The Bible clearly explains how one enters the church. Jesus said, “I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved” (John 10:9). As we believe and accept Christ, we become members of God’s church. “Day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). Neither baptism, catechism, confirmation class, nor congregational vote was required to become a member of the New Testament church. Various rites have been instituted in the intervening centuries, but if human rites can make one a member, then Christ died in vain. The Bible says that Christ died for the church (Eph 5:25) so that anyone may become a member by believing in him. Salvation is the only requirement for church membership. Our membership is in both the universal and local church, because we are united in Christ with “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all” (Eph 4:5–6).

Church records are kept for a variety of reasons (e.g., legal requirements, denominational statistics, yearbook listings), but when you are born again, your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Rev 20:15). That’s the only record of eternal significance. Membership in God’s church is clear: “The Lord records, as he registers the peoples, ‘This one was born here’” (Ps 87:6). “Rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20).

We acknowledge that all have sinned, thus breaking our relationships with God, self, others, and the whole created order, but give thanks for God’s salvation from sin.

We believe that, through his exemplary life, sacrificial death, and bodily resurrection, Jesus Christ is the only sufficient atonement for our sins. In keeping with the messianic prophecies of the Old Testament, Jesus died on the cross and was raised for our salvation. He returned to the Father and there intercedes for us. God’s work of salvation is all by grace, not by our merits. We receive this great salvation when, by the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, we repent of our sin and believe

in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. We hold that we are secure in our salvation so long as we remain faithful to Christ. We are grateful that the same power that raised Christ from the dead raises us from spiritual death, saving us from sin to follow Christ in this life and to live with him eternally.

We believe that it is God’s will for us to live in holiness. Indeed, it is God who makes us holy. We, however, are called to present ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God for the sake of God’s mission in the world. We understand the life of holiness to be wholehearted love for God and neighbor. Although we are never to seek suffering for the sake of suffering, we are convinced that holiness often is deepened through life’s inevitable sufferings. Furthermore, Christ invites us to participate in his sufferings in this fallen world.

We recognize with Scripture that Satan and demons exist as spiritual realities in opposition to God. But we are grateful that God has conquered all sin and evil, thereby giving us victory both now and forever.

Great is the salvation of our God!

With gratitude we believe that we experience the Reign of God as the presence, love, and power of God in our lives, in the church, in history, and in the whole created order, now and in the future consummation.

We believe that Jesus lived and proclaimed
the Reign of God, a life of reconciliation and peacemaking in fulfillment of the Law and Prophets. Under the Reign of God, we are required to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God.

We believe that God comes alongside the vulnerable and oppressed, and stands against every form of evil, even when found in the institutional church. As the people of God, we too are called
to make justice and to intervene when injustice occurs.

We anticipate the future consummation of the Reign of God, at the time of the one and only return of our Lord, who will carry out final judgment separating the righteous and the unrighteous.

(Matt 3:13–17; 28:19; Mark 1:9–11; Luke 3:21–22) Scripture instructs us to believe in Jesus Christ and be baptized. One may be baptized without believing, but when one believes in Christ, she or he naturally desires to follow the example of our Lord in baptism. Water baptism testifies to the personal experience of the believer—being cleansed from and dying to sin. It represents how our sins are washed away through the blood of Christ (Rev 1:5; 1 Pet 1:18–19). It demonstrates that we have died to sin and have been resurrected to new life in Christ. “We have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life” (Rom 6:4).

Since it is a clear symbol of being buried and resurrected, immersion in water is the scriptural mode of baptism. When Jesus was baptized by John, he “came up out of the water” (Matt 3:13–17 LB, emphasis added). After Philip baptized the Ethiopian eunuch, “they came up out of the water.” (Acts 8:39 LB, emphasis added) Some Christian groups baptize by sprinkling or pouring, for the sake of convenience. However, strict imitation of the example of Christ calls for baptism by immersion.

The practice of infant baptism is not found in Scripture. True, Jesus did take little children up in his arms and blessed them (Matt 19:13–15), but it is pure speculation to suppose this refers to the baptism of infants.

Obedience, both to the written Word of God and the example of Christ, calls us to be baptized. Some Christians, like my own father, were baptized as infants and desire to be baptized by immersion after they have made a personal decision for Christ. They see it as a public declaration of the change in their lives. It was an honor for me to baptize my father after he was sixty years old. That baptism did not make him any more Christian, but it did clearly depict that he had died to sin and was now resurrected in Christ.

(Matt 26:26–28; Mark 14:22–24; Luke 22:19–20) Jesus used a meal to institute one of the most universal and unforgettable ordinances of the church. Communion (sometimes referred to as the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist) is based on the Passover, a ritual meal in which Jewish people eat a lamb, which reminds them of the lamb sacrificed so that they could be delivered from Egyptian bondage (Ex 12:1–13).

While observing the last Passover meal prior to his crucifixion, Jesus used the broken bread and the full cup as symbols of his life,

which would soon be sacrificed for his followers. Through the breaking of the bread, his disciples saw Christ’s brokenness and suffering. Drinking from the cup, they realized that his blood was being shed for their sins. Little wonder that some call this the Eucharist (the cup of blessing). Truly, in taking Communion we unite in giving thanks to God.

Communion expresses our unity in Christ. Through his brokenness, we have become one. Through his death, we have received life. As the family of God, made up of believers of all faiths and races, tribes and tongues, we unite in obedience to the teaching of Christ: “Do this in remembrance of me” (1 Cor 11:25–26). This ritual helps us to remember the price that was paid and the forgiveness we have experienced. Some Christians partake of Communion each week. Others observe it once each quarter or at other significant celebrations in the church year.

Communion reminds us that we cannot save ourselves. Therefore, when Communion is served, it is a good time to examine ourselves (1 Cor 11:28) and make certain that we are able to give thanks for this great salvation.

(John 13:1–17)
This ordinance has been practiced by the church since it was first instituted by Christ. While not observed by all Christians, the ordinance is significant. The command of Christ in John 13 is accentuated by strong words: “you also ought to wash one another’s feet” and “you also should do as I have done to you” (vv. 14, 15).

Feet washing speaks to a basic human problem: pride. The disciples had been arguing about who would be the greatest in the kingdom (Luke 22:24–27). Although they had heard Christ’s teaching on that occasion, he now wanted to give them an unforgettable example. Rising from the table, he took a towel and basin, and then knelt before each disciple to wash their feet. He then asked, “Do you know what I have done to you?” (John 13:12). Jesus had broken their preconceived ideas of greatness by humbling himself and doing the work of a servant.

Washing someone else’s feet requires a willingness to lay aside our pride of position, popularity, or power. We must humble ourselves to become servants (Phil 2:5–8). To follow Christ’s example of humility is the path to true happiness. “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them” (John 13:17, emphasis added).

Usually observed prior to Passover, this ordinance also can be observed at any season of the year. Conducted in an atmosphere of dignity, it challenges the participants to rise and serve the needs of others. “Just as you did it to one of the least of these...you did it to me” (Matt 25:40).

The ordinances of the church will always be questioned by our children and by new believers in the household of faith. They wonder, What is the purpose of these rituals? What is their significance? Then, like the Jews of old, we should let them know what God has done for us and what he expects from us. (See Josh 4:21–24.)