WHAT WE BELIEVE

statement of beliefs

  • We believe there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons; the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit. Equal in power and glory; that this triune God created all, upholds all and governs all.

  • We believe in God, the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love; that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men; that He hears and answers prayer; that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.

  • We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings; His substitution atoning death; bodily resurrection; ascension into heaven; perpetual intercession for His people; and personal visible return to earth.

    We believe that He is one and the same as God. He was fully human and fully God.

  • We believe in the Holy Spirit, who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower for ministry all who believe in Christ.

    We believe the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Jesus Christ and that He is an abiding Helper, Teacher, and Guide.

    We believe that Jesus Christ baptizes the seeking believer with the Holy Spirit and power for service, either at the time of or subsequent to regeneration, which is a separate work from the indwelling Spirit for salvation. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and in the exercise of all Biblical gifts of the Spirit as reflected through the fruit of that same Spirit.

    We do not believe in “positive confession” (the faith movement belief that God can be commanded to heal or work miracles according to man’s will); human prophecy that supersedes the Scriptures; the incorporation of humanistic and secular psychology into biblical teaching; the over-emphasis of spiritual gifts and experiential signs and wonders to the exclusion of biblical teaching; or that true Christians can be demon-possessed.

  • We believe that all the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts and that they are the infallible rule of faith and practice.

  • We believe all people are by nature separated from God and responsible for their own sin, but that salvation, redemption, and forgiveness are freely offered to all by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. When a person repents of sin and accepts Jesus Christ as his/her personal Lord and Savior, trusting Him to save, that person is immediately born again and sealed by the Holy Spirit, all of his/her sins are forgiven, and that person becomes a child of God, destined to spend eternity with the Lord.

  • We await the pre-tribulation rapture of the church and we believe in the literal second coming of Christ, with His saints to rule the earth, which will be personal and visible. This motivates us to holy living, heartfelt worship, committed service, diligent study of God’s word, regular fellowship, participation in adult baptism and immersion by Holy Communion.

  • We are neither Five-Point Calvinists nor are we Armenians. We adhere firmly to the Biblical teaching of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility. We avoid any theological systems of belief that go beyond the written word and thereby divide the body of Christ.

  • We believe in the universal Church, in the living spiritual body, of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe the Lord Jesus Christ committed two ordinances to the Church: 1) baptism, and 2) the Lord’s Supper. We believe in baptism by immersion and communion, both of which are open to all believers in Jesus Christ.

  • We believe in the laying on of hands for the sending out of pastors and missionaries, the anointing of oil by the elders for the healings of the sick.

  • We believe the only true basis of Christian fellowship is Christ’s (agape) love, which is greater than any differences we possess, and without which we have no right to claim ourselves Christians.

  • We believe worship of God should be spiritual; therefore, we remain flexible and yielded to the leading of the Holy Spirit to direct our worship. We believe worship of God should be inspirational; therefore, we give great place to music in our worship.

    We believe worship of God should be intelligent; therefore, our encounters are designed with great emphasis upon the teaching of the Word of God that He might instruct us on how He should be worshiped. We seek to teach the Word of God in such a way that its message can be applied to the individual’s life, leading that person to a greater maturity in Christ. We teach both expositionally and topically.

    We believe worship of God should be fruitful; therefore, we look for His love in our lives as the supreme manifestation that we have been truly worshiping Him.

  • We believe that the church government should be simplistic rather than a complex bureaucracy, and we depend on the Holy Spirit to lead, rather than on fleshly promotion.

  • We believe that the Bible clearly delineates that spiritual gifts are for the edification of the body and that they are to be exercised in love. We believe that love is more important than the most spectacular gifts, and without love, all exercise of spiritual gifts is worthless.

    In our encounters, we focus on a personal relationship with God through worship, prayer, and the teaching of the Word of God. We do not practice speaking in tongues during worship or while a Bible study is in progress because we do not believe that the Holy Spirit would interrupt Himself.

    God is not the author of confusion.

Statement of Faith: Women in Ministry

Biblical Hierarchy and Order

We believe that God established a specific hierarchical order between man and woman, which transcends cultural norms:

Creation Order: In Genesis 2:18-24 (NKJV), God created woman as a helper comparable to man, forming a complementary partnership.

Headship: 1 Corinthians 11:3 (NKJV) states, “But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.” We recognize this as an order that’s first established in the household and also reflected in the church.

Apostolic Teaching: In 1 Timothy 2:12-14 (NKJV), Paul emphasizes that a woman should not have authority over a man in the church setting, referencing the order of creation and the fall.

Household Order: Ephesians 5:22-24 (NKJV) instructs, “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.”Roles and Functions in Ministry

While maintaining this hierarchical structure, we also recognize the significant roles women played in the early church, as seen in the book of Acts and other New Testament writings:

Prophesying and Teaching: Acts 21:9 (NKJV) mentions Philip’s four virgin daughters who prophesied, demonstrating that women can have roles in speaking God’s word.

Leadership in Ministry: Priscilla, along with her husband Aquila, instructed Apollos in Acts 18:26 (NKJV), showing that women can instruct and guide under appropriate circumstances.

Deaconess: Romans 16:1-2 (NKJV) refers to Phoebe as a servant (often understood as deacon) of the church in Cenchrea, highlighting her significant role in the church.

Fellow Workers: Philippians 4:3 (NKJV) mentions women who labored with Paul in the Gospel, indicating their active involvement in ministry.

Teaching vs. Preaching

Understanding the difference between teaching and preaching is crucial in our view of women’s roles in ministry:

Teaching: Teaching involves providing detailed instruction, doctrinal education, and sometimes reproof. It is often systematic and intended to impart knowledge and understanding of the Scriptures and theological principles (2 Timothy 2:2, NKJV).

Preaching: Preaching is more focused on exhortation, edification, and encouragement. It involves proclaiming the Gospel and building up the church through messages that inspire faith and action (2 Timothy 4:2, NKJV).

Based on this distinction, we believe that women can preach (edify and exhort the congregation) but should not serve in teaching roles that carry authoritative doctrinal instruction over men.

Use of the Title “Pastor” for Women

We acknowledge that the Bible does not provide specific regulations on the use of the title “pastor.” Therefore, we believe there should be charity and understanding around this conviction.

However, to avoid confusion and to maintain clarity in our leadership structure, we do not use the term “pastor” for women in leadership roles within our church.

This decision aligns with our interpretation of biblical headship and ensures that our terminology reflects our theological stance.

Our Conclusion

Based on these scriptural principles, we conclude that:

Authority in the Church: Women should not hold positions of authority over men in matters of church discipline and doctrinal teaching. These roles are reserved for men to reflect the headship established by God.

Roles of Leadership and Preaching: Women can serve in leadership roles and preach the word of God, provided they do so under the covering of male headship in the church and in partnership with their husbands in ministry.

This approach allows us to honor the biblical order while fully engaging the gifts and callings of women in the church.

Our Position on Women in Ministry

At Love Church, we uphold a soft-complementarian view of women’s roles in ministry. Soft-complementarianism means that we emphasize the need for male headship as established in Scripture, while also honoring and valuing the significant contributions women make in leadership and communication roles within the church.

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