What Is a Bible Church?

1.   Purposes of a Bible Church

      a.  To stand unequivocally for the fundamentals of the Faith as contained in Holy Scripture
      b.  To present the Gospel at home and abroad to those who have not heard
      c.  To teach the Holy Scriptures for the edification of those who have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their
           personal savior
      d.  To observe the ordinance of the Lord's Table and Baptism, "til He comes"

2.  Distinctions of a Bible Church

       a.  Bible-centered:  stressing the relevance of the Word of God, believing that correctly interpreted and applied
            it offers the answer to man's every problem
       b.  Doctrinally conservative:  holding to the fundamentals of the Christian faith as contained in Scriptures
       c.  Evangelical:  actively endeavoring to win individuals to Jesus Christ.
       d.  Denominationally unrelated:  believing that the local church can best function independently of all denominational
            programs and machinery
       e.  Self-supporting:  relying on its constituency to support the work materially without pledges or assessments
       f.   Self-governing:  believing that outside restrictions and restraints from ecclesiastical hierarchies only hinder efficiency
       g.  Self-propagating:  spreading the gospel by sending its own missionaries, starting other churches, etc.

3.  Advantages of a Bible Church

       a. Free to associate or to refrain from association with other churches--it may associate with other Bible-believing
           churches, and often does, but is under no constraint to do so
       b. Free to support any missionary that has been found to be doctrinally sound--it can support any missionary of any
           organization which it believes worthy of support
       c. Free to survey all Sunday School literature and to determine which it believes to be the best suited for its purposes,
           namely, teaching the Bible
      d.  Maintains a high degree of doctrinal purity because it has a detailed doctrinal statement and constitution to which each
           applicant for membership must comply before he is accepted for membership
      e.  Free to procure the services of any sound Bible teacher, regardless of his church affiliation, for Bible conferences and
           other occasions
      f.   Free to gear its program to the local community and its needs as seen by the pastor and deacons under the leading of
           the Holy Spirit
      g.  Unifies the family by bringing together those of different religious backgrounds through emphasizing the Biblical message
           without a denominational slant
      h.  Does not put pressure upon any individual to become a member of its organization, believing fellowship, not member-
           ship, to be the issue.
       i.  Financial support is dependent upon free-will giving, without pressure through such means as pledges or assessments.