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Crossway Bible Church is a non-charismatic, conservative, evangelical fellowship that welcomes all who know Jesus Christ as their Savior and all who are seeking Him. Those who claim to possess the gift of tongues and other sign gifts are welcome to worship and fellowship with us if they are willing to be a source of unity rather than division within our church body. We believe that the Christian life is supernatural and that the Lord continues to perform miracles. We also believe that current displays of the gift of tongues may distract from the main task of the local church, which is to glorify God through the fulfillment of the Great Commission.
Current displays of the gift of tongues may:
Crossway Bible Church seeks to prevent the propagation of doctrines that would cause divisions within an individual church. Therefore, members of and adherents of Crossway Bible Church are not to propagate the teachings and emphases of the charismatic movement. Although we do not control personal, individual interactions with the Lord, the expression of tongues and other sign gifts are not overtly expressed at meetings that are under the organization and authority of Crossway Bible Church.
The church exists to glorify God through the fulfillment of the Great Commission, and in the spirit of the Greatest Commandments.
The Great Commission is fulfilled as disciples of Jesus Christ are made and grow in their relationship with Him and likeness to Him. God is glorified as we manifest His presence as we do His work.
In seeking to act upon the church’s purpose, we recognize the extraordinary value in multiplying the reach of His ministry by planting local churches and by associating with existing, like-minded local churches. God is glorified when Crossway Bible Church and other like-minded churches associate with one another in order to foster relationships that edify, protect, encourage, support, and admonish.
Crossway Bible Church, in cooperation with the Great Commission Collective, supports affiliated churches and resources church planting efforts. In this way we assist affiliate churches to more effectively spread the Word of God and the ways of God in order to build His kingdom. We desire to bless affiliate churches through provision of pulpit ministry, consulting services, research, conferences, and seed money devoted to church planting and pastoral education programs.
The Lord changes lives and accomplishes His purposes directly through reading and applying the Scriptures, meditating on the truths of the Scriptures, and prayer. The Lord also uses those who minister His Word as they encourage, exhort, admonish, edify, implore, reprove, rebuke, and console others toward godliness. God needs no new or unique insight into the human condition in order to change lives, regardless of whether that insight is gained through psychology or some other tool of human origin. Problems that are approached by integrating the Scriptures with psychological theories can lead individuals into diminishing the God of the Scriptures and into believing that He has not provided and cannot provide sufficient truth, insight, and wisdom that will change their lives.
We affirm the many benefits of medical professionals who study and treat the physical body, including the brain. Social sciences likewise have helpfully pointed to correlations or potential influences that can be examined in order to come to an accurate picture of all the many factors at play in a person’s life. When psychology and other social sciences step beyond observing human behavior in order to explain the root causes of human behavior, speak to the foundational problem humans face, or suggest the ultimate solution that is needed, they enter spiritual territory. Only the God of the Scriptures can explain such causes and offer solutions that lead to the obedience of godliness and a fruitful, joyful life of faith in Jesus. God has given us everything we need for life and godliness. He changes us as we discipline ourselves through obedience to the Word of God in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Each Christian’s passion should be to please God, become more like Christ, and fulfill the Great Commandment to love the Lord with the entire heart, soul, mind, and strength and likewise love one’s neighbor.
The Christian who learns and applies the Word becomes mature and, in turn, can help others mature.
We believe God created the universe, speaking it into existence, in six twenty-four hour days and that before He created the universe, nothing except God existed.
God chose to create the universe and all that is in it to reveal His glory, divine nature, eternal power, infinite wisdom, and supreme authority.
We deny the theory of Darwinian evolution, which states that nonliving substances gave rise to the first living material, which then reproduced and diversified to produce all living creatures. We believe that all people are descendants of Adam and Eve, whom God created personally and individually and as complete human beings. The fall of Adam and Eve infected all people with sin and death, but the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ gives the opportunity to receive God’s gift of eternal life.
God rules over His creation and cares about and is involved in the lives of individual people.
It is God’s divine decision to save a person and it is God’s kindness, forbearance, and patience that lead that person to repentance. All glory for the salvation and security of every believer belongs to God alone. We believe that everyone who is born again by the Spirit through Jesus Christ is eternally assured of salvation from the moment of conversion. This assurance relies on God’s decisive grace rather than on the works of the Christian. Obedience, good works, and fruit-bearing do not earn or retain the believer’s salvation but indicate the reality of the person’s love of Christ and profession of faith.
