New Community Christian Church is part of the Christian Churches/Churches of Christ, also known as the Restoration Movement. It is from this rich heritage that we draw our understanding of these biblical issues:
Unity: We seek a unity of understanding, in the essentials of our faith, yet we do not suggest that we must agree on all things pertaining to our walk in Christ. On many issues we have the freedom to disagree. We do ask that all who accept and hold a leadership or teaching position in NC3 respect the following statements. Unity in the body depends upon harmony and mutual trust in the leadership.
God: The Bible teaches that God is Creator of our world, and Sustainer and Lord of our lives. God existed before time began and will exist eternally.
Jesus Christ: Jesus Christ is the one and only living Son of God and our Savior. Through Him God opened the way of abundant and eternal life through His death, burial and resurrection to all who call on Christ’s name.
Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit is God Himself encouraging, guiding and transforming us in the way of Christ. The New Testament teaches the ministry of all believers, recognizing that the Holy Spirit gives various gifts to members of the body so that every member can make a contribution to the effective ministry of the entire church.
We are a church body filled by the Holy Spirit, seeking to do God’s will and to become more like His Son, Jesus Christ. While we do not presume to dictate one’s private worship practices, we have agreed that for the sake of unity of the body, in our public worship and other sanctioned church gatherings, we will not teach or practice what is commonly called speaking in tongues.
The Bible: The Bible is the inspired written Word of God. It is the authoritative rule of faith and practice for Christians and the church.
Church Membership: We are a free and independent church under Christ. Guided by a Leadership Team, we determine our own policies and practices in light of biblical expectations, and we voluntarily cooperate with other Christian groups in fulfilling our Lord’s Great Commission.
Our requirements for church membership are:
- One must be a believer in Jesus Christ as the only Son of God and be willing to repent of sin and surrender to His lordship.
- One must confess this faith before others.
- One must obey Christ in Christian baptism and continue in faithful discipleship.
- One must complete a “Discovering NC3” membership class to better understand how your commitment to Christ can be used to serve the church and community.
Baptism: We practice baptism of the repentant believer by immersion in water. We believe it is such an important act of obedience that we require it for membership. Jesus told us in the Great Commission to “go and teach and make disciples and immerse them” (Matthew 28:18 literal Greek translation). Also see Romans 6:4, Colossians 2:12 and 1 Peter 3:21
Prayer: We are a praying church. We daily lift before God fervent prayers of praise, confession, thanksgiving and petition.
The Future: God, who created the heavens and the earth, will one day bring life on earth to a conclusion. While accepting various understandings of how God will bring this about, we trust that Christ will come again and will call His own to Himself.
Communion: We celebrate the Lord’s Supper at each worship service, as we understand the New Testament believers did. In partaking of the bread and the juice, we remember our Lord’s sacrifice for us and we strengthen our relationship with Him.
Missions: All persons of all races are created in the image of God and stand in need of the saving grace of Jesus Christ. The church exists to serve the world. We want to do what we can to improve community life. We want to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, offer hospitality to strangers, clothe the naked, minister to the sick and visit those in prison, as Jesus commanded us. Some of this is accomplished through the work of missionaries supported by New Community.
Financial Resources: God expects the wise management of our money and other resources in both our personal and our church lives. We encourage the tithe (10%) as the minimum the Bible teaches us to return to God who provides for us. Everything we have belongs to God, so bringing back a portion in thanks is a small offering. We teach principles of Christian stewardship, agreeing with Jesus that “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
Family: God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood or adoption. Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel for sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race. Because of our belief that marriage is between one man and one woman, New Community will not host, nor will our pastors officiate, at any same-sex ceremony.