REGARDING THE CHURCH

The Bible teaches that there is one body (Ephesians 4:4), and since the body is the Church (Colossians 1:18, Ephesians 1:22-23), there is but one Church.  Jesus built this Church (Matthew 16:18) and purchased it with His own blood (Acts 20:28).  We believe one must be in the Lord's Church to be saved, since the Lord adds to the Church those who are saved (Acts 2:47), and since the Bible declares Christ to be the Savior of the body, or Church (Ephesians 5:23). We believe, despite the discouraging number of denominations in existence today, and despite the conflicting doctrines they teach, "God is not the author of confusion" (1 Corinthians 14:33).  He condemns division, exhorting us all to speak the same thing     (1 Corinthians 1:10).  We believe unity is not achieved by simply accepting the fact that there are various denominations and doctrines, but by rejecting all creeds and doctrines of men and simply uniting upon the teachings of the Scriptures, walking by the same rule (Philippians 3:16).
Nowhere in the New Testament does God endorse the existence of more than the one Church Christ established, as stated above.   We believe that even today we can and must be a part of that one true Church.  Since the seed of the kingdom is the Word of God (Luke 8:11, 1 Peter 1:23), we believe if we plant that same seed planted many years ago, we can reap the same results and truly be the Church of the New Testament.  We believe the Church of the New Testament has certain identifying marks that set it apart from denominations founded by men.  To be the Church of the New Testament, we must be added to it in the same way those early disciples were (see "Regarding Salvation"), we must teach the same doctrine they taught, we must worship in the same manner they worshipped, and indeed we must follow all the divine patterns they followed.  Any organization that lacks these distinguishing marks simply cannot be the Church of the New Testament.