PALMER CHRISTIAN CHURCH
What Does Palmer Christian Church Believe...?
Basic Christian Beliefs
Palmer Christian Church does not require that members subscribe to a formal creed. In a very real sense, "we have no creed but Christ, no book but the Bible." The twin bases of our unity are our faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and our adherence to the Bible as the inspired text for our teaching and the one sufficient constitution for governing congregational life.
One Church - Unity!
We seek a unity of understanding in the essentials of our faith, yet we do not suggest that we must agree on all things pertaining to our walk in Christ. We have the freedom to disagree on many issues when the matter is not an essential - or doctrine of the faith. Unity in the body depends upon harmony and mutual trust.
The Trinity -
God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
The Bible teaches that God is Creator of our world and Sustainer and Lord of our lives. There are three persons of the Godhead -Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These three personalities exist as one.
Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV) - “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
2 Corinthians 13:14 (NIV) - “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
Jesus Christ is the one and only living Son of God and our Savior. Through Him God the Father opened the way of abundant and eternal life through His death, burial and resurrection to all who call on His name.
The Holy Spirit is God Himself encouraging, guiding, and transforming us in the way of Christ. According to Acts 2:38, the Holy Spirit is a gift resulting from our faith and obedience.
We are, therefore, a Spirit-filled church seeking to do God's will and to become more like His Son, Jesus Christ.
John 16:8 (NIV) - “When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.”
Romans 8:11 (NIV) - “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you”
While we do not presume to dictate one's private worship practices, we have agreed that for the sake of the unity of the body, in our public worship and other sanctioned church meetings, we will not teach or practice what is commonly called speaking in tongues.
The Bible
The Bible is the infallible, inspired Word of God. It is the authoritative rule of faith and practice for Christians and the Church.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV) - “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Baptism
We practice baptism of the repentant believer by full immersion in water, confident that this expresses the form and purposes of the New Testament precedent. The New Testament teaches that all believers receive the gift of the Holy Spirit in relation to their faith, repentance, and baptism.
John 3:16 (NIV) - “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
2 Peter 3:9 (NIV) - “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
Creation
God is the absolute and sole creator of the universe. The literal, 7-day creation was by divine, supernatural direction as recorded in scripture.
Genesis 1:1 (NIV) – “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
John 1:3 (NIV) - “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”
Communion
We celebrate the Lord's Supper each Sunday, as we find the New Testament Christians did. In partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, we remember our Lord's sacrifice for us, and we strengthen our relationship with Him and our church community.
Prayer
We are a praying church. We daily lift before God fervent prayers of praise, confession, thanksgiving and petition
New Covenant
Jesus instituted a new covenant with God that succeeded and transcended His former covenant with the people of Israel; hence, we accept the Old Testament as preparatory to the New Testament, and we rejoice that we are related to God through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and not through the Law of the Old Testament.
Return of Christ
God, who created the heavens and the earth, will one day bring life on earth to a conclusion. While accepting various understandings of how God will bring this about, we believe that Christ will come again and will call His own to Himself, as He promised.
Membership
We are a free and independent church under Christ. Guided by a team of Elders, we determine our own policies and practices in light of biblical expectations, and we voluntarily cooperate with other Christian groups in fulfilling our Lord's Great Commission. We have this requirement for church membership: One must be a believer in Jesus Christ as the only Son of God, be willing to repent of sin and surrender to His Lordship, to confess this faith before others, obey Him in Christian baptism and to continue in faithful discipleship.
Spiritual Gifts
The New Testament teaches the ministry of all believers, recognizing that the Holy Spirit gives various gifts to members of the body so that every member can make a contribution to the effective ministry of the entire church.
Missions
We are a mission-minded church. We send and support evangelistic and benevolent missions here in Palmer, near in Alaska, and far across the globe. Our budget calls for a portion of our general fund to be directed to missions.
We encourage our finest people to accept the call to a greater kingdom service, and we support them through generous mission offerings.
All persons of all races have been created in the image of God and stand in need of the saving grace of Jesus Christ. The church exists to edify and serve the world. Therefore, we send evangelists to rescue the perishing of the world.
We participate in efforts to improve community life. We want to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, offer hospitality to the stranger, clothe the naked, minister to the sick, and visit the imprisoned, as Jesus has instructed (Matthew 25).
Stewardship
God expects wise management of our money and other resources in both our personal and our congregational lives. We believe that everything we have and are belongs to God.
We encourage the tithe (ten percent) as the minimum the Bible teaches us to return to the Lord. An offering is a generous donation above and beyond the tithe that overflows from a heart of grateful thanksgiving.
We do not hesitate to teach principles of Christian stewardship, agreeing with Jesus that "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21).