Who is God?

The Bible teaches that God is Creator of our world, He sustains us, and He is Lord of our lives.  Genesis 1:1; John 1:1-4; Colossians 1:15-17; Matthew 22:37; Romans 10:9.

Who is Jesus?

Jesus Christ is the one and only living Son of God and our Savior. Through Him, God opened the way of abundant eternal life through His death, burial, and resurrection to all who call on Christ's name. John 3:16; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 10:13

Who is the Holy Spirit?

The indwelling Holy Spirit is God himself, encouraging, guiding, and transforming us in the way of Christ. John 14:16, 26;
Acts 2:38; Romans 8:26; 2 Thessalonians 2:13

The Bible

The Bible is the inspired Word of God.. It is the authoritative rule of faith and practice for Christians and the Church.
2 Timothy 3:16

Jesus instituted a new covenant with God that succeeded and transcended His former covenant with the people of Israel; hence we accept the Old Testament as preparatory to the New and we rejoice that we are related to God through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and not through the Law. Romans 6:14; Hebrews 9:15

Church Membership

We are a free and independent church under Christ's authority. Guided by a board of elders, we determine our own policies and practices in light of biblical expectations. The requirements for church membership are:

"The membership of Countryside Christian Church shall consist of those persons who have professed their faith in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior given through the grace of God and their pledged obedience to His commandments.  Specifically for the purposes of membership with regard to obedience; their pledge shall be understood by the church to include belief, repentance, and baptism by immersion for the remission of sins as set forth in God's Holy Word." Acts 2:38, Hebrews 5:9

Baptism

We observe the practice of baptizing the repentant believer by immersion in water, confident that this expresses the form and purposes of the New Testament precedent. The New Testament teaches that all believers receive the gift of the Holy Spirit in relation to their faith, repentance, and baptism.    Acts 2:38; Acts 19:1-6; I Corinthians 12:13;
Romans 6:3-8; Matthew 28:19

Ministry

We teach that "every member is a minister," since the New Testament teaches the ministry of all believers, recognizing that the Holy Spirit gives various and different gifts to the members of the body so that every member can make an effective contribution to the ministry of the church. I Peter 2:9; Ephesians 4:11-12, 16; I Corinthians 12:4-31

Worship

We seek to promote worship that is God-centered. While our services could be described as "contemporary" they are characterized by Bible-centered preaching and teaching, prayer, the breaking of bread, and fellowship. Acts 2:42

Communion

We celebrate the Lord's Supper each Sunday, as we find was the practice of the New Testament Christians. In partaking of the bread and the cup, we remember our Lord's sacrifice for us and we strengthen our relationship with Him. We practice an "open communion," that is, the communion service is open to all believers, not just church members. Participation is between the individual Christian and his Lord.  Acts 20:7; Acts 2:42; Luke 22:19-20; I Corinthians 11:23-28

Missions

We are a missions-minded church. We send and support ministries in our community, in the U.S., and throughout the world. We encourage believers to accept the call to missions involvement and support them through generous offerings. A minimum of 15% of our annual general fund is earmarked for missions. Matthew 28:18-20; Matthew 25:35-40; Acts 16:9-10

Prayer

We are a praying church. We pray daily to God fervent prayers of praise, confession, thanksgiving and petition. 2 Chronicles 7:14; I Thessalonians 5:17; Philippians 4:6; James 5:13-16

Finances

We are dependent solely on the generosity and maturity of our own membership to supply our needs as well as those of our missions and benevolent ministries. God expects wise management of our money and resources in both our personal and congregational lives. We encourage the tithe (10%) as the minimum the Bible teaches us to return to the Lord. We understand the governing principles of stewardship to be that everything we have belongs to God. We do not hesitate to teach the principles of biblical stewardship, agreeing with Jesus that "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21; I Corinthians 16:1-2; Malachi 3:10; Leviticus 27:30