| Our Distinctives |
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Nuestros Distinctivos
Our Vision: to develop a Purpose Driven Church to serve the communities of South Jersey.
Our Mission: to build the kingdom of God by reaching people for Christ and turning them into growing, serving, reproducing disciples of Jesus. In other words, to equip our members for ministry, leadership, missions and church planting.
Our Purpose: River Winds Community Church exists to glorify God by fulfilling the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. The five purposes of the church identified in these two passages are as follows:
Missions/Evangelism – “To share the good news of Jesus Christ with as many people as possible in our community and throughout the world.” Magnification/Worship – “To participate in public worship services together and to maintain personal daily devotions.” Membership/Fellowship – “To encourage, support, and pray for each other as members of the family of God. To share our lives together.” Maturity/Discipleship – “To help members develop toward full Christian maturity and train them for effective ministry. To promote personal, spiritual growth and discipleship through Bible study.” Ministry/Service – “To serve unselfishly in Jesus’ name, meeting the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of those in our Church, our community, and our world.”
Our Beliefs: Statement of Faith
INSPIRATION OF SCRIPTURE We believe in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament as verbally inspired by God, as inerrant in the original writings, and that they are the supreme and final authority in faith and conduct and all other matters upon which they speak. (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1: 19-21; Hebrews 4:12)
THE HOLY TRINITY We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Genesis 1:1,26; Matthew 28:19; John 4:24)
THE PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST We believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and is true God and true man. (John 1:1-4; 3:16; Matthew 1:20; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23; Philippians 2:5-11)
THE PERSON OF THE HOLY SPIRIT We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, whose ministry is to convict the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment, and to regenerate the unbelieving; and to sanctify, comfort and teach those who believe in Jesus Christ. (John 16:8-11; 3:6-7; 14:26)
SALVATION BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH We believe that salvation is by grace through faith, not of works, and that all who accept by faith the Lord Jesus Christ are born again of the Holy Spirit, thereby becoming children of God, eternally secure in Him. (Ephesians 2:8-9; John 3:3; 3:7; 1:12)
THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord, in His ascension into heaven, in His present ministry there for us as High Priest and Advocate, and in His imminent coming to rapture His Church. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 1 Corinthians 15:4; Acts 1:8-11; Hebrews 4:14-16; 1 John 2:1-2)
THE CHURCH We believe in the Church, a living, spiritual body of which Christ is the Head, and of which all regenerated people are members; and that the local, visible Church is a company of regenerated baptized believers in Jesus Christ associated together for evangelism, worship, fellowship, discipleship and service. (1 Corinthians 12:1-31; Matthew 16:16-18; Acts 2:42-47)
THE TWO ORDINANCES We believe in the observance of the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper in obedience to the commands of Christ. Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water as his identification with death, burial and resurrection of Christ; and that the elements of the Lord’s Supper are symbolic of the body and shed blood of Christ. (Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 11:23-30; Acts 2:38, 8:36,38; Romans 6:3-4)
THE AUTONOMY OF EVERY BELIEVER We believe that every person is ultimately responsible to God alone in all matters of faith, and that each Church is independent and autonomous and must be free from interference from any ecclesiastical or political authority. (Philippians 2:12). AUTHORITY OF STATEMENT OF FAITH This statement of faith does not exhaust the extent of our beliefs. The Bible itself is the sole and the final source of all that we believe. We do believe, however, that the foregoing statement of faith accurately represents the teaching of the Bible, and therefore, is binding upon all members. All literature used in the Church shall be in complete agreement with the statement of faith.
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. P.O. Box 115, West Deptford, NJ 08086 |