We teach that all who place their faith in Jesus Christ are immediately baptized by the Holy Spirit into one united spiritual Body, the Church (1 Corinthians 12:12-13), of which Christ is the Head (Ephesians 1:22; 4:15; Colossians 1:18), and which is His espoused Bride (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:23-32; Revelation 19:7-8).

We teach that the formation of this Body began on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-21, 38-47) and will be completed at the coming of Christ for His own at the Rapture (1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

We teach that the Church is a unique spiritual organism designed by Christ (Matthew 16:18), made up of all born-again believers in this present age (Ephesians 2:11-3:6). The Church is distinct from Israel (1 Corinthians 10:32), a mystery not revealed until this age (Ephesians 3:3-6, 9-10; 5:32). We teach that the establishment and continuity of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament (Acts 14:21-23, 27; 20:17, 28; Galatians 1:2; Philippians 1:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1), and that the members of this one spiritual Body are directed to associate themselves together in local assemblies (1 Corinthians 11:18-20; Hebrews 10:25).

We teach that the one, supreme authority for the Church is Christ (Ephesians 1:22; Colossians 1:18), and that the order, discipline and worship are appointed through His sovereignty. The biblically designated officers serving under Christ and over the assembly are elders—also called bishops, pastors and pastor teachers (Acts 20:28; Ephesians 4:11)—and deacons, both of whom must meet biblical qualifications (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Peter 5:1-5).

We teach that these leaders lead or rule as servants of Christ (1 Timothy 5:17-22) and have been given authority by Him in directing the Church. The congregation is to submit to their leadership (Hebrews 13:7, 17).

We teach the disciplining of sinning members of the congregation in accord with the standards of 1 Corinthians 5:1-13; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15; 1 Timothy 1:19-20; Titus 1:10-16.

We teach the autonomy of the local church, free from any external authority or control, with the right of self-government and freedom from the interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations. We teach that it is scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other for the presentation and propagation of the faith. However, each local church through its elders and their interpretation and application of Scripture is the sole judge of the measure and method of its cooperation on all matters of membership, policy, discipline, benevolence and government (Acts 15:19-31, 20:28; 1 Corinthians 5:4-7, 13; Titus 1:5; 1 Peter 5:1-4).

We teach that the purpose of the Church is to glorify God (Ephesians 3:21) by building itself up in the faith (Ephesians 4:13-16), by instruction of the Word (2 Timothy 2:2, 15; 3:16-17), by fellowship (Acts 2:42; 1 John 1:3), by keeping the ordinances (Luke 22:19; Acts 2:38-42), and by advancing and communicating the Gospel to the entire world (Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:8).

We teach the calling of all saints to the work of the ministry (1 Corinthians 15:58; Ephesians 4:12).

We teach the accomplishment of God’s purpose in the world. For the accomplishment of that purpose, He has given the Church spiritual gifts. He gives gifted men for the purpose of equipping the saints for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:7-12). He also gives unique and special abilities to each member of the Body of Christ (Romans 12:5-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-31; 1 Peter 4:10-11). At the moment of spiritual birth every believer receives such a gift or gifts. These gifts are sovereignly bestowed and cannot be sought (1 Corinthians 12:11). It is essential that every believer discover, develop and employ his or her spiritual gift or gifts for the edification of the Body and the accomplishment of the work of Christ in the world (Romans 12:3-8; 1 Peter 4:10-11).

We teach that there were two kinds of gifts given to the early church: temporary confirming gifts and permanent edifying gifts. We teach that the temporary confirming gifts—healing, speaking in tongues (intelligible languages), interpretation and the working of sign miracles—were given temporarily in the apostolic era for the purpose of confirming the authenticity of the apostles’ message but gradually ceased as normative church practice as the New Testament Scriptures were completed and their authority became established (Acts 19:11-12; 1 Corinthians 13:8-10; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Hebrews 2:3-4).

We teach that no one possesses the gift of healing today but that God does supernaturally heal and answer the prayer of faith on the part of every believer (Luke 18:1-6; James 5:16b) and will answer in accordance with His own perfect will (1 John 5:14-15) for the sick, suffering and afflicted (John 5:5-9; 2 Corinthians 12:610; James 5:13-15).

We teach that private or personal prayer languages are a misunderstanding of the meaning of 1 Corinthians 13:1 (“tongues of angels”) and that such private prayer languages have no basis in Scripture. We teach that these private prayer languages are not a fulfillment of Romans 8:26, “...groanings too deep to be uttered”. We teach that based on Matthew 6:7, prayer should be intelligible and coherent conversations with God.

We teach that two ordinances have been committed to the local church: baptism (Matthew 28:19) and the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). Christian baptism by immersion (Acts 8:36-39) is the testimony of a believer. This act is a solemn and beautiful symbol of the believer’s faith in the crucified, buried and risen Savior; the union with Him in death to sin and resurrection to a new life (Romans 6:1-11). It is also a sign of fellowship and identification with the visible Body of Christ (Acts 2:41-42).

We teach that the Lord’s Supper is the commemoration and proclamation of His death until He comes (1 Corinthians 11:26) and should always be preceded by solemn self-examination (1 Corinthians 11:28).

We teach that while Christ’s flesh and blood are not actually present, the Lord’s Supper is nevertheless an actual communion with the risen Christ who is present in a unique way, fellowshipping with His people (1 Corinthians 10:16).