Distinctives of Fellowship Bible Church

While our doctrinal statement provides a detailed statement of what we believe and thus how we are distinct from other churches, the following are meant to provide a shorter summary of “who we are.” Please understand that all of this is not meant to be a list of beliefs necessary for salvation, nor a checklist to determine if we can have any level of fellowship with those who don’t hold to all of these distinctives. But a local church must have some confession around which it organizes, and we have decided to promote this form of doctrine. It may be more specific than you would be, but you know where we stand. There is nothing to hide here!

We are:

Christian

We are "Christ's ones," those who belong to Christ. Our focus is Him who is in the midst of the church, who is the head of the body and the chief cornerstone. We are Christ-centered. We are Protestant in that we follow the reformation teaching of salvation by faith alone in Christ. We are not a cult, in that a cult departs from the historic doctrines of the faith, such as the deity of Christ. Our formal members are born-again believers in Jesus Christ. While we say we are Christians, there are many (wrong) ideas about Jesus, and there are many false christs. Therefore, we need to be more specific than just "Christian" by saying just what we understand this to mean. Thus the following qualifiers are necessary.

Biblical

Our authority is the Bible. It is sufficient for life and godliness. We endeavor to make the Bible our rule for living in practice, not just in theory. We are keenly interested in Bible doctrine, for doctrine is that which is taught to us to believe, and God puts a premium on a man's beliefs. Men can believe rightly or wrongly. When one becomes a Christian, he "learns Christ" and wants to please the Lord by believing the same things that the Lord believes. To believe otherwise is to believe a lie. Thus, we emphasize systematic teaching of the Bible. We devote time to that rather than compressing it into the smallest possible part of the church service. We do not do book reviews for preaching. We do not use skits, movies, and other audio-visual media. The medium that God has ordained is the preaching of His word expositionally--verse by verse and book by book. We do this not only by conviction, but also because there is a famine today in many churches and we feel we can fill this niche.

Fundamental

This means that we believe the fundamentals of the faith. Those include: the inerrant verbal and plenary inspiration of Scripture; the Trinity; the virgin birth and deity of Christ; the substitutionary atonement; the bodily resurrection of Christ, the second coming of Christ, and the one way of salvation by grace through faith. But to be fundamental also means that we believe in the unqualified acceptance of and obedience to the Scriptures.

Separated

This means that we emphasize separation from ecclesiastical organizations (missions and para-church groups, for instance) that do not hold the same doctrine that we do. We also believe in separating ourselves from worldly practices. We are not new evangelicals, by which we mean those who reject separation as a truth taught in the Bible. In fact, it is taught in the Bible--both from unbelievers and believers when necessary.

Dispensational

This means that we believe in applying a consistently literal approach to interpreting the Bible. We interpret it according to the plain, grammatical, historical meaning of the text. The text means now what it meant when it was written--the meaning has not changed. Out of this key plank of dispensationalism comes our belief in the distinction between Israel and the church and the focus of all history and eternity upon the glory of God and his Son. We also believe that God parcels out his revelation in bits and pieces as it pleases him and as man was able to historically take it.

Baptistic

In short, we are very similar to a Baptist church. While we technically are part of the Bible church movement, Fellowship Bible is not a Presbyterian-type church, nor a Congregational-type church, nor a Methodist-type church. Our government and practice is basically Baptist, though we do not believe the Baptist label is all-important. It is the beliefs that count, namely beliefs in Biblical authority, autonomy of the local church, priesthood of the believer, two ordinances (baptism by immersion and the Lord's supper as a memorial), individual soul liberty, saved church membership, two officers (pastor and deacons), and separation of church and state.

Premillennial

This has to do with our view of eschatology, that is, the prophecy of last things. We believe that the Lord will return before the millennial kingdom in order to establish his kingdom. We believe that world conditions are degrading, getting worse and worse, and will do so until the Lord comes. We are not therefore post-millennial. We also believe in the pretribulational rapture of the church seven years before the kingdom is inaugurated, during which seven years the tribulation will happen on the earth.

Independent

Our church is a stand-alone entity. It is not governed by an outside denomination. It can join into voluntary association with other churches of like faith, but cannot give up its authority over its physical properties, doctrine, appointment of officers, etc. The church is privileged and responsible to govern itself.

Local Church Oriented

Participation and membership in a local church is important, as it indicates a commitment to the beliefs of the group of believers and a willingness to come into accountability (discipline) with the church. God’s program in this age is centered around the church rather than around a nation or the family per se, and as such our focus should be in the church as well. Assembling together is important in God’s eyes. It is the place where new believers are baptized, taught and brought to maturity, where the ordinances are practiced, where spiritual gifts are exercised, where the Word is preached, etc. Growth in the church will come, to some extent, from transfers, but we emphasize outreach to neighbors, co-workers, students, etc. so that they can become new believers and the church can grow that way. The church is the place where believers are instructed, and not primarily a place where evangelization occurs, though it can happen there too, particularly among the children of the church. Evangelism will primarily occur outside of the church, which is where unbelievers are. Services of the church are not designed around the unbeliever but around the believer, as the church’s membership is to be regenerate. We also believe the emphasis in missions must be on local church planting through evangelism and training of ministers of the gospel. It is not on social improvement or support of para-church organizations.

Traditional

This has to do with our style of worship. We sing hymn-style songs with a piano and organ. We use other instruments in a reverent, skilled way. We do not endorse contemporary Christian music, “rock and roll churches,” so-called “worship teams,” and the like. We do not endorse seeker-driven or seeker-sensitive tactics, nor do we support market-driven ministry.

Caring

Sometimes statements of distinctives can seem harsh or impersonal. To the contrary, we wish to care truly for one another, and provide a loving environment conducive to spiritual growth. This does not mean that we have no convictions; rather it means we hold our convictions with compassion, understanding that not everyone is at the same place in their spiritual life. We care for all who are a part of our assembly, genuinely trying to avoid partiality. We endeavor to treat all fairly, with respect, not embarrassing them or seeking to make them feel uncomfortable as if there is some virtue in doing so.

We are convinced of these truths, and particularly the first three. But if you are not a separatist, or a dispensationalist, or a Baptist, or a premillennialist, or you have different views about ecclesiology and music, you are still welcome to attend Fellowship Bible Church. We are very thankful if you are a genuine believer, or if you will come and listen to the preaching of the Word and hopefully become a genuine believer. You know what you will get here.