Covenant Community Church is a protestant, non-denominational church. We are protestant in our confession of the five proclamations of the Protestant Reformation: sola scriptura (Scripture above all other authorities for faith and practice), sola gratia (salvation by grace alone), sola fide (justification by faith alone), soli Deo gloria (for the glory of God alone), and solo Christo (by Christ's work alone are we saved).

WHAT WE BELIEVE

Scripture

We believe the Bible alone (the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments) is the Word of God. It is "God-breathed" and therefore verbally inspired and completely without error (historically, scientifically, morally, and spiritually) and is the final authority on all issues pertaining to life and faith.

God

We believe in one infinitely perfect, holy, eternal and unchanging God, who is the Creator and sovereign Sustainer of the universe. This one God is Triune, existing eternally and simultaneously as three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All three persons in the Godhead share equally and completely the one divine nature, and are therefore the same God, coequal in power and glory.

Person of Christ

We believe that Lord Jesus Christ is both true God (the second Person of the Trinity) and true man (the Incarnate Son of God).  We also believe in the great events surrounding His life and ministry, including: His eternal preexistence, His virgin birth, His attesting miracles, His sinless life, His sacrificial death on the cross, His glorious bodily resurrection from the dead, His ascension into heaven, and His return in power and glory.

Person of the Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity, coequal with the Father and the Son. We also believe in the ministry of the Holy Spirit in salvation, a ministry which includes anointing and glorifying Christ, convicting men of their sin through the Word, bringing about regeneration of the lost so as to make them willing to believe (faith) and empowering them for godly living.

Man

We believe God created man in His image as a rational and moral being, endued with knowledge, righteousness and holiness for His own Glory. Human beings are therefore the crown of God's creation (possessing inherent dignity and moral worth), and thus distinct in kind from all other life on earth. Adam and Eve, the first human beings, rebelled against God by disobeying His commandment. This rebellion was an attempt by man to be autonomous or independent from God. As a result of Adams sin, all of mankind fell from their original state, and the image of God in man is now distorted and this sinful nature is passed on to all their progeny. Because of original sin (which includes both corruption and guilt), unregenerate human beings are incapable of pleasing or commending themselves to God, and apart from the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit they are unable and unwilling to repent and believe.

Redemption

We believe God has acted sovereignly to restore men who have been separated from Himself as a result of Adams original transgression. He sent His Son, born of a virgin, attested by miracles and by a sinless life, to bear the full penalty for sin. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ suffered and died a vicarious death, thus satisfying the Father's just wrath against sin. This atoning work was to purchase those who are in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the World. This is the gospel of reconciliation with God. We believe that the atoning death of Christ, both God's love and God's justice are fully manifested in Christ. We believe that the sins of man were imputed to Christ, and that Christs righteousness, by perfectly fulfilling the law of God, has been graciously imputed to all believers. Therefore, redemption (faith and repentance) is solely a work of God's grace, received exclusively through faith (which is a gift from God) in Jesus Christ, and never by any works or human merit.

Justification

We believe justification is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Justification is a judicial act of God's grace wherein He declares, (not infuses) a person righteous in His sight because of the imputed righteousness of Christ. The individual who is thus legally restored has a right standing with God and all his sin has been forgiven.

The Church

We believe the Church is the spiritual body of Jesus Christ (its Founder, Head, and Shepherd) and that it encompasses all true believers, past and present, both Old and New Testament saints (commonly referred to as the universal or invisible church.) The function of the visible church is to carry out the Lord's will (found in the Bible alone) through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Church has three distinguishing marks that are central to this purpose; (1) The faithful preaching of the Word (this includes discipling the nations also known as the Cultural Mandate), (2) The administration of the sacraments (Baptism and the Lords Supper), and (3) Church discipline. The preaching of the grace of God includes both the preaching of the law (which reveals sin) and the preaching of the Gospel (which provides the remedy for sin.) Those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation belong to the Church and are, thus, true Israel (i.e. the people of God.) This community of believers is made up of people who are neither perfect nor sinless, but by the work of the Holy Spirit, their lives are conformed more and more to the image of Christ.

Future Things

We believe the Lord Jesus Christ will return to this earth, personally, bodily, and visibly in power and glory. At this time, His Kingdom will be fully manifested on earth and will never end. As the sovereign Lord, He will resurrect and judge all humanity. Those who have received Him by faith will go to eternal blessings; and those who have not, to eternal condemnation.

(statement of faith adopted from thenicenecouncil.com)

As a church we espouse the first two ecumenical Christian creeds:

(A.D. 325; revised at Constantinople A.D. 381)

We believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father (and the son) who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And we believe one holy catholic (universal) and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

(A.D. 451)

We also subscribe to the 2008 Evangelical Manifesto. 

OUR CHURCH GOVERNMENT

At CCC we believe in team leadership. It is our conviction that the biblical form of church government consists in a plurality of elders (overseers). Therefore CCC is governed by a team of elders, each bearing equal authority in matters relating to the church.

OUR VISION

Just before Christ ascended into heaven, having completed the task appointed to him before the world began, he issued an imperative to his followers who had gathered to witness the departure of their Lord,

"Go therefore into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matt. 28:19-20)

These verses contain Christ's primary purpose for his church in this world, to make disciples. In light of these words from our Lord, we are convinced that Christ's last command should be our first concern and so our vision at Covenant Community Church is simply to carry out the instructions of our master; to make disciples of Jesus Christ.

If creating disciples for Christ is our goal we must begin by asking ourselves exactly what one looks like. Besides reflecting the very nature of Christ in character, it is our belief that a sincere disciple of Jesus will be involved in three fundamental activities:

·         A disciple of Christ will consistently engage God relationally through personal times of intimate fellowship and will participate in public worship and prayer. (Reaching Up)

·         A disciple of Christ will pursue fellowship with like-minded believers and will seek spiritual growth through devotions and the study of Scripture. (Reaching In)

·         A disciple of Christ will desire to serve the Church through ministries that utilize their gifts and talents and serve the world by actively sharing their faith and participating in corporate evangelistic opportunities. (Reaching out)

In light of our mandate to make disciples and of our conviction as to their makeup, we have appropriately adopted a vision statement that embodies our purpose: Reaching Up, Reaching In, Reaching Out.

At CCC it is our desire to.

REACH UP to God in worship, intimacy and prayer

REACH IN to ourselves for discipleship and spiritual growth

REACH OUT to the Body of Christ in ministry and to the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ

Covenant Community Church is an affiliated member of Apostolic Team Ministries International.

http://www.atmintl.net