Doctrine

Work of Christ Church (WoCC) recognizes that doctrinal beliefs represent how any church views God, man, the church and their relationships to each other and the world. Although clear doctrine is no guarantee that a church will actually do what it says it believes, at its best, it does form a foundation impacting all aspects of a church and its people.

Listed below are the major doctrinal beliefs of WoCC. Although we welcome all people, those covenanting with our body in Christian community will be characterized by an active belief and representative life regarding these doctrines. Further, these statements are WoCC's confession of Jesus Christ as living King and the head of our church.

We are Followers of Jesus Christ:

A people who believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in his virgin birth, in his sinless life, in his miracles, in his vicarious and atoning death through his shed blood, in his bodily resurrection, in his ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in his personal return in power and glory
A people who believe Jesus is the head of the church (Colossians 1:17) and all our beliefs and actions will come under his authority and be ascribed to his glory
A people who believe that God has revealed himself to our current culture primarily through Jesus (Hebrews 11:1-2) and that Jesus represents God perfectly (Hebrews 1:3)
A people who believe Jesus is the perfect missionary; Jesus incarnated (Philippians 2:6-7), Jesus obeyed (Philippians 2:7-8), and Jesus glorified the Father (Philippians 2:9-11)
A people who expect our lives to be characterized by continuous redemption (2 Corinthians 5:17), a holistic love of God (heart/volition, soul/emotion, mind/intellect, strength/physical), and a love of other people (Mark 12:30) through the present and indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit

We are Biblically Conservative (some taken from Acts 29 Network):

A people who believe all doctrine is derived from the Bible–the living, inspired, infallible, authoritative, unchanging, revelatory Word of God (Jude 3)
A people who believe that our church must accomplish three functions: exalt Jesus (Ephesians 3:20-21), equip believers (Ephesians 4:11-13) and act as God’s missionary tool to its host culture and the world (Acts 1:8)
A people who will participate in the ordinances of the Lord’s Supper and baptism as commanded by Christ in Scripture
A people who will utilize the offices of church leadership–pastor/elder and deacon–whether they be employed staff or volunteer leaders (1 Timothy 3)
A people who support the fivefold model of church leadership leveraging the apostolic, prophetic, evangelistic, pastoral and teaching ministries (Ephesians 4:11-13)
A people who believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit
A people who believe that God created the heavens and the earth
A people who believe that God created man and woman in a state of sinless perfection with particular dignity as his image bearers on the earth
A people who believe that our first parents sinned against God and that everyone since is a sinner by nature and choice
A people who believe that sin has totally affected all of creation including marring human image and likeness so that all of our being is stained by sin (e.g. reasoning, desires, and emotions)
A people who believe that because all people have sinned and separated themselves from the Holy God that he is obligated to save no one from the just deserved punishments of hell
A people who believe that God, in His unparalleled love and mercy, has chosen to elect some people for salvation
A people who believe that the salvation of the elect was predestined by God in eternity past
A people who believe that the salvation of the elect was accomplished by the sinless life, substitutionary atoning death, and literal physical resurrection of Jesus Christ in place of his people for their sins
A people who believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful people, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential
A people who believe that the salvation of the elect, by God's grace alone, shows forth in the ongoing repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ that leads to good works
A people who believe that God's saving grace is ultimately irresistible and that God does soften even the hardest heart and save the worst of sinners according to his will
A people who believe that the gospel should be passionately and urgently proclaimed to all people so that all who believe may be saved through the preaching of God's Word by the power of God's Spirit
A people who believe that true Christians born again of God's Spirit will be kept by God throughout their life, as evidenced by personal transformation that includes an ever-growing love of God the Father through God the Son by God the Spirit, love of brothers and sisters in the church, and love of lost neighbors in the culture
A people who believe that God is Lord over all of life and that there is nothing in life that is to be separated from God
A people who believe that the worship of God is the end for which people were created and that abiding joy is only to be found by delighting in God through all of life, including hardship and death which is gain