Unity

We seek a unity of understanding in the essentials of our faith, yet we do not suggest that we must agree on all things pertaining to our walk in Christ.  On many issues we have the freedom to disagree.  We do ask, however, that all who accept and hold a leadership or teaching position in CCC respect the following guidelines and resist any temptation to use their position as a forum from which to teach other views.  Unity in the body depends upon harmony and mutual trust in the leadership.

Who is God?

The Bible teaches that God is Creator of our world, The Sustainer and Lord of our lives.

What About Jesus?

Jesus Christ is the one and only living Son of God and our Savior.  Through Him God opened the way of abundant and eternal life through His death, burial and resurrection to all who call on Christ's name.

Who is the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is God himself encouraging, guiding and transforming us in the way of Christ.

The New Testament teaches the ministry of all believers, recognizing that the Holy Spirit gives various gifts to members of the body so that every member can make contribution to the effective ministry of the entire church.

We are, therefore, a Spirit-filled church seeking to do God's will and to become more like His Son, Jesus Christ.  While we do not presume to dictate one's private worship practices, we have agreed that for the sake of the unity of the body, in our public worship and other sanctioned church meetings, we will not teach or practice what is commonly called speaking in tongues.

The Bible

The Bible is the inspired written Word of God.  It is the authoritative rule of faith and practice for Christians and the Church.

Jesus instituted a new covenant with God that succeeded and transcended His former covenant with the People of Israel; hence we accept the Old Testament as preparatory to the New and we rejoice that we are related to God through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and not through Law.

Church Membership

We are a free and independent church under Christ.  Guided by a board of elders, we determine our own policies and practices in light of biblical expectation, and we voluntarily cooperate with other Christian groups in fulfilling our Lord's Great Commission.  We have two requirements for church membership.

One must be a believer in Jesus Christ as the only Son of God, be willing to repent of sin and surrender to His lordship, to confess this faith before others, to obey Him in Christian baptism and continue in faithful discipleship.  One must also complete a Central Christian Church membership class.

Baptism

We practice baptism of the repentant believer by immersion in water.  There is nothing magical in the water.  However, we do believe it is such an important first act of obedience that we require it for membership.  Jesus and the NT writers' talk of its importance so much that we ask our people to show us and God that they are serious about their commitment.

And we do immersion baptism because that's the way Jesus did it, and the NT did it and we are commanded to do it.  Jesus told us in our Great Commission to "go and teach and make disciples and immerse" (Matt. 28:18 - literal Greek translation)

Romans 6:4 (NIV)
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death I order that, just as Christi was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Col. 2:12 (NIV)
having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

1 Peter 3:21 (NIV)
and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also - not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God.  It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Are other Christian groups going to hell because they do it differently?  We don't believe that at all;  we just really want to do it Jesus' way.

Prayer

We are a praying church.  We daily lift before God fervent prayers of praise, confession, thanksgiving and petition.

We are a mission-minded church.  We send and support evangelistic and benevolent missions throughout the world.  We encourage our finest people to accept the call to a greater Kingdom service, and we support them through generous mission offerings.

The Future

God, who created the heavens and the earth, will one day bring life on earth to a conclusion.  While accepting various understandings of how God will bring this about, we trust that Christ will come again and will call His own to Himself.

Communion

We celebrate the Lord's Supper at each worship service, as we find the New Testament Christians did.  In partaking of the bread and the wine, we remember our Lord's sacrifice for us and we strengthen our relationship with Him.

Missions

All persons of all races have been created in the image of God and stand in need of the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

The church exists to serve the world.  Therefore we send evangelists to rescue the perishing world.  Therefore we participate in efforts to improve community life.  We want to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, offer hospitality to the stranger, clothe the naked, minister to the sick, and visit the imprisoned as Jesus has instructed.

We are a mission- minded church.  We send and support evangelist and benevolent missions throughout the world.  We encourage our finest people to accept the call to a greater Kingdom service, and we support them through generous mission offerings.

Resources

God expects wise management of our money and other resources in both our personal and our congregational lives.  We encourage the tithe (ten percent) as the minimum the Bible teaches us to return to the Lord.  In fact, we understand the governing principle to be that everything we have and are belongs to God.  We do not hesitate to teach principles of Christian stewardship, agreeing with Jesus that "where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."