Centerpoint church accepts The Baptist Faith and Message, a statement of faith adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention in 2000, as a general statement of our beliefs, with the exception of article VI, “The Church,” and article VIII, “The Lord’s Day”. You can see a full copy of The Baptist Faith and Message here.
Here are some brief summary statements of our doctrinal positions.
The Bible
We affirm the Holy Bible as the uniquely inspired Word of God, inerrant and infallible in its original languages, and as the only authoritative basis for our belief & practice.
God
We believe in one true God who is holy, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, eternal, sovereign, and good. He is the creator and sustainer of all things, and human beings can know Him as He reveals Himself. We believe that, “God eternally exists as three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and each person is fully God, and there is one God.¹” God, and not man, must be at the center of our theology.
Jesus Christ
We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation, He was fully God and fully man, and He lived a perfect life while on the earth. At the cross He willingly went through a substitutionary death to redeem humanity. He rose from the grave, ascended into Heaven, and will return in power to judge all creation.
Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is fully personal and fully divine. He calls humanity to salvation, and indwells all believers, to whom He is the comforter, counselor, and giver of spiritual gifts.
The Gospel and Salvation
We believe that the gospel message is about humanity’s sin and separation from God, and how God has provided reconciliation through the work of Christ on the cross. Salvation is a free gift of God’s grace, accepted through faith, and is in no way dependent on works. There can be no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
Worship
We believe that God is worthy of all praise at all times. A believer’s life should be characterized by worship in its various expressions. Believers should regularly participate in authentic worship when the church is gathered corporately, in times of private devotion, and in a daily lifestyle that is honoring to God.
The Church
We believe that membership in a local church is a critical part of a Christian’s life for the purposes of ministry, accountability, and encouragement. The church is composed of true believers, and as such there should be a distinction and set-apartness between the church and the world. Each member of the church should contribute their giftings, time, and resources to the ministry of the church.
Church Leadership
We believe that the biblical church offices are elder and deacon. The local church should be led by a plurality of ruling elders who share the responsibility of shepherding the body. Deacons assist the elders in areas of administration so that the elders can be free to pastor.
Spiritual Gifts
We believe that all of the spiritual gifts described in Scripture are available and operational in the church. We see no scriptural warrant for discounting the existence of or forbidding the practice of certain spiritual gifts.
Baptism and Communion
We believe that immersion baptism of a confessing believer is the practice most clearly supported in Scripture. We believe that the Lord’s Supper should be regularly celebrated by the church as a means of remembering the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the sake of our redemption.
Evangelism and Missions
We believe that the most important task of every believer is to make disciples of all nations. Christians should strive to share the gospel locally with the people they see every day, and should have a burden to see other nations transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Family
We believe that the family is the most foundational human institution and that God created it intentionally to reflect Himself. As such, marriage and family are worthy of high honor and protection. Marriage was created by God to be between one man and one woman, and should be a lifetime commitment. Where a husband/father is present, he is accountable to God to lead His family well for the glory of God.
We differ with article VI in our understanding of church leadership. In accordance with the autonomy of the church indicated by the The Baptist Faith and Message, the leadership of Centerpoint Church operates as a plurality of elders. Our practice of church leadership is further laid out in Article III of our bylaws, entitled “Elders.”
We differ regarding article VIII only in the sense that we believe all days of the week to be appropriate times for worship, and that there is no Scriptural obligation to worship specifically on Sunday.
