Kingsley Community Church
Kingsley, Pennsylvania – located in Northeast PA, Susquehanna County, northwest of Scranton
Denomination: Non-Denominational; conservative/evangelical
Church Size: 25-35
Statement of Faith -
These things we believe and uphold as we are contending for the Biblical faith and fundamentals in testifying the gospel of the grace of God.
SECTION 1 – SCRIPTURES
We believe the bible (consisting of 66 books) to be the verbally inspired and accurate word of God written by bold men under the direct leading of the holy spirit, this bible is only sufficient and perfect rule of authority for faith and practice as one lives the Christian life. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:21)
SECTION 2 – TRIUNE GODHEAD
We believe there is one God who is self – existent, eternal, and infinite in every excellence and who has revealed himself as the father, son and holy spirit. Although different in personality, these “three” have the same nature, attributes, and perfection, and are therefore worthy of precisely the same homage, confidence and obedience. They are co – equal and co – eternal. (Matthew 28:19, 2 Corinthians 13:14; Hebrews 1:1-3).
A. Father – God is a spirit; infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, justice, goodness, truth, and love. He is the only object of our worship. (Romans 1:7; John 6:27; Psalm 147:5; James 1:17).
B. Son – we believe that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of god’s promise of a savior; that Jesus Christ was miraculously conceived; that he was born of the virgin Mary; that Jesus is both true god and true man who came into this world to save men from the guilt and condemnation of sin, died on the cross for man’s sin and made salvation available to those who by faith receive him. We believe in the actual, bodily resurrection of Christ and his ascension into heaven where he now serves as our high priest and advocate, the only mediator between God and man. (Genesis 3:15; John 1:14; Luke 1:26-35; Acts 4:12, 16:31; Hebrews 5:8-9; 1 John 2:1)
C. Holy Spirit – is the spirit part of the triune being who is able to convict the sinner and, upon repentance, enter the human heart. He is omnipresent and able to comfort the believer. The attributes are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, and faith. (Galatians 5:22)
SECTION 3 – MAN
We believe that man was created by a special act of God thus rejecting any theories of evolution. Man was created in the image and likeness of God. Possessing personality and innocence. Man was endowed with power of rational and responsible choice. The purpose of his creation was to glorify God.
We believe man was subject to a trial in the garden of Eden in order to test his loyalty to God. Under trial, he lost his holy estate, was alienated from God and became depraved physically, mentally, morally, and spiritually by voluntarily transgressing god’s word while yielding to the enticement of Satan. Because all men are in Adam and therefore partakers in that original sin, we stand condemned before God and need the savior. (Genesis 1:26 & 27; Genesis 3; romans 5:12 & 19; Galatians 3:22).
SECTION 4 – SALVATION
We believe that salvation is by God’s grace alone and can in no way be earned by any man. To be saved a man must admit to God that he is a sinner and acknowledge his utter dependence upon Jesus Christ as his personal sin bearer. The result of such a repentance and faith is the salvation of one’s soul. (John 1:12 & 3:16; Ephesians 2:8 & 9; Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:35 – 39).
SECTION 5 – SECURITY OF THE BELIEVER
We believe that true believers are kept by the power of God for all eternity and cannot lose their salvation, and have an inheritance in heaven. (John 10:28 &29; 1 Peter 1:4 & 5; Ephesians 1:14; Romans 8:35 – 39).
SECTION 6 – SATAN
We believe that Satan was once holy and enjoyed heavenly honors, but through pride and ambition to be as God. Fell and drew after him a host of angels. We hold him to be man’s great tempter, the enemy of God, the accuser of saints, the author of all powers of darkness; destined, however, to final defeat at the hands of God’s Son and to the judgement of an justice in hell, a place prepared for him and his angels. (Isaiah 14;12 – 15; Ezekiel 28:13 – 17; Matthew 4:1 – 3; 2 Corinthians 4:4; 1 Peter 5:8; Revelation 20:2 &10).
SECTION 7 – CHURCH ORDINANCES
We believe that the ordinances of the church in obedience to Jesus Christ are believer’s baptism and the Lord’s supper.
We believe that believer’s baptism is immersion in water of a believer in the name of the father, son and holy spirit. It shows forth their faith in the crucified, buried, and risen savior and signifies their death to sin and resurrection to a new life. All requests for baptism shall be by immersion and performed upon profession of faith as agreed upon by a meeting of the person requesting baptism, the pastor and the board of deacons.
We believe that the Lord’s supper is a memorial, given to the local church for the edification of believers by the use of the bread and cup (being symbols of the body and blood of Christ) commemorating the death of Christ on behalf of sinners. The observance of the Lord’s supper shall be observed approximately every six weeks. (Acts 8:36 – 39; Romans 6:3; Colossians 2:12; Acts 2:31, 42; 1 Corinthians 11:26; Acts 10:47, 48).
SECTION 8 – THE SECOND COMING
We believe in the personal, visible, pre-millennial return of the Lord Jesus Christ to this earth; that He is coming as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and that He will reign on earth for 1000 years. That this advent will be preceded by His coming in the air to receive unto Himself the church, and that His coming for His saints will precede the great tribulation. This appearance for His saints will include all, whether dead or alive, who shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. (1 Thessalonians 4:13 – 18: 2 Thessalonians 5:9, 10; 2 Timothy 4:8; Titus 2:13)
SECTION 9 – THE CHURCH
We believe that the church invisible and universal is an organism composed of the redeemed of all ages. We believe that the church is manifest locally and visibly through companies of believers in Christ.
The purpose of the church is for worship, the observance of baptism and the Lord’s supper, world-wide proclamation of the gospel, to build itself up in the most holy faith and to glorify God. (Matthew 28:18 – 20; 1 Peter 4:11; Jude 20, 21; Ephesians 4:11, 12,16; Acts 2:46, 47)
SECTION 10 – RESURRECTION
We believe that Christ rose bodily the third day according to the scriptures; that He ascended to the right hand of the throne of God; that this same Jesus was taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner, as you have seen Him go into heaven, bodily, personally and visibly; that the dead in Christ shall rise first; that the living saints shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye. (Matthew 28:6, 7; 1 Corinthians 15:42 – 53; Acts 2:29, 30).
SECTION 11 – CIVIL GOVERNMENT
We believe that civil government is of divine appointment for the interests and good order of human society; elected officials are to be prayed for, conscientiously honored and obeyed, except in things opposed to the will of God as revealed through the Scriptures. (Romans 13:7; Acts 5:29; 1 Peter 7:13, 14; 1 Timothy 2:1 – 3; Matthew 22:21)
SECTION 12 – LORD’S DAY
We believe that the first day of the week is to be observed as the Lord’s Day. Believers need to gather together for corporate worship on this day. (1 Corinthians 12:1-2; John 20:19; Acts 20:4).
SECTION 13 – HUMAN SEXUALITY
We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman; we believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance. (Genesis 2:24; Genesis 19:5–13; Genesis 26:8–9; Leviticus 18:1–30; Romans 1:26–29; 1 Corinthians 5:1, 6:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:1–8; Hebrews 13:4).
We believe that the only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman. (Genesis 2:24; Romans 7:2; 1 Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 5:22–23).