Beliefs and Polity

Affirmation of Faith and Purpose

This congregation:

  1. is founded upon the faith that there is but one God (Ex. 20:3,4), all knowing, all powerful, everywhere present, who in holy love created, sustains, and orders all, who is a personal Father God taking delight in us (Ps 149:4) when we offer to Him the glory due His name. (1 Chron. 16:29)
  2. confesses Jesus Christ as the Son of God, Head of the church, the Prince of Peace, and the only divine Lord and Savior. (Luke 22:70, Acts 2:36, Rom. 10:13)
  3. believes that the Holy Spirit is at work in the hearts and minds of believers (Rom. 8:9), giving guidance and comfort (John 16:13), creating and sustaining the church through the gospel, empowering us for service (Acts 1:8) and uniting us with our Lord and with one another. (1 John 4:13)
  4. maintains the New Testament as its rule of faith and practice. We accept the Bible as the inspired Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16) which is “the sword of the Spirit” (Eph 6:17) and the guide for our lives (Psalms 119:105). Through His Holy Word God reveals himself and speaks to accomplish His redemptive purpose for all people.
  5. believes that Holy Scriptures record God’s search for all people which is climaxed in God’s redemptive act in and through Jesus Christ. We believe that the Gospel is the Good News that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. Through the gospel, God’s sovereign will and Christ’s redeeming grace are revealed.
  6. we are convinced that when we confess our sins and are right with God, our prayers are powerful and effective, compelling us to pray for each other, the church, and the lost. (Eph.6:18; James 5:16)
  7. considers that all members of the body of believers are responsible for the total ministry of the church. We are committed to supporting our church’s vision through the use of our time, Spiritual gifts, talents, and financial resources. We are committed to “love one another deeply, from the heart.” 1 Peter 1:22 We acknowledge that the single person and the family are ordained of God, and we have been called to minister to them (Gen 1:27-28; 2:18-24; Ps 127:3; 1 Cor. 7; Eph 6:1-4)
  8. holds that the church is the body of Christ and is under the Lord’s mandate to be faithful in the proclamation and fulfillment of the gospel for all people both near and far through word and deed, and the nurture of the individual believers in the Christian faith and life. (Matt. 28:19)
  9. believes that marriage is a holy institution ordained and created by God and is intended only between a man and woman. (Gen. 2:24)

Download Full BVCOB Polity (05/07/2017)