Flourishing churches are led by flourishing leaders,
who are themselves flourishing disciples
Introduction: Participation in the Church
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to Me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me…keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Jesus, Matthew 11—The Message
Just as Christ Jesus welcomes all, so we at Coastal Community Church welcome and invite all to participate in worship, study, fellowship, and prayer and to receive pastoral care. Whether seeker or devout, broken or healed, grieving or rejoicing, all are free to join us in our quest to seek, learn, and enjoy our God and to know the love and support of the church.
While participation in any or all of these areas is open to all, without restriction or limitation, spiritual leadership is more carefully and precisely defined in the Bible. Every Christian church is entitled and expected to declare the terms of admission into its leadership and describe the nature, content, and look of faith expected of its leaders. It is therefore crucial that the meaning of faith, discipleship, and leadership are clearly defined and understood. This is the purpose of this document.
Our Shared Faith
Faith is the fruit and effect of the Holy Spirit’s work on our lives. Revealing the truth of God to our hearts, the Spirit enables us to see and comprehend God’s will and enables us to wholeheartedly follow and live a life that is pleasing to God.
At Coastal Community Church, spiritual leadership is grounded in a faith expressed in the acts and revealed nature of God and summarized in the essential tenets of the Christian faith. These are learned from the Bible’s witness and include our affirmation…
…of the Trinity and God’s existence as one being in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
.…of the Lordship of Jesus.
…of Jesus Christ’s dual nature, fully God and fully human.
…that Jesus suffered under Pontius
Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried.…of the forgiveness of sins through faith in the person and work of Christ.
…of Jesus’ bodily resurrection from the dead.
…that salvation is through Christ alone.
…that salvation is by grace through faith, not of works.
...of the person and work of the Holy Spirit, who with the Father and the Son works to effect our salvation.
…of the Bible’s divine inspiration and authority over all matters of faith and life.
…that God has, through Christ, called a church into being to do His will and proclaim his nature and work.
…that we are to live holy lives after the example of Christ.
…that we are to go into all the world, making disciples of all people and teaching them all that Jesus said and did.
…that Jesus will return to gather his church to himself and reign forever over all creation.
Spiritual Leaders as Disciples
A disciple is one who is walking with God in freedom, choosing to be changed by Jesus, choosing to seek Jesus first, and choosing to join Jesus in his resurrection work.
At Coastal Community Church we believe spiritual leadership is grounded in faithful discipleship. Discipleship is a life-long response of faith by which we submit the whole of our lives to the lordship of Christ, entrust the whole of our lives to his mercy and grace, and live the whole of our lives in expectant obedience of his kingdom coming “on earth, as it is in heaven.” Discipleship includes personal commitment to and sharing in the proclamation of the good news, participation in the life and worship of the church, prayer, study of the Scriptures and faith of the church, and supporting the church through the giving of money, time, support, and service. A life of discipleship is a life of ongoing transformation. None of us have “arrived.” Knowing and trusting God’s will and work, we have been justified (declared righteous), and living our faith before God and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit we are sanctified (made righteous). In faith we turn to God and in the process, turn from all that would keep us from him and his blessings. Thus, by faith we put off the old and put on the new life God intends for us, the life that is congruent with our new identity in Christ:
PUT OFF- Marks of the sinful nature:
Sexual immorality: adultery, impurity, fornication, homosexual behavior, lust, pornography, orgies, prostitution, carousing, lewdness
Malice: slander, deceit, murder, bitterness, falsehood, dissention, gossip, harshness, revenge, hatred, unwholesome talk, coarse joking, obscenity, abusive talk, strife, disobedience to parents, treachery
Greed: envy, love of money, theft, jealousy, idolatry, covetousness, swindling
Lack of self-discipline: fits of rage, drunkenness, debauchery, laziness, love of pleasure rather than love of God
Pride: selfish ambition, arrogance, boasting, conceit, hiding brokenness and sin
False spirituality: witchcraft, false teaching, empty religion [astrology, new age, tarot, palm reading, etc.]
PUT ON- Marks of the new life in Christ:
Sexual purity: fidelity to marital vows between a man and a woman, chastity in singleness
Love: honesty, peacemaking, speaks truth in love, forgiving, a mastered tongue, self-control, patience, kindness, sincere, impartial, merciful, considerate, forbearing, compassionate, thankful, loyal, gentle
Humility: regard for authority, submissive
Freedom from greed: contentment, faithful stewardship, financial/vocational integrity, generosity
Sound doctrine: passion for godliness, worshipper of the true God, lover of the Truth
Not one of us is free from sin, not one of us perfect and thus we are all ever in need of God’s grace and forgiveness which is available to all who confess their sins. We are ever in need also of the loving guidance and support of the church, recognizing that Scripture teaches us to rescue and restore one another in love. Only together, in humility and confession, in the fullness of mutual encouragement and love, growth and prayer, can we grow into the life Christ died to provide. Thus all leaders at Coastal Community Church sign this statement of faith and intent:
Statement of Faith and Intent:
I believe that Jesus is Lord of heaven and earth and the Savior, Redeemer, and Lord of my life. As a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ and as a leader with Coastal Community Church, I will endeavor to lead a life of faith consistent with the Bible’s witness and standards. If my belief or behavior contradicts these standards, I request that my brothers and sisters in Christ exhibit love for me by leading me back to wholeness through the restorative process outlined by Jesus in Matthew 18.15-20. For I willingly reject the marks of the sinful nature and embrace the marks of new life in Christ. Relying on the grace of Christ Jesus, the power of the Holy Spirit and the loving support of the congregation of Coastal Community Church, I affirm my desire to desire and intention to walk in freedom with God, choosing to be changed by Jesus, choosing to seek Jesus first, and choosing to join Jesus in his resurrection work.