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The New Testament Church
We
believe that a New Testament Church is a congregation of baptized
believers associated by a covenant of faith and fellowship of the
gospel, said church being understood to be the citadel and propagator
of the Divine and Eternal Grace: observing the ordinances of Christ;
governed by His laws; exercising the gifts, rights and privileges
invested in them by His Word; that its officers of ordination are
pastors or elders whose qualifications, claims and duties are clearly
defined in the Scriptures; we believe the true mission of the church is
found in the Great Commission. We hold that the local church has the
absolute right of self government, free from the interference of any
hierarchy of individuals or organizations; and that the one and only
superintendent is Christ through the Holy Spirit; that it is scriptural
for true churches to cooperate with each other in contending for the
faith and for the furtherance of the gospel; that every church is the
sole and only judge of the measure and method of its cooperation; on
all matters of membership, of policy, of government, of discipline, of
benevolence, the will of the local church is final.
Matthew
28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42, 6:5-6, 14:23, 15:22-23, 20:17-28; 1 Corinthians
5:11-13, 6:1-3, 11:2, 12:4, 8-11, 16:1-2; 2 Corinthians 8:23-24;
Ephesians 1:22-23, 4:11, 5:23-24; Colossians 1:18; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; 1
Peter 5:1-4; Jude 3-4
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