BELIEFS & VALUES

We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbal, plenary, inspired word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant in the original writings, infallible, and God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Acts 24:14; Revelation 22:18-19). The Bible is without error in the original writings and is the supreme authority of faith and practice for all followers of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:20-21; Proverbs 30:5; Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:11). When rightly interpreted, the Bible is ultimately about Jesus as God, our Savior, the object of our faith, forgiver of our sins, and giver of eternal life (John 5:39-40; Luke 24:27, 44-45; Matthew 5:17-18). 

We believe in one God who eternally exists as three distinctive persons, Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit, functioning relationally in absolute oneness, humility and harmony (Genesis 1:26: Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 61:1; Matthew 11:27; John 17:3). The members of the Godhead, or Trinity, are each fully and equally God meaning they possess the same divine nature; however, each relates to mankind in a unique way (Matthew 26:39; 28:19; Luke 3:21-22; 1 Corinthians 12:4-6; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2). 

We believe that the first person of the Trinity sovereignly orders and directs the universe for His own purpose, pleasure, and grace. He has decreed all things that come to pass for His own glory. He graciously involves Himself in the affairs of mankind, hears and answers prayer, and saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ (John 3:16; 15:26; Romans 8:28-30; Galatians 4:4; Ephesians 1:3-6, 9-10). 

We believe that Jesus Christ as God came to live among mankind. He was miraculously born through the Virgin Mary. He is fully God and fully human. He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father (Luke 1:26-35; John 1:1-5, 14, 18; Matthew 3:17; 17:5, Hebrews 1:3). Jesus voluntarily died on the cross to pay the penalty all men owe for their sin…death, even though He had no personal sin to die for Himself. Jesus was mankind’s sacrificial substitute, paying the penalty for our sin. Therefore, God can and has offered complete forgiveness to any person who would trust Jesus as God’s loving provision for the penalty of their sin (Isaiah 53:3-5; Matthew 27:28-50; John 14:6; Romans 3:21-26; 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 2:1-2). After Jesus’ death, He physically rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven to rule with God the Father. As a result of what He accomplished and who He is, Jesus is the only One through whom mankind has direct access to God (1 Corinthians 15:3-8; John 14:6; Hebrews 4:14-16). All creation eagerly anticipates Jesus’ promised return to earth where He will rule with justice and compassion and restore peace to all His creation (1 Peter 4:5-6; Romans 8:22-25; 14:9; Hebrews 1:8-9; Revelation 19:11-16; 20:6). 

We believe that the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; He is the supernatural agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption (Genesis 1:2; Ezekiel 36:26-27; John 6:63; 16:8–11; Romans 8:9-11; 2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; 5:18-21; Hebrews 7:25; 9:24; 1 John 2:1–2). It is the Holy Spirit who empowers the Church to live a lifestyle that is pleasing to God, endowing its members with special gifts so that they are able to accomplish distinct ministries planned beforehand by God the Father (1 Samuel 16:13; John 14:16-17, 26; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 2:4; 12:7-14; Galatians 5:16-26). 

We believe that mankind was created in the image of God, to enjoy His fellowship and to fulfill God’s will on this earth. By willful, voluntary disobedience to the clearly revealed will of God, mankind sinned, thus incurring not only physical death but also spiritual separation from God. The fall of the human race into sin is a once for all historical fact. Sin’s spiritually deadening effect has spread to all mankind—as each individual is born with a sinful nature and sins habitually in thought, word, and deed; man is totally depraved and of himself utterly unable to remedy his lost condition (Genesis 1:26-27; 3:1-19; Psalm 51:5; Romans 1:18-32; 3:10-23; 5:12-21; 7:18; 8:8; John 6:44; 15:5; Ephesians 2:1–3, 12; Hebrews 11:6). 

We believe that the death of Jesus on the cross is the only sufficient substitutionary sacrifice for our sins. Only those who believe in Him by grace through faith are declared justified by the Father and are baptized in the Holy Spirit. Consequently, they become a new creation in Christ, members of the one true Church, adopted by the Father and are thus secure in Christ forever. This salvation results in righteous living and good works as believers submit their individual wills to the Word of God and live in obedience to the direction of the Holy Spirit (John 1:12; 5:24; 14:6, 21; Acts 4:10-12; Romans 3:21?26; 5:1, 17-19; 6:3-14; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 2:16; 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-10; Titus 3:4-7; Hebrews 9:15; James 2:18, 21-16; 1 Peter 1:15–19; 2:24).