Eternal security in salvation relies on the Lord’s guarantee of each believer’s adoption as His son or daughter, His seal of the believer by the Holy Spirit, and the conviction that God gives the Holy Spirit to each believer as a down payment toward future bliss in heaven. A person who professes genuine faith in Christ immediately becomes His possession, and nothing can snatch that person out of His hands. Having been bought with the price of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion as complete payment for sin, Christians are not their own. They are Christ’s possession. This assurance is absolutely certain, reserved in heaven, protected by God’s unlimited power.
What have often been referred to as the “doctrines of grace” serve as helpful categories to illustrate God’s sovereignty in and over the salvation of man—total depravity, unconditional election, limited (or particular) atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints.
Satan and his demonic servants viciously oppose the work God performs in and through His people. God, who by His nature is infinitely more powerful than Satan, in due time will have complete and total victory over Satan.
Although it is appropriate to pray in Jesus’ name for protection against demonic activity, the Scriptures do not instruct the Christian to “bind Satan in Jesus’ name.” Rather, the Scriptures instruct the Christian to combat Satan by:
We believe in the verbal, plenary (complete) inspiration of the Scriptures and that they contain all the words of God that we need in order to completely trust and obey Him. The Scriptures are inerrant in their original writings, and are infallible in their instruction, eternal in duration, the final authority and the standard for faith and practice, and sufficient for counsel in every issue of life. We believe that the very words of Scripture in the original Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic are inspired by God. Therefore, we believe that the Bible versions which translate God’s Word most literally into modern English should be preferred.
Crossway Bible Church affirms the God-ordained and significant role that women should play in establishing and leading the local church. Every leadership opportunity is open to women except those that are excluded by Scripture. The Scriptures clearly state that men are to serve in the office of Elder and that women are not to serve in church positions in which they exercise authority over men or in which they teach doctrine to men. We do not see this as an issue of equality, for men and women are equal under God. The Bible is clear that men and women do not have the same roles. Qualified women should serve in any leadership position that is not forbidden in the Scripture.
The chief purpose of mankind is to glorify God by loving Him with the entire heart, soul, mind, and might. All believing men, women, and children are to glorify God and thus fulfill the purpose of their existence. Worship glorifies God through adoration, praise, prayer, thanksgiving, and a complete yielding to Him. Worship declares His worth, pays Him homage, and celebrates Him in a life of devotion. We seek to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth.
Several tenets guide our worship. We seek to:
Crossway is committed to the Bible’s teaching that those who hold the offices of Elder and Deacon are to oversee various functions of the local church.
The Bible’s teaching on the subject of two church offices is found in 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:5-9. Although there are four terms used for the offices of the church: pastor, overseer, elder, and deacon, analysis of these terms indicates that pastor, overseer, and elder are used interchangeably.
The Scriptures show that the elders serve by leading and that their responsibility involves the spiritual oversight of the congregation. All elders are equal in authority but not necessarily equal in influence.
The elders’ primary responsibilities include:
Doctrine – Ensuring that the doctrine of the church is biblical; all doctrinal issues in the church will be settled by the Board of Elders.
Direction – Ensuring that the direction of the church is consistent with the Crossway Bible Church statement of purpose and the Four Pillars.
Discipline – Administering in love and humility the process of church discipline.
The Scriptures teach that a plurality of elders governed individual New Testament churches. The Scripture does not mention any congregations featuring a stand-alone pastor and leader. A plurality of godly elders, exercising their individual giftedness, squares with the Scripture’s teaching that wisdom is found in a multitude of godly counselors. This truth does not eliminate the possibility and likelihood that one or more elders will stand out from the others as more public in their ministries or more influential in their workings on the Elder Board.
The Crossway Bible Church Senior Pastor automatically serves as an elder and, because of his public presence and responsibility before the congregation, may be considered first among equals as a member of the Elder Board. The Senior Pastor should be gifted primarily as a preacher/teacher and as a leader.
The Bible teaches that deacons lead by serving. The qualifications for elders and deacons overlap regarding an individual’s character, but they differ in aptitude. The elders are appointed to exercise oversight and are to be able to teach – while the deacons are to be able and proved as servants (Acts 6). Because of this distinction, we see the office of deacon as available to both men and women.
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