Beliefs

Purposes

The purposes of the Church are:

  1. the advancement of the Christian faith in accordance with the Basis of Faith primarily but not exclusively within Kirdford and the surrounding neighbourhood; and
  2. such other charitable purposes as shall, in the opinion of the members of the Church in general meeting, put into practice the Christian faith in accordance with the Basis of Faith, including but not limited to: the prevention and relief of need, hardship and sickness and the advancement of education; provided that the advancement of such purposes must be undertaken in a manner that is consistent with the Doctrinal Distinctives and Ethical Statements as may be adopted and amended by the Church from time to time in accordance with the provisions of the Church Handbook.

Basis of Faith

  1. God

There is one God, who exists eternally in three distinct but equal persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is unchangeable in his holiness, justice, wisdom and love. He is the almighty Creator; Saviour and Judge who sustains and governs all things according to his sovereign will for his own glory.

  1. The Bible

God has revealed himself in the Bible, which consists of the Old and New Testaments alone. Every word was inspired by God through human authors, so that the Bible as originally given is in its entirety the Word of God, without error and fully reliable in fact and doctrine. The Bible alone speaks with final authority and is always sufficient for all matters of belief and practice.

  1. The Human Race

All men and women, being created in the image of God, have inherent and equal dignity and worth. Their greatest purpose is to obey, worship and love God. As a result of the fall of our first parents, every aspect of human nature has been corrupted and all men and women are without spiritual life, guilty sinners and hostile to God. Every person is therefore under the just condemnation of God and needs to be born again, forgiven and reconciled to God in order to know and please him.

  1. The Lord Jesus Christ

The Lord Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, and lived a sinless life in obedience to the Father. He taught with authority and all his words are true. On the cross he died in the place of sinners, bearing God’s punishment for their sin, redeeming them by his blood. He rose from the dead and in his resurrection body ascended into heaven where he is exalted as Lord of all. He intercedes for his people in the presence of the Father.

  1. Salvation

Salvation is entirely a work of God’s grace and cannot be earned or deserved. It has been accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ and is offered to all in the gospel. God in his love forgives sinners whom he calls, granting them repentance and faith. All who believe in Christ are justified by faith alone, adopted into the family of God and receive eternal life.

  1. The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit has been sent from heaven to glorify Christ and to apply his work of salvation. He convicts sinners, imparts spiritual life and gives a true understanding of the Scriptures. He indwells all believers, brings assurance of salvation and produces increasing likeness to Christ. He builds up the Church and empowers its members for worship, service and mission.

  1. The Church

The universal Church is the body of which Christ is the head and to which all who are saved belong. It is made visible in local churches, which are congregations of believers who are committed to each other for the worship of God, the preaching of the Word, the administering of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper; for pastoral care and discipline, and for evangelism. The unity of the body of Christ is expressed within and between churches by mutual love, care and encouragement. True fellowship between churches exists only where they are faithful to the gospel.

  1. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper have been given to the churches by Christ as visible signs of the gospel. Baptism is a symbol of union with Christ and entry into his Church but does not impart spiritual life. The Lord’s Supper is a commemoration of Christ’s sacrifice offered once for all and involves no change in the bread and wine. All its blessings are received by faith.

  1. The Future

The Lord Jesus Christ will return in glory. He will raise the dead and judge the world in righteousness. The wicked will be sent to eternal punishment and the righteous will be welcomed into a life of eternal joy in fellowship with God. God will make all things new and will be glorified forever.

Doctrinal Distinctives

We recognise that there are a number of doctrines, not referred to in the Basis of Faith over which genuine Christian believers may take different views. Our Doctrinal Distinctives set out the position and teaching of the Church on these matters. Church members are not required to agree with the matters in the Doctrinal Distinctives and may hold and discuss views to the contrary, but members are required to respect the positions set out in the Doctrinal Distinctives as the teaching of the Church and should not be insistent on their own views or divisive over these matters.

We believe that a visible local church is a community of believers who have covenanted together in the fellowship of the gospel and under the discipline of God’s Word.  We believe in the importance of baptism by immersion, into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, on profession of repentance and faith.  The Lord’s Supper is open to all who truly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and know Him as their own personal Saviour and is administered under the discipline and pastoral care of the local church.

Ethical Statements

The matters covered in this section set out how the beliefs set out in the Basis of Faith apply in relation to ethical matters. Church members are required to lead their lives in a manner that is consistent with these Ethical Statements recognising the reminder and encouragement given to all Christians in 1 John 1:8-9.

Marriage – our Basis of Faith sets out that the Bible is the final authority for all matters of belief and practice and the Members of the Church agree that the teaching of the Bible is that marriage is only between one man and one woman (Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:4-6, Ephesians 5:31-33). Nowhere in the Bible is there an expectation that marriage can exist between two or more people of the same sex, Marriage involves a man and woman, bound together in covenant relationship – a relationship that cannot be redefined.

Legal

 Hiring Policy

The Trustees in general approve the hiring of Chapel premises:

  1. to other churches, Christian organizations, and community groups where the Chapel or its members have a significant involvement,
  2. to the Parish Council for “one-off” meetings at a market rent, and
  3. for such other purposes as the Trustees agree at a market rent

in each case, for uses which are compatible with the Chapel’s Basis of Faith, Doctrinal Distinctives and Ethical Statements. Each hiring should be by a written hiring agreement and approved by the Trustees.”

For Safeguarding Policy, click here