Kirkpatrick Church of Christ Core Beliefs

Bible

We believe the Bible to be the complete Word of God.

• That the 66 books of the Old and New Testament were inspired by the Spirit of God as originally written
• That the Bible is the final authority in all matters of faith and conduct · 2 Timothy 3:16

God

We believe in one God, Creator of all, holy, sovereign, eternal, and that God is a Trinity (Father, Son & Holy Spirit). (Romans 5:1; Hebrews 11:6; Ephesians 2:8; Romans 10:13; John 3:16)

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Jesus Christ

We believe in the absolute and essential deity of our Lord Jesus Christ

• In His eternal existence, with the Father in pre-incarnate glory
• In His work of creation, in His virgin birth, sinless life, substitutionary death, and bodily resurrection
• In His triumphant ascension, mediatorial ministry, and personal return.

The Holy Spirit

We believe in the absolute and essential deity and in the personality of the Holy Spirit.

• Who convicts of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment
• Who regenerates, indwells, seals, sanctifies, illuminates, and comforts those who believe in Jesus Christ.

Mankind

We believe that Adam was divinely created in the image of God

• That by the sin of disobedience, he fell from that state.
• That all men, therefore, are guilty before God and condemned to physical and spiritual death (Romans 3:23).

Salvation

1. We repent of our sins (turning from sins) to live nearer to God and Christ. (Acts 17:30-31; 2 Peter 3:9)
2. We confess Christ (a public witness to the fact) that we believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. (Matthew 10:32-33; Romans 10:10; Matthew 16:13-17)
3. We are baptized (by immersion in water) into Christ for the remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38; 1 Peter 3:21; Galatians 3:27; Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-5.)
4. We then continue to live in a manner honoring Christ and following God's Word.

Values

You can learn a lot about an organization by the values it espouses. They tell you what is important and what isn't. The following core values are intended to serve as a window into the very heart of our church. We cherish our Savior, Jesus, in Whom we live and breathe and have our very being. We make it our goal to please Him.

• We value prayer as a gift from God and sincerely believe that prayer makes a critical difference in all we do. (Hebrews 4:16)
• We hold to a passionate commitment, where the beliefs we profess grip the heart as well as the mind.
• We seek to model an authenticity of faith, where what we say we believe is actually how we live. 
• We treat one another with respect as fellow heirs of the grace of Christ. We seek to lift spirits and put wings on weary hearts. Our approach is more "how to" than "ought  to."
• We cultivate an attitude that seeks to be inclusive, not exclusive.
• We value a warm embrace, a kind word, and a friendly smile.
• We embrace the belief that the church is not just where people are encouraged to belong but where they are also urged to become.
• We believe that every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.
• We value our children and youth, realizing that the greatest days of this church will be under the direction of the next generation.
• We affirm the concept of an every-member-ministry. We seek not to build a large audience but, rather, an army - of fully - devoted soldiers for Christ.
• We pay close attention to detail at every level of our ministry so as to offer Christ our very best effort.
• We develop programs and ministries that are excellent but not ostentatious and attractive without being sensational.
• We value change, but not change without purpose. We seek to respond to a myriad of rapidly changing dynamics in our culture, by employing timely methods in communicating our timeless message.
• We value a relevant, easily applicable message, but the primary test of our message is, "Is it true?"
• We value a wonderful, diverse worship as creative and expressive as our Creator Himself. Our passion is to meet needs, not grow a church.
• We value God's gifts of both laughter and tears and freely indulge in both.

It is our commitment to never intentionally violate the above-stated values. We urge the people of our church, at any level, to freely hold us accountable to this pledge.