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What We Believe

THE WORD OF GOD

We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired Word of God, inerrant in the original writings, complete as the revelation of God’s will for salvation, and the supreme and final authority in all matters to which they speak.

(2 Samuel 7:28; Psalm 119:160; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 1 Corinthians 14:37)

THE TRINITY

We believe in one God, Creator and Sustainer of all things, eternally existing in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit; that these are equal in every divine perfection and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption.

(Genesis 1:1-2; Job 26:13; Psalm 104; Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 12:4-6; Ephesians 2:18; John 10:30;14;23;17;5; Acts 5:3-4)

GOD THE FATHER

We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, knowledge, power, and love. We believe He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.

(Matthew 2819; John 15:26; Psalm 19:1; Exodus 3:14; Colossians 1:17)

JESUS CHRIST

We believe that Jesus Christ is God’s eternal Son, and has precisely the same nature, attributes and perfections as God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.  We believe further that He is not only true God, but true man, conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the virgin Mary.  We also believe in His sinless life, His substitutionary atonement, His bodily resurrection from the dead, His ascension into heaven, His priestly intercession on behalf of His people, and His personal, visible, premillennial return from heaven.

(Matthew 28:19; John 15:26; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Philippians 2:5-6; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17)

HOLY SPIRIT

We believe in the Holy Spirit, His personality, and His work in regeneration, sanctification, and preservation.  His ministry is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, and to implement Christ’s work of redeeming the lost and empowering the believer for godly living and service.

(Acts 5:3-4; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; John 16:8-11; Ephesians 4:30; Exodus 31:3; 1 Samuel 16:13; John 14:26; Romans 8:26)

MAN

We believe God created man, male and female, in the image of God and free from sin.  We further believe man is a sinner by nature and choice and is therefore spirutually dead.  We also believe that those who repent of sin and trust Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit.

(Genesis 1:26-31; 2:7,22; 5:1-2; 9:6; Psalm 100:3; 119:73; Isaiah 45:12; Acts 17:26-28; Psalm 51:5; Psalm 139:13-16; Jeremiah 1:5; Matthew 1:18; Luke 1:31,34-36,41,44; Genesis 2:23-24; Matthew 19:4-6; 1 Timothy 3:2)

SALVATION

We believe in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  We further believe that this salvation is based upon the sovereign grace of God and was purchased by Christ on the cross, and is received by man through faith, apart from any human merit, works, or ritual.  We further believe that salvation results in righteous living, good works, and proper social concern.

(Acts 15:11; Romans 3:24,28; 1 Corinthians 3:5-7; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:5,8; Romans 4:4-5; 6:23; 8:29-30; 11:5-6; Galatians 1:15; Ephesians 1:3-6; 2:8-9; Philippians 3:7-9; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 7:10-11; Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8)

THE CHURCH

We believe that the Church is the spiritual body of which Christ is the Head.  We believe that the true church is composed of all persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit.  We believe that this body expresses itself in local assemblies whose members have been immersed upon a credible confession of faith and associated themselves for worship, for instruction, for evangelism and for service.  We believe that the ordinances of the local church are the believer’s baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper.  We also believe in the interdependence of local churches and mutual submission of believers to each other in love.

(Acts 2; 1 Corinthians 12:27; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Colossians 1:188; Matthew 18:15-17; 28:19-20; Acts 2:38,41-42,47; 8:12,36-39; 16:34; 18:8; 1 Corinthians 11:23-25; Ephesians 4:1-13)

SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE

We believe that each local church is self-governing in function, and must be free from interference by an ecclesiastical or political authority.  We further believe that every human being is directly responsible to God in matters of faith and life, and that each should be free to worship God according to the dictates of his conscience.

CHRISTIAN CONDUCT

We believe that the supreme task of every believer is to glorify God in this life; that his conduct should be blameless before the world; that he should be a faithful steward of his possessions; and that he should seek to realize for himself the full stature of maturity in Christ.

LAST THINGS

We believe in the bodily resurrection of the saved and lost, in the eternal existence of all men either in heaven or hell, and in divine judgments, rewards, and punishments.

