JESUS IS OUR LORD
Jesus is our Lord, and because of this everything else is peripheral. Jesus Christ alone is the only real and lasting hope (John 14:6). We love Him and, for this reason, we place our relationship with Him first above all others. We strive to respond faithfully to the call of Jesus- to follow Him above all the distractions of this world, which so often compete for our time, energy, and attention (Luke 14:15-24). If God is pleased with us, nothing else matters.
PEOPLE MATTER
Since people matter to God, they matter to us. All people are made in God’s image and have worth. Therefore, we strive to obey both the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:36-40) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) by reaching out to the world around us and sharing the everlasting love of Jesus Christ (John 20:21).
WE WORSHIP GOD
We invite the Holy Spirit to control us and lead us in our worship of Him. God is the object of our worship and the recipient of our praise. We live to honor Him, both with holy lives and adoring lips. Where tradition helps to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ, and further the mission of our church, we embrace it. Where tradition becomes a wall between God and His people, we seek to tear it down (Matthew 23:13-36; John 9:1-41).
THE BIBLE IS FOUNDATIONAL
We believe the Bible is God’s Holy, Inspired Word. The Scriptures are our final authority in all matters. The Holy Spirit- who is our teacher- uses the Scriptures to daily guide us (Psalm 119:105; Acts 2:42-47).
WE ARE CALLED TO SERVE
We believe each member is called to be a minister (Ephesians 2:8-10; 4:11-12). Our God is a great God who deserves to be served by faithful stewards. It is a privilege to give our time, money and resources to Him. In fact, anything less than our very best is an insult to His Holy, Awesome Name. In response to His grace, how can we be less than fully devoted followers of the cross?
WE ARE ONE BODY
We are a church of individuals, different in many ways, yet called together by God to be one in ministry and mission. As members of the same body and family, we become more effective when we work in harmony as a unified whole (John 17:20-23). Among us, love for one another is the norm (John 13:34; Romans 13:8), conflicts are resolved according to the teaching of Jesus (Matthew 18:15-17), and we seek to build each other up (1 Thessalonians 5:11). We rejoice together and we suffer together (1 Corinthians 12:25-27). We pray for each other (James 5:16), accept each other (Romans 15:7) and serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13).
WE ARE A FAMILY OF FRIENDS
We do something unusual at Antioch Bible Fellowship. We intentionally show love to one another, and those visiting with us. Because we are a vibrant growing church, desiring to do God’s will, we prioritize the importance of people knowing each other by name. We desire to be known as a friendly church, but even more important, as a church where you can make friends.
WE ARE COMMITTED TO THE NEXT GENERATION
We believe children are a gift from the Lord and that it is our responsibility as a church to partner with parents in raising a next generation fully committed to the Lord. Regardless of what we accomplish during our lifetime, it is the faithfulness of our children and grandchildren that will be our significant heritage. As individuals and as a church we must take seriously the training and equipping of the Next Generation (Deuteronomy 6).
WE AGREE TO DISAGREE
There are some disputable matters on which two Christians may agree to disagree, even though they are in the same local church and part of the same leadership team. We may state the case for our position but will also acknowledge that sincere and intelligent Christians hold different views. We are committed to nurturing the unity we share as the family of God and to obeying His command to “love one another” (Romans 14:1-15; 2 Timothy 2:23-24; Titus 3:9; John 13:35).