We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever (John 6:37–40; 10:27–30; Romans 8:38-39; 1 Corinthians 1:8-9; Ephesians 1:13-14; Philippians 1:6; 1 Peter 1:3-5). We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion for the flesh (Romans 13:13-14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11–14). 

We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowing of spiritual gifts. It is, however, the believer’s responsibility to attempt to develop their sovereignly given spiritual gift(s). The baptism of the Holy Spirit occurs at conversion and is the placing of the believer into the Body of Christ. We also believe that particular spiritual gift(s) are neither essential, nor prove the presence of the Holy Spirit, nor are an indication of deep spiritual experience (1 Corinthians 7:7; 12:4-13; Ephesians 4:11-16, 26). We believe that it is the privilege and responsibility of every believer to minister according to the gift(s) and grace of God that is given to him (Romans 12:4–8; 1 Corinthians 13:1-3; 14:12; 1 Timothy 4:14-15; 1 Peter 4:10–11). 

We believe that the church, which is the body and bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all born-again persons (Matthew 16:18; 1 Corinthians 12:12–27; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22-23; 4:15-16; 5:25–27, 32; Colossians 2:19; 1 Peter 2:4-5). We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Acts 14:27; 18:22; 20:17; 1 Timothy 3:1–13; Titus 1:5–9). We recognize believer’s baptism and the Lord’s Supper as scriptural means of testimony for the church (Matthew 26:26-29; 28:19-20; Acts 2:38-42; 8:36-39; 10:47-48; 18:8; Romans 6:3-11; 1 Corinthians 11:23–29; Colossians 2:12). 

We believe that the physical, personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ is imminent. Though the timing of this “Blessed Hope” is a mystery, the fact of it is as certain as the first coming of Christ (Matthew 24:44; 25:13; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; 1 Corinthians 15:51-57; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Titus 2:12-13; Hebrews 9:28; James 5:8; 2 Peter 3:10).

The questions of how men and women relate to each other and how we engage in church leadership roles have been the subject of significant debate at various points in church history and remain so today. The Bible contains a wide diversity of texts that are relevant to these questions. After studying the Scriptures, researching historical factors, and praying earnestly, this is the statement of belief on the role of women in church leadership for Montgomery Community Church.

Some Christians believe within the church, women are not to lead, teach, or instruct men. One of the primary Scriptures utilized to support this view comes from the Apostle Paul:

1 Timothy 2:12 – I do not permit a woman to teach or assume authority over a man, she must be quiet.

We believe Paul’s instruction to Timothy was rooted specifically and only within the unique context of Ephesus as there are other references in Scripture where women were given authority to teach and/or instruct:

• After Jesus rose from the dead, the angel told Mary to instruct the male disciples by informing them that Jesus was alive (John 20:18).
• After Paul finished his letter to the Romans, he sent a woman named Phoebe, to deliver his letter to the church. At this time, a person assigned to this role would also provide authoritative instruction to church congregants who had questions after hearing such a letter.
• Priscilla and Aquila instructed Apollos in the way of God more accurately (Acts 18: 26). Both Romans 16:5 and Acts 18:26 list Priscilla, a woman, first. It was common for the more authoritative person to be listed first.

These references clearly convey that women not only led in the early church, women also taught and instructed both men and women.

In addition, in other verses, Paul stated the commands were directly from the Lord, but here he says repeatedly, “I” do not permit. This is an indication these were his personal views regarding the specific situation in Ephesus, not a command from God.

In further review, the Greek word for authority used in this verse was Authenteō. This is the only use of this word in the Bible, and historically refers to a violent act. Many believe this was in reaction to the worship of the goddess Artemis, which sometimes caused violent authority over men. In every other letter from Paul, he used the Greek word “exousia” when referring to the use of authority in the church.

Another Scripture some believe restricts women from leading as elders is 1 Timothy 3.

