son of God. He is equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Jesus, although tempted, lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on the cross. He rose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven’s glory and will return to take God’s children home.
(Matthew 1:22-23; John 1:1-15; Hebrews 4:14; I Corinthians 15:3-4; Matthew 4:1-11) - We value the Holy Spirit as equal with the Father and Son. The Holy Spirit is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. The Holy Spirit provides Christians with power for living, understanding truth, and guidance in following the Word. The Holy Spirit comes to live within us to assure us we are God’s children. As Christians, we seek to live under the Holy Spirit’s control daily.
(John 16:7-13; I Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Galatians 5:25; Acts 2:38) - We value the unity that God brings through the Holy Spirit that there is one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God.
(Ephesians 4:3-6) - We value a common faith. Our faith is in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, and our relationship with God is dependant upon that faith. Our faith is based on our belief and trust that salvation is from God through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord.
(Romans 3:21-28, 4:16; Galatians 2:15-16; I Corinthians 15:1-4; Hebrews 11:1-3) - We value God’s word and strive to follow the teachings of the scripture. Therefore, we believe it is important for each person to examine the scriptures for himself.
(Acts 17:10-12; II Peter 1:19-21; II Timothy 2:15; I Thessalonians 2:13) - We value the church as the family of God. This family is made up of baptized believers, God’s children. Jesus is the head and we, God’s children, are His Body.
(Ephesians 2:10-22; Acts 2:41-47; Galatians 6:10; Hebrews 2:10-14) - We value the autonomy of local congregations led by elders under the headship of Jesus
(Acts 14:23; 1 Tim 5:17; Titus 1:5;Eph 1:22-23) - We value God’s concern for the lost, His love, mercy, grace and patience and His desire that no one should perish.
(II Peter 3:8-9) - We value community involvement, respect different cultures and seek to live together in peace and harmony with all peoples.
(Romans 1:14-17; I Corinthians 9:19-23) - We value that salvation is a gift from God but that we must accept it. We can never earn our salvation by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness, can anyone be saved from sin’s penalty. We are saved when we turn from our sin, turn to God in faith, and are baptised in reinactment of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
(Romans 3:21-26, 6:1-18, 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:8-10; Acts 2:38; Matthew 10:32-33) - We value the promises found in scripture as one comes to Jesus in obedience. These include: forgiveness of sin; being added to the body of Christ; becoming a child of God; receiving the indwelling of the Holy Spirit; and hope.
(Acts 2:38-47; Romans 8:9-11; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 1:18-23; Acts 22:16) - We value unity and peace through our love for God and each other. We do not claim to be the only Christians; we do desire to be Christians only.
(Romans 14:1-12; John 13:34-35; I Corinthians 1:10-17; John 14: 1-7; Galatians 5:22-23; Luke 10: 27; John 17: 20-26) - We value that God offers an eternal home for His children, heaven, where we will live in peace and joy, in the presence of God. The Holy Spirit seals our guarantee of heaven.
(I Peter 1:3-9; Revelation 21:1-4; Ephesians 1:11-14)