Statement of Faith
Constitution Of Auguston Neighbourhood Fellowship Baptist Church Society
Article 1: Name
The name of this Church shall be Auguston Neighbourhood Fellowship Baptist Church Society. Hereafter referred to as Auguston Neighbourhood and/or “the Church”.
Article 2: Purpose
The purpose of this Church is to fulfill the great commandment and the great commission to the glory of God as summarized in our mission statement. Matthew 22:36-40; 28:18-20; Luke 19:9-10.
“Auguston Neighbourhood Church exists to love and glorify God, evangelize the lost,
and develop reproducing disciples of Jesus Christ.”
The activities of ANC are used to bring people to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ; to bring them into partnership with this church family; to help them grow to Christian maturity; to equip them for ministry in the church and the world, all of which is for the glory of God.
The church activities will include fellowship, discipleship, prayer, worship, biblical instruction, and the observance of the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We will promote activities that develop a corporate ministry and testimony to the community around us and throughout the world.
Article 3: Activities
Section 1: Fellowship
Our Church is people focused.
As partners of the new creation, we share our lives with those in our community in order to bring them to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and to be active participants in the family of God.
1 Thessalonians 2:8; 1 John 1:3.
Section 2: Worship
Our Church is God centered.
As people made in the image of God, we exalt the name of God, our Creator, Redeemer, and Provider through praise and thanksgiving and present an opportunity for people to worship God in Spirit and in Truth.
Psalm 100:1-5; John 4:24
Section 3: Stewardship
Our Church is service based
As servants of Jesus Christ, we give of our time, talents, and resources to provide opportunity for people to hear and accept the gospel of Jesus Christ.
1 Timothy 6:17-19; Rom. 12:1.
Section 4: Discipleship
Our Church is disciple making focused.
We seek to develop reproducing servants, aid them in spiritual growth, and promote the ministry of the church, through intentional discipleship of the world around us.
Ephesians 4:11-16; Matt. 28:18-20
Sections 1, 2, 3, and 4 are alterable.
Article 3: Statement of Faith
I The Bible:
We believe the Bible to be the complete Word of God; that the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament in the original manuscripts, were written by men under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and were entirely free from error. Further, we believe that the Bible is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice.
(2Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21)
II The Trinity:
We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each of these three persons is fully God, sharing the same nature and attributes.
(Genesis 1:26; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19)
a. God the Father.
We believe in God the Father, an infinite, sovereign, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. We believe He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, hears and answers prayer, and saves from sin and death all that come to Him through Jesus Christ.
(John 16:23-27; Galatians 4:4-6; Ephesians 1:3, 17-23)
b. God the Son.
We believe that Jesus Christ is God’s eternal Son. He is truly God and truly man, conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary. We believe in His sinless life, in His death on the cross as our substitute, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension into Heaven, in His intercession on behalf of His people, and in His personal visible return.
(Matthew 1:18, 23; Luke 24:1-8; John 1:1, 14; Acts 1:11; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 4:14-16, 7:24-25; 1John 2:1; Revelation 19:11-20)
c. God the Holy Spirit.
We believe the Holy Spirit is a person, and is fully God. He convicts of sin, convinces of righteousness and of judgment, turns the lost soul toward God, indwells every believer, and guides, empowers, and gifts believers for the work of ministry.
(Matthew 28:19; John 3:5, 16:7-15; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 6:11, 19, and 12:4-13; Ephesians 3:16, 4:11-16)
III Satan:
The devil is a very real supernatural person who once served God and now opposes Him. He tries to draw us into sin and trap us there so that we can’t enjoy and serve God. He is the enemy of God and the originator of sin. Jesus defeated Satan through His death on the cross.
(Ezekiel 28:11-15; Isaiah 14:12-20; Ephesians 6:10-12; 1Peter 5:8)
IV Creation:
We believe that God is the infinite designer and creator of our universe and everything in it, including us. He created male and female in His own image and likeness.
(Genesis 1:26-27, 2:7-3:19)
V The Fall:
We believe that Adam and Eve chose to disregard God’s clear instructions and through their disobedience, the whole human race became sinners utterly incapable of a relationship with God without His intervention. Man became a sinner by nature and choice, thereby incurring physical and spiritual death.
(Genesis 2:7-3:19; Romans 3:23, 5:12-21, 6:23)
VI Salvation:
We believe that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. It is based on the sovereign grace of God and was purchased for us by Christ’s death on the cross. We can be declared righteous only by faith in the all-sufficient sacrifice and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Those whom God has specially called to Himself shall be divinely preserved and finally perfected in the image of the Lord.
(John 1:12, 3:3-7, 5:24; Romans 8:31-39; Ephesians 1:11-14, 2:8-10; 1 Timothy 2:5; 1Peter 1:3-5)
VII The Local Church:
We believe the church (universal) is the spiritual body of which Christ is the Head. The true church is composed of all persons who through faith in Jesus Christ have been transformed by the Holy Spirit. We believe that the local church is made up of persons who have been baptized upon confession of faith in Jesus Christ and have joined in partnership with others to worship God, fellowship with each other, grow in their faith, and serve together. The local church is autonomous in government, but voluntarily associates with other churches for the purpose of furthering the Kingdom of God.
(Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-47; Colossians 1:15-18; Hebrews 10:24-25)
VIII The Ordinances:
The ordinances of the local church are believer’s baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper. These are to be practiced regularly within the life of the church.
(Acts 2:41-42; Romans 6:1-11; 1 Corinthians 11:23-31)
IX Civil Government:
God appoints civil government for our good. We are to obey its laws except where such laws are directly opposed to God’s Will as revealed in the Bible. The church and the state are to be distinct and separate, with neither intruding into the affairs of the other.
(Matthew 22:21; Romans 13:1; 1 Timothy 2:1-6)
X The Redeemed and those that are not.
The redeemed are people who are justified through Christ’s death and resurrection, and have been sanctified by the Holy Spirit. God delights in them. God, however, is grieved by those who refuse to come to repentance and faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. For them, death means conscious torment awaiting the final resurrection and judgment, which will result in everlasting conscious suffering in hell. By contrast, when the redeemed experience physical death it is gain. They go into the presence of the Lord, to await their glorified body at the time of the resurrection. After the final judgment, the redeemed will enjoy the full benefits of eternal life with God forever.
(Romans 6:6, 8, 18; 1:17; 2Corinthians 5:8; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Philippians 1:21-23; Matthew 7:13, 14;
Luke 16:19-31; Matthew 25:41-46; Revelation 20:11-15; 2Thessalonians 1:8, 9;
Revelation 22:3-5)
XI Future Things:
We believe in the personal, bodily and glorious return of the Lord Jesus Christ; in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust; in the eternal blessedness of the redeemed, and in the judgment and conscious eternal punishment of the wicked.
(John 5:29; 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, 15:51-58; 2 Corinthians 5:6-10; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2 John 8; Revelation 19:20)
The statement of faith of Auguston Neighbourhood Church shall be consistent with the Articles of Faith of the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in British Columbia and Yukon. This provision is alterable.