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The Principles that drive our Church
Cornerstone Bible Church was planted on February 14th 1999 by a small group of men and women devoted to the simple vision of honoring God and His Word. From our first inaugural service, these bedrock principles/core values have directed us to this day. These are the guiding biblical principles that are at the heart of our beloved church. The elders of Cornerstone believe that it is imperative that our values are fully understood, practiced, shared, vigorously defended and preserved.
The Overarching Purpose of Our Existence Is to Glorify GodThis is the rallying cry of all true followers of Christ, that everything we do is for the overarching aim to glorify God. (1 Cor 10: 31) Centrality of the Word of God in Life and WorshipWe glorify God as a church by preaching, studying and obeying the truths of God's Word. The Word of God is our infallible, inerrant and sufficient authority. God only honors those who honor His Word. (2 Tim 3: 15-17; 4: 2) The Priority of Prayer & WorshipRomans 12 teaches us that our lives are lived in response to God's love demonstrated on the cross. The appropriate response to God's amazing love toward us is to live our lives as worship to God and in complete dependence on the Lord through prayer in all things. Worship and prayer are not secondary practices in the church but are the life and breath of the church. (Romans 12: 1-12; Phil 4: 6-7) Biblical Philosophy of Ministry The centrality of the Word of the God demands that the Word of God is not just the stated authority of the church but the "functional" authority of the church. It is imperative that the philosophy of ministry behind our beloved church is thoroughly biblical. This means that what drives our church must be dependent solely on Scripture and not on what works, what people need or want. We believe pragmatism in the church is deadly...a death by inches. (Matt:16: 18-19; 2 Tim 4: 2) Importance of the FamilyChristianity begins at home. The first context in which a Christian practices discipleship is in the family. The family is the primary place for God's instruction, prayer, fellowship and evangelism. The elders and the members of CBC must daily spur one another to be more devoted to one's own family. (1 Timothy 3: 4; 5: 4) Plurality of Elders/LeadershipWe believe that God's design for leadership in the church is that a plurality of godly men should lead. Though each elder might have different and varying roles and functions in the church, they are all equal in authority and responsibility. The unity of the elders is of inestimable importance. The church can overcome anything except failure in leadership. We believe in complete plurality and unanimity of elders in their leadership of Cornerstone Bible Church. (1 Tim 3; Titus 1) Priority of Christians Over Non-ChristianWe gather to equip the saints and scatter to evangelize the lost. This is a simple truth that has profound implications. The Bible teaches us that in ministry, priority is to be given to fellow Christians and then to the world. The apostle Paul outlines this paradigm of ministry in Eph 4: 11-16. Our love for one another is to be a priority over our love for the world. This is what will attract the world to Christ; our sincere love for one another. (John 13: 34-35) Evangelizing the LostOur mission on earth is to make disciples of all nations. Indiscriminate preaching to the lost so that they might be saved is a fundamental commitment of our church. We want to always be leaning forward in this area knowing that God desires all men to be saved! ( Matt 9: 36-38; 1 Tim 2: 4)
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