1 Timothy 3:1 – This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.

The words, “a man” are not present in the original text. In Greek, the word was “tis,” which meant “anyone.” In addition, in 1 Timothy 3:1-8 no male pronoun is used. When a pronoun is used in verse 7, it refers to a male or a female. In general, unlike the English language, Greek does require a pronoun with a verb. Therefore, a more appropriate translation of verse 1 would be:

1 Timothy 3:1 – This is a true saying, anyone who desires the office of a bishop, desires a good work.

Continuing in this passage is the phrase “the husband of one wife”:

1 Timothy 3:2 – A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife,

If Paul intended for this phrase to be taken literally, then every elder should be married, but only one time. If this was truly Paul’s intent, who would not qualify to be an elder? Single men. And if that were the case, who would not qualify to be an elder? The Apostle Paul himself and even Jesus Christ since Jesus was not a husband of one wife.

Could Paul have intended instead to restrict an elder who embraced polygamy (married to more than one woman), as such marriages were still in existence at that time? This would not be logical since Paul later used the same phrase in reference to women.

1 Timothy 5:9 – Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore years old, having been the wife of one man.

Since a woman could never have more than one husband in Jewish history, 1 Timothy 3:2 could not refer to polygamy as it uses the same type of phrase. Therefore, we could only properly understand, “The husband of one wife” to refer to fidelity or faithfulness within the marriage.

Additional New Testament Scriptures for consideration in this matter are:

Anna was called a prophet in Luke 2:36. In the Bible, a prophet often had a teaching role in addition to revealing God’s truth, which is the role of many preachers in today’s times.

Romans 16:1 – I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae.

A deacon would fall under the same guidelines as elder as noted in 1 Timothy 3:8 “in the same way, deacons are to be…”.

In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus commands all his disciples to go and make disciples by means of baptizing and teaching. This applies to both men and women.

While Paul provided guidelines to help avoid confusion in Corinth (1 Cor. 14:27-32), both men and women were to edify and help lead the church by offering a hymn, a teaching, a prophecy, a tongue, or an interpretation.

Additional Old Testament Scriptures for consideration in this matter are:

Micah 6:4 – I brought you up out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery. I sent Moses to lead you, also Aaron and Miriam.

This is the Lord speaking in this verse. It is clear the Lord sent Miriam as well to lead.

In Judges 4, Deborah was a prophet, a judge, and a wife who was leading Israel. She gave Barak instructions from the Lord. She led, directed, and guided people using words from God.

Therefore, the elders of Montgomery Community Church support and encourage women, as well as men, to serve in any role under the authority of the Lead Pastor they have been gifted and called by God to utilize.

We believe that marriage was instituted by God from the beginning of creation and that the purpose of marriage is to mirror the relationship of Christ and the church (Genesis 2:18-24; Ephesians 5:25, 33).  Together, as husband and wife, they are to submit to Christ and be helpmates together, to serve and honor God and to meet each other’s spiritual, emotional and physical needs in sexual union and become one flesh (Matthew 19:5; Ephesians 5:31, Hebrews 13:4). Should the married couple have children, either naturally or by adoption, they are to nurture and instruct their children in the knowledge, love and service to God through Christ (Deuteronomy 6:7 and Acts 2:38, 39). Jesus and the Apostle Paul clarified that God only blesses a marriage between a man and a woman (Matthew 19:1-2; 1 Corinthians 7). Any sexual relationships outside this union are inconsistent with God’s design.  Therefore, we humbly submit to the teachings of scripture that places sexual intimacy within the context of a marriage between one man and one woman, and acknowledge that any other union is incompatible with the Bible.

Recognizing the ongoing reality of racial injustice, we the members of MCC stand against the sin of racism as we stand for human dignity, which gives value to people through graceful respect shared without any qualifications or restraints.

WE ARE ALL CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD.
Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness… (Genesis 1:26)

• As followers of Jesus Christ and doers of His Word, we recognize and celebrate that all people are created in the image of God.
• We value our differences since they are by God’s design and we recognize, celebrate and defend them. • As a congregation, we welcome and reflect every nation, tribe, people and language — God’s vision for His Church.
• Racism is an attack on the image of God given to every one of us by our Creator (Gen. 5:1-3) and on God’s vision for His Church.
  

