Beliefs and Practices
Who is Jesus
We believe that Jesus Christ is God the Son, to be worshipped along with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus died on the cross to provide full atonement (forgiveness) for our sins, was raised on the third day, reigns now with the Father in heaven, and will come again to gather His followers to Himself before He comes back to reign on earth.
The Holy Spirit
Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus lives within believers who have repented of their sins (stopped and turned away fro doing wrong as defined by the Scripture) and received Him by faith.
Jesus our Lord and Savior
Jesus calls us to witness for Him by our words and our actions. As members of the Church of the Brethren, we believe Jesus calls us to a daily life of integrity, simplicity, Christian fellowship, and peace and service as we share His love with others. Jesus is our example as well as our Savior (Through belief in Him, we are assured a place in heaven with God). Jesus answered in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
The Bible
We believe the Bible is the inspired word of God through which God reveals himself and His will for our lives.
Love Feast, Communion, Baptism and Anointing
We observe the Love Feast (John 13:1-20), including a foot washing service, fellowship meal, and Holy Communion, two times yearly. We also practice Holy Communion during our morning worship service two times yearly. We practice a believer's baptism by full immersion into water three times (in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit). We dedicate parents and children to the Lord. We offer a service of anointing with oil for healing.
Missionaries
We support missionaries and world-wide relief programs through denominational and non-denominational ministries. Our church is dedicated to supporting many ministries which spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Special offerings are taken for members of our own congregation who have gone on mission trips, and we have on-going support for local, national, and global organizations which do the work of the Lord.
Some of these programs include the American Indian Crusade, Camp Blue Diamond, Dominican Republic Building Project, Meals on Wheels, Trucker/Traveler Ministry, and Wycliffe Bible Translators.
Family
God has created the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of person related to one another by marriage, blood or adoption. Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. The husband and wife are of equal worth before God, since both are created in God's image. Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate to their children God's pattern for marriage. (Gen. 1:27-28, Gen. 2:24, Matt. 19:4-9, Mark 10:7-9, 1 Cor. 7:1-2, Psalm 139:13-16)
Sexuality
We affirm God's plan for marriage and sexual intimacy--one man, and one woman, for life. All other sexual practices outside this definition of marriage are defined as sin in the Bible. It is not, however, unforgivable sin. The same redemption is available to all sinners. We all have sinned and can become new creations in Christ.
(1 Cor. 6:9-11, Heb. 13:4, 1 Cor. 6:18, Matt. 5:27-28, Rom. 3:23, Rom. 5:8, 2 Cor. 5:15-17)
Denomination Information
You can find out more about the Church of the Brethren by visiting this page.
