What We Believe
Pinecrest Baptist Church is a family of believers who hold dear the doctrine of our faith. Our beliefs are as follows:
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GOD – we believe there is one God who exists in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
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JESUS – we believe that Jesus is the Son of God who was born of a virgin, was wholly God, and wholly man, lived a sinless life, died in our place as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind, was buried, arose bodily from the grave, and ascended into Heaven.
THE RETURN OF CHRIST – we believe Jesus Christ will literally return to earth.
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HOLY SPIRIT – we believe that God, the Holy Spirit, is active in convincing unbelievers of their need for salvation and is the Comforter and Guide who lives in every believer.
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THE BIBLE – we believe in the Holy Scripture accepting fully the writings of the Old and New Testaments as the very word of God, verbally inspired in all parts; the scriptures are infallible, inerrant, and authoritative rule for a life in faith.
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MAN – we believe that man is a special creation of God made in His image but that through the sin of the first man, Adam, mankind fell so that all men are sinners in need of salvation.
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SALVATION – we believe in salvation by grace through faith, that salvation is a free gift of God not by any virtue or works of man but received only by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; that all true believers possess the gift of eternal life, a perfect righteousness, sonship in the family of God and the divine guarantee that they shall never perish.
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ASSURANCE – we believe that every person who is truly saved is eternally secure in the Lord Jesus Christ
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ETERNITY – we believe that those persons who die in their sins without Christ will spend eternity in Hell and those persons who die with their sins forgiven through Christ will spend eternity in Heaven.
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SATAN – we believe in the existence of Satan, the deceiver and god of this present world; that he was defeated and judged at the cross and therefore, his final doom is certain.
BAPTISM – we believe that water baptism is an act of obedience to the command of Christ and is by immersion after salvation.
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PRIESTHOOD OF BELIEVERS – we believe in the priesthood of all believers; that Christ is our great High Priest and through Him every born-again person has direct access into God’s presence without the need of a human priest, that the believer has the right and responsibility to personally study and interpret the Scripture guided by the Holy Spirit.
CHURCH – we believe that a New Testament church is an organized body of born-again, baptized believers practicing Scriptural ordinances and actively engaged in fulfilling the Great Commission.
CHURCH ORDINANCES – we believe that the two Scriptural ordinances given to the local church are baptism by immersion of believers only and the Lord’s Supper to be partaken of by obedient Christians of like faith and order.
PRAYER – we believe that each believer has direct access to God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
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GOVERNMENT – we believe in the separation of church and state but not in separation of God and government. Christians are salt and light in society.
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Glorifying God
Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. | Ephesians 3:21
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Biblical Authority
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. | 2 Timothy 3:16-17
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Ministering to Others
But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. | Matthew 23:11
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Growing in Grace
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. | Ephesians 4:13-16
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Sharing the Gospel
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. | 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
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Intentional Discipleship
And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. | 2 Timothy 2:2
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Committed to Prayer
Pray without ceasing. | 1 Thessalonians 5:17
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Global Outreach
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. | Mark 16:15
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Membership at Pinecrest
How to Become a Member:
1. By Profession of Faith and Baptism - If you will receive Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour and Lord and follow Him in baptism by immersion, we will welcome you into our fellowship. If you have received Christ as your Saviour but have never identified with Christ in Believer’s Baptism by immersion, we will happily baptize you into the membership of our church family.
2. By Letter from a Church of Like-Faith and Practice - If you have trusted Christ as your Savior, identified with Christ in Believer’s Baptism by immersion, are a member of a church of like faith and would like to transfer your membership, we will welcome you into our church family.
3. By Statement of Faith - In the event, church membership records are not available for a transfer of membership, or if you are a Christian and have followed Christ in Believer’s Baptism but are presently a member of another denomination, or not a member anywhere, we will accept you based upon your statement of faith.
**Our desire is for every candidate for membership to meet personally with a pastoral staff member prior to joining. All candidates for membership will be received on Celebration Sunday (the last Sunday of every month.)
Five Commitments of Membership:
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To Attend: I commit to faithfully attend all of the weekly services of Pinecrest unless I am providentially hindered. Hebrews 10:25
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To Serve: I commit to finding a place of service & ministry within 6 months of joining Pinecrest. I Peter 4:10-11
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To Prefer: I commit to prefer, love, forbear, forgive, and pray for the other members of Pinecrest. Romans 12:10
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To Give: I commit to faithfully support the ministries of Pinecrest through the giving of tithes and offerings. II Corinthians 8:7
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To Pray: I commit to faithfully pray for and follow the leadership of Pinecrest. I Timothy 2:1-3
Discipleship at Pinecrest
The Three Levels of Discipleship:
Level One - The Doorway Class | The Doorway Class is a two-week introductory class that we require every prospective member to attend. In this class we discuss biblical teachings on the local church, our philosophy of ministry, and various aspects of church life at Pinecrest. The Doorway Class meets the 2nd & 3rd Sunday of each month at 8:50 am and is a requirement for membership at Pinecrest.
Level Two - “Take it Personally” Evangelism Training | Most Christians want to share their faith, but many feel unequipped. “Take it Personally” is an encouraging & practical four-week training course where you will learn how to initiate a spiritual conversation, share Christ with others and how to cultivate relationships with people who do not know Christ. “Take it Personally” meets once a quarter on Sunday mornings at 8:50 am and is a requirement for any member wanting to serve in ministry at Pinecrest.
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Level Three - “Continue” One on One Discipleship Training | “Continue” is a fourteen-week discipleship training that covers key Bible doctrines and provides personal application. “Continue” helps ground Christians in God's Word and develop a growing walk with Christ. Each week includes daily devotions to encourage and help you develop the habit of getting into God's Word. “Continue” meets weekly on Wednesday nights at 7:00 pm and is a requirement for any member wanting to serve in a leadership position.