WE ARE CALLED TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. (Romans 12:10)

• God endowed all people with inherent worth and distinction.
• Love for one another requires regard for human dignity and confirms our love for God. For those who do not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen (1 John 4:20).
• Racism is an attack on the very love we are called to extend to all people, regardless of skin color.

WE ARE CALLED TO LIVE AS ONE.
How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! (Psalm 133)

• As Christians, we are unified with others in Christ to form the body of Christ, his holy bride.
• Though we are a broken body, we strive to become united in Christ by loving each other and extending human dignity. Love requires that we look into our hearts, evaluate our words, actions, stereotypes, implicit biases, and judgments. Therefore, we pray for the grace to look beyond our prejudices to seek understanding and unity. Just as Jesus prayed, “May they all be one” (John 17:21), we seek the humility required to live as one.
• Racism divides and damages the oneness that should define our relationships.

WE ARE CALLED TO SEEK JUSTICE AND PEACE. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow (Isaiah 1:17).

• Emboldened by the truth that all people are made in God’s image, we openly defend any person regardless of skin color who is defamed or devalued. Therefore, we not only pray, but we take action to help eradicate division, injustice, discrimination, oppression and hatred.
• As we care with compassion and action, we will be matched with the capacity to do so. For scripture declares, “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and truth (1 John 3:18). God desires that amends be made and wrongs be righted.
• Racism is a direct attack upon the justice and peace we are called to ensure.

THEREFORE
We declare that to properly respond to external acts of prejudice, we must examine any internal prejudice hidden within our own hearts and be willing to repent and confess:

• “I am guilty.” Perhaps not of a sin of commission, but of omission – I can do more to reach out and be a bridge builder. (2 Chronicles 7:14)
• “I am a sinner saved by grace.” The same measure of grace God extends to me I must extend to others, for salvation is for everyone. (Ephesians 2:8; Luke 6:36)
• “I must mourn with those who mourn.” I can do more to empathize with all people who are affected by racist acts and the violence that comes with such acts. (Romans 12:15)
• “I must love with actions and truth.” While my prayers are certainly heard by God, He calls me to put my good intentions into words and actions for the benefit of others. 1 John 3:18

We believe ultimate reconciliation is only available through the work of the Holy Spirit. With this truth in mind, we pray for and seek reconciliation with each other so the body of Christ can fulfill the good, pleasing and perfect will of God for His church.

We believe every human life is uniquely created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), is formed by God (Genesis 2:7; Job 33:4; Psalm 139:15–16), is known by God (Psalm 139:13-14), and is loved by God (Galatians 2:20; 1 John 4:9-12).

Given these truths, we hold to the sanctity of all human life (Genesis 9:6; Matthew 6:26) which begins at conception (Psalm 139:13–14; Jeremiah 1:4–5) and lasts beyond death into eternity (John 5:28–29; 1 Corinthians 15:51–52; Matthew 25:46). Since God gives life and breath to everyone (Acts 17:25), He has called us to value equally the dignity of every individual life in its entirety, which includes both mother and child.

We sincerely acknowledge the issue of abortion is complicated and can create difficult choices for an individual (Jeremiah 10:23). Every child is precious and so too is every mother’s life. We are called to love them both (1 John 3:18, 4:11-12). God calls us, as individual Christians and as the Church, to actively seek tangible ways to encourage, support, and come alongside any mother dealing with the impact of abortion in their lives (Galatians 6:2; Romans 15:1-2, 1 Thessalonians 5:11).

Therefore, we will serve as beacons of compassion, healing, and comfort for those facing challenges or who have already experienced the pain of a previous abortion (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). We are called to be a family where God’s grace and mercy flow. May we serve as the hands and feet of Jesus Christ in sacrificial and loving ways to the glory of God our Father.

We value, protect, and honor every human life.

2 Corinthians 4:5
For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.

1 Corinthians 1: 23 & 24
but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

2 Timothy 3: 16-17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

^{John 4: 24
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”}

^{Romans 12: 1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.}