Core Values
Purpose Statement
Vision Statement
Church Covenant
Declaration Of Faith
Our Core Values:
Core Values are a condensed description of who we are and who we believe God would have us to be. They are the non-negotiables that reflect the character of the church in its endeavor to carry out God’s purpose. From careful consideration of our Constitution, By-laws and Articles of Faith, we declare these values to be the basis of behavior and a definition of that which cannot be changed, even in the midst of change.
We Value A Bible-Driven Church
We value a Bible-driven Church and the King James Version of the Scriptures. It is our desire to be thoroughly Biblical in the totality of our lives. Our purpose, methods, and goals must be from sound Biblical teaching. We reject the modern concept that Biblical goals can be achieved by man-centered, man-empowered methods. Our theology must dictate our methodology.
We Value Biblical Worship
The chief end of man is to glorify God. God is most glorified through the Person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ. The church in worship must strive to know Him, love Him, praise Him and serve Him. It is our goal to keep Him the center of all our preaching, teaching, praying, singing, fellowship and worship, through which our faith is reinforced. In all things He must have the preeminence [Col. 1:18]
We Value Discipleship Through Small Group Ministry
It is our desire to glorify God by encouraging and equipping Disciples of Christ. The primary means employed shall be expository preaching and small group interaction, through which we evangelize the lost, equip the saved, and minister to the individual needs in the body.
We Value Biblical Stewardship
We value an obedient lifestyle of generosity in support of the work of God through the local church. God has provided every spiritual and material resource needed in the life of His church through the faithful giving of His people, who see themselves blessed in order to be a blessing. The local church must also recognize her stewardship of the time, talent, and treasures of God’s people, as they are used to accomplish the Great Commission.
We Value Biblical Evangelism
It is the duty of every believer to evangelize the lost. Personal Evangelism is not a suggestion, but is commanded of every true believer. The entire local church should be personally and strategically involved in mission work. We adamantly stand against hyper-Calvinism on one hand, and easy-believism evangelism on the other. We are committed to preach the gospel to every creature and to implore all men everywhere to repent and believe. At the same time, we recognize that manipulating the emotions or coercing the will produces neither faith nor repentance, which are solely the result of the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit.
We Value The Local Church
A New Testament Church is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers of like faith and practice. We believe that meaningful and enduring fellowship in a local congregation is absolutely essential to the Christian’s life and ministry. We are committed not only to congregate, but also to do so for the purposes of encouraging one another and stimulating one another to love and good works.
We Value Unity In The Church
We believe the church must function in one accord. That God’s design requires of all who would follow Christ live in sacrificial, loving relationship with, not only one another, but all their personal relationships. We believe this unity is required, even in the midst of diversity. Though we stand firm on Biblical absolutes, we allow freedom where the Bible allows freedom. We believe no church can survive where all seek their way, but that any who would seek to be first, must be the servant of all.
We Value Compassionate Church Discipline
Although church discipline was a fundamental doctrine in Baptist history, it is now almost non-existent among contemporary Baptists. This forgotten and often misunderstood Bible doctrine is still practiced by Emmanuel Church. We believe that if we truly care for the well being of God’s people, we will obey the Scriptural command to practice church discipline. When practiced Biblically and compassionately, it is a powerful tool for the recovery of the fallen and to preserve Christ’s honor in the church and the unbelieving world.
We Value Traditional Family Values
We believe strong families build strong Churches. The church should give herself to teaching Biblical principles related to the home. The fact that the marriage relation between the husband and wife is to be a model of how Christ relates to His Church, illustrates that roles, duties, and accountability in the home should not contradict roles, duties, and accountability in church life. Our goal is to strengthen parents in their God called responsibility to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and to view all children and youth ministries as an extension of the parents’ roles, and never replace them. We also believe it to be the duty of the church to reject all modern and liberal views of abortion and alternative sexual lifestyles that are condemned in Scripture. These views not only weaken traditional family values, but also threaten to bring the judgment of God on our nation.
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