FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT IS ELDER-LED CONGREGATIONALISM AND HOW ARE DECISIONS MADE?
We believe that the bible teaches us that the whole congregation has a job as part of the body of Christ, not just the elders and deacons. This is shown not only in the using of the gifts which the Spirit has given to each believer but also in exercising the authority given to each office within the church. We believe the Bible teaches there to be three offices within the church: members of the body, elders, and deacons.
Members are to contribute to the ministry and life of the church, consistent with God’s leading and with the gifts, time, and material resources each has received from God, and attend members’ meetings and vote on the election of officers, on decisions regarding membership status, and on such other matters as may be submitted to a vote.
Deacons/Deaconesses (hereinafter referred to as “Deacons”) are men and women chosen by the Elders and approved by ratification by the congregation (members). The Deacons function to serve the church, under the authority of the Elders, according to the principles found in Acts 6 and I Timothy 3. Deacons and deaconesses shall care for the temporal needs of members, attend to the accommodations for public worship, and encourage and support those able to help others and those with gifts of administration.
Subject to the will of the congregation, the elders shall oversee the ministry and resources of the church. In keeping with the principles set forth in Acts 6: 1–6 and I Peter 5: 1–4, the elders shall devote their time to prayer, the ministry of the Word (by preaching, teaching, and encouraging sound doctrine), and shepherding God’s flock.
WHY ARE WE CONFESSIONAL?
Redeemer Community Church of Sterling is committed to contending for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. In unity with all Christian churches everywhere, we affirm the Apostles’, Nicene, and Chalcedonian Creeds as accurate representations of Scripture’s teaching. While we wholeheartedly believe in the sufficiency of Scripture in all it teaches, we believe ourselves to be rooted historically and standing on other's shoulders from whom we can learn. We therefore believe the creeds and confessions to be worthwhile historical documents which concisely defend certain doctrines essential to the faith.
HOW DO I BECOME A MEMBER?
To become a member in this church, a person must be a believer in Jesus Christ, who has been baptized, in obedience to Christ, and who wholeheartedly believes in the Christian faith as revealed in the Bible. Each member must believe the teaching of scripture as expressed in the Statement of Faith and must strive to keep the commitments expressed in the Church Covenant.
To be admitted into church membership, those in regular attendance and desiring to be members shall be ordinarily, but not necessarily, recommended by the elders for admission and must be accepted by vote of the members at any regular or special meeting of the members, and shall at that point relinquish their membership in other churches.
WHO CAN SERVE?
Only those shall be entitled to serve in the ministries of the church who are members of this congregation; non-members may serve on an ad-hoc basis with the approval of the elders. Notwithstanding, non-members may serve the church for purposes of administration and professional consultation. Under Christ this congregation is governed by its members. Therefore, it is the privilege and responsibility of members to attend members’ meetings and vote on the election of officers, on decisions regarding membership status, and on such other matters as may be submitted to a vote.
WHAT DO WE BELIEVE ABOUT BAPTISM AND THE LORD'S SUPPER?
We believe that baptism through/by means of water and the Lord’s Supper are ordained by the Lord Jesus himself. The former is connected with entrance into the new covenant community, the latter with ongoing covenant renewal. Together they are simultaneously God’s pledge to us, divinely ordained means of grace, our public vows of submission to the once crucified and now resurrected Christ, and anticipations of his return and of the consummation of all things.
WHAT DO WE BELIEVE ABOUT THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT?
We believe that this salvation, attested in all Scripture and secured by Jesus Christ, is applied to his people by the Holy Spirit. Sent by the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ, and, as the “other” Comforter or Advocate, is present with and in believers. He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and by his powerful and mysterious work regenerates spiritually dead sinners, awakening them to repentance and faith, and in him they are baptized into union with the Lord Jesus, such that they are justified before God by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. By the Spirit’s agency, believers are renewed, sanctified, and adopted into God’s family; they participate in the divine nature and receive his sovereignly distributed gifts. The Holy Spirit is himself the down payment of the promised inheritance, and in this age indwells, guides, instructs, equips, revives, and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.