TEACHING POSITIONS
At Grace Church, we want to be clear on the biblical and theological convictions that shape the teaching of our church. These positions are not a part of our statement of faith, and therefore total unity on them is not required for membership at Grace Church, but they represent what will be taught and practiced at Grace Church under the authority of our pastor/elders.
THe Sovereignty of God in salvation
God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, not on the basis of foreseen faith but unconditionally, according to his sovereign good pleasure and will. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, God will draw the elect to faith in his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, graciously and effectually overcoming their stubborn resistance to the gospel so that they will most assuredly and willingly believe. The elect of God whom he gave to the Son, will persevere in belief and godly behavior and be kept secure in their salvation by grace through faith. God’s sovereignty in this salvation neither diminishes the responsibility of people to believe in Christ nor marginalizes the necessity and power of prayer and evangelism, but rather reinforces and establishes them as the ordained means by which God accomplishes his ordained ends.
(John 1:12-13; 6:37-44; 10:25-30; Acts 13:48; 16:30-31; Romans 3:1-4:25; 8:1-17,31-39; 9:1-23; 10:8-10; Ephesians 1:4-5; 2:8-10; Philippians 2:12-13; Titus 3:3-7; 1 John 1:7,9)
Taken from the Acts29 Theological Distinctives.
baptism and the lord’s supper
Baptism is a biblically ordained act of obedience to Christ in which the church, through immersion in water, is meant to publicly affirm and portray a believer’s union with Christ through faith and his or her commitment to Christ and his church.
The Lord’s Supper is a biblically ordained act of obedience to Christ in which the church, through the regular taking of bread and wine, spiritually communes together with Christ in a covenant meal by remembering Christ’s work and renewing their commitment to Christ and his church.
Church government
Jesus Christ is the head of and Lord of Grace Church. In attempting to define how the authority in the universal church is passed on from Jesus Christ to individual local churches, the New Testament nowhere prescribes a fully exhaustive form of church government, but instead prescribes certain practices, offices, and responsibilities. As these practices, offices, and responsibilities relate to functional authority in the church, the Biblical witness is clear on at least two realities:
1) it is the prescribed authority of the local church to exercise the practice of church discipline (Mt 16:13-20; 18:15) on both members and elders (1 Cor 5:9-13; 2 Cor 2:5-8; 1 Tim 5:19), and to keep watch over their collective doctrine and to look out for false teachers (Phil 3:2; 1 Jn 4:1-6);
2) it is the prescribed reality that the New Testament teaches elders are to have genuine authority that the church is to submit to—authority that the New Testament deems appropriate to describe as “ruling” (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus1:5-9; Hebrews 13:17).
In light of these realities, the Scriptures are clear that both the congregation and the elders have a shared authority, underneath the authority of Christ the head. The congregation’s authority is to be the binding and loosing in church discipline (Mt 16:13-20; 18:15) and to keep watch over the doctrine of the church and who teaches there; the elders’ authority is to be that of “ruling” authority in all other matters of church governance and in equipping the saints for the mission of the church. This shared authority, for the purposes of Grace Church, will be called “Elder-Led Congregationalism”. This language maintains the Biblical language of the elders’ authority to rule the Church of God well, but grants the congregation rightful authority in specific areas prescribed by Scripture. In practice, Elder-Led Congregationalism, as maintained by Grace Church, means all authority in church governance, except for the authority granted to the congregation as prescribed in Scripture, resides with the elders.
GEnder Disctinctions IN THE CHURCH
God created two sexes, male and female, to bear his image in the world together. Men and women are not interchangeable, but have been created by God in his image with distinct, complementary, engendered bodies. (1) The purpose of this complementarity is to accomplish in partnership together the commission by God to subdue the Earth and by Christ to make disciples of all nations. Gender is created by God for his glory and as a part of his created order before the fall of mankind into sin. Both men and women, being made in the image of God, share total equality in essence, dignity, and value before God. God’s revelation through his authoritative Word and witness in creation provides the church with the necessary framework for seeing the redeemed people of God as a spiritual family marked not primarily by hierarchy and authority but mutual love, honor, and welcome.
In this spiritual family, both men and women are necessary for spiritual flourishing and for the church to be faithful to her mission. Since this necessary partnership is intended by God, the church suffers if both sexes are not engaged in the work of the great commission and both empowered to use their gifts for the building up of the body. The design of equal partnership in the church does not necessitate interchangeable roles or offices. The Word of God teaches that the church family is to have both spiritual fathers and mothers, and that the office of pastor/elder is the primary way by which Fatherly representative headship is to be exercised in the church. The office of pastor/elder, being one of representative headship, is reserved for qualified men and is defined primarily by the oversight of the church and the public preaching of the Word of God. This distinction is not rooted in cultural necessity or historical setting but the intention and ordering of God. The role of spiritual mother is not specified Scripturally through a church office, but is to be assumed naturally by mature women through teaching and discipleship as modeled in Titus 2:3-5.
The act of preaching in gathered worship is a distinct pastoral action, as preachers authoritatively speak the word on behalf of Christ, and is reserved for tested and qualified men (2) under the direction of the pastor/elders. Apart from the role of pastor/elder and its unique functions of oversight and teaching/preaching, we believe Scripture assumes both men and women will be involved in all areas of church ministry and life, including the office of deacon and the ministry of teaching and discipleship. As a church family, we commit to regularly examining the work of our ministry to make sure both sexes are partnering together for the mission of God in tangible, clear, and healthy ways.
(Genesis 1:26-28; 2:18-25; 3:14-19; Matthew 28:16-20; Romans 16:1-16; Ephesians 5:25-33; 1 Corinthians 11:1-16; 14:26-40; 1 Timothy 2:11-15; 3:1-13; 1 Peter 3:1-7)
(1) We also affirm that gender and sex can not be naturally or normally separated, but are meant to act in unity under the right design of God.
(2) Men who have been trained, vetted and meet the specific qualifications required of the pastorate, and whose teaching has been tested and directed by the pastor/elder team. In this scenario, in the preaching of the Word a qualified man is acting pastorally as a father of the church, even if he does not hold the official office of pastor/elder.
MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE
Marriage has been established by God as the first human institution. The Scriptures teach that a man should leave his father and mother, be united to his wife, and the two will become “one flesh.” When this “one flesh” design has been violated and broken by marital unfaithfulness (extramarital sexual intercourse) or the abandonment/neglect/abuse of the Christian by the non-Christian spouse, reconciliation is the aim and repentance is necessary to achieve true reconciliation. Where there is no repentance and possibility of reconciliation, divorce is allowable (but not mandated). Remarriage, consequently, is allowable (but not mandated) when it becomes evident that the “one flesh” relationship cannot be restored. Divorce and remarriage, when following these biblical guidelines, does not necessarily disqualify an individual from church membership and its privileges, including the offices of deacon and pastor/elder. Even when divorce and remarriage occur outside biblical boundaries, they are not unpardonable offenses but, because of the gospel, can and must be forgiven.
(Genesis 2:24; Matthew 5:31-32; 19:3-12; Mark 10:1-12; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 7:8-16)