(Isaiah 26:19; John 5:25-29; Acts 24:14-15; 1 Corinthians 6:14; Philippians 3:21; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; Revelation 20:5-6; 21:6-7)

VCN Mid-Atlantic Covenant

As an association of Conservative Baptist Churches in the Mid-Atlantic region and in the presence of our Lord, we covenant to partner with our fellow VCN Mid-Atlantic churches in order to …

  • Treat each other with love and grace as we seek to honor the many biblical “one-anothers” of Christian fellowship.
  • Minister to each other by sharing our strengths and resources so that church leaders can be strengthened for kingdom purposes.
  • Encourage churches to pursue maturity with the goal of fulfilling the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.
  • Partner together as an ethnically diverse association of churches committed to honoring and respecting one another.
  • Work together to establish new churches.
  • Embrace partnership and cooperation in ministry with an attitude that facilitates regional unity, shared vision, networking, and celebration.
  • Identify, train, and empower current and future church leaders.
  • Develop relationships with other evangelical ministries to assist our churches in fulfilling their God-given vision and mission.
  • Support the ministry of VCN Mid-Atlantic with our prayers, finances, talents, and time.
    Uphold the VCN Mid-Atlantic Statement of Faith (herein referred to as “Doctrine”) to which we subscribe.

Polity

This statement of polity (form of government of a church or organization) uses the biblical terms for church leadership in the New Testament.  Many of our association churches use different terms for their leadership teams. Our intention is descriptive, not prescriptive.

JESUS CHRIST IS HEAD OF THE CHURCH
Each local church, under His headship, is led by congregationally-affirmed elders.  Those who have been affirmed as leaders have biblically granted authority, responsibility, and accountability.

(Acts 20:17-28; Eph. 4:11, 12; 1 Peter 5:1-4)

ELDER-LED
Elders are biblically-qualified males who do the work of shepherding God’s church by praying, feeding, leading, guiding, nurturing, and administrating the church.  These elders are affirmed by the congregation and have the responsibility and authority to lead in discerning the mind of Christ and in following God’s will.

(1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:6-9)

CONGREGATIONALLY-AFFIRMED
The congregation affirms the leadership of the elders. Congregants contribute in helping the elders discern the mind of Christ and willingly submit to their leadership for the spiritual health and harmony of the church.

(1 Cor. 3:9-17; Acts 6:3; Hebrews 13:17)

ASSOCIATION POLITY
Our polity as an association of autonomous churches will seek to reflect the biblical model for the church.  Officers of the Association must be members in good standing of an Association church and be recommended by their church.  Area Association moderators must also meet the biblical qualifications of elder and be chosen by their Area Association.

Philosophy

Vision
Our vision as a diverse fellowship of churches united by the Great Confession is to engage the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, both in practice and proclamation, by living out the Great Commandment, Great Commission, and Great Commitment in community.

Core Values

  • Great Confession – we exist to exalt Jesus Christ, the Son of God as our Lord and Savior. (Matthew 16:16)
  • Great Commandment – we exist to love God and our neighbor. (Matthew 22:37-40; John 13:34, 35)
  • Great Commission – we exist to reach and equip people. (Matthew 28:19, 20)
  • Great Commitment – we exist to serve each other and our world. (Ephesians 4:11-12; 1 Peter 4:10)

Mission
As we engage the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, our mission is to:

  • Build Healthy Churches: Using consultation, evaluation, assessment and targeted tools, we seek to assist member churches in achieving and maintaining church health.
  • Cultivate Leaders: We seek to equip elders/pastors along with current and future leaders with tools and resources that allow them to pursue excellence in ministry under the sovereign hand of God. We see this occurring within smaller clusters of church leaders, during the annual conference, and other intentional training opportunities.
  • Develop New Churches: We seek to regularly plant and develop new local churches of like identity and purpose.
  • Assist in Crisis: A crisis can sometimes overwhelm an elder/pastor or a church. We seek to come alongside in these crisis situations to help resolve conflict, solve problems, and restore relationships to the glory of God.