All are welcome here! At TCIP we are a family completely devoted to the gospel of Jesus Christ and to one another. Come learn with us what it means to be in real relationship with a loving and merciful Savior, and how to impact the world for His glory! We have a seat for you! # S I T W I T H M E
MEET OUR PASTORS
John & Jodi Anderson
SENIOR PASTORS
A WORD FROM PASTOR JOHN...
In any non-denominational congregation, as The Church in Peaster, there are as many minor differences concerning certain aspects of Christianity as there are people in the Church. Some people like hymns while others enjoy contemporary styles of music. There are those who might overestimate the value of water baptism while others would underemphasize its meaning. The list is as long, and as diverse, as the Church membership roll.
Here, at The Church in Peaster, we respect and even encourage the minor doctrinal differences that cause us to re- think our own position. During this process, we learn the strengths and weaknesses of our own doctrines. However, there are core values in which this congregation will collectively hold fast. These must never waver or vary in their importance or practice. The core values you are about to read represent immovable and unchangeable beliefs shared by every member of our congregation. These core values are essential because a Church’s vision must always be determined by its core values.
The following core values identify who we are and what we believe. Certain beliefs and doctrines are too minor to argue over and, in some cases, too irrelevant to debate. However, the core values below are our very life blood; and I sometimes refer to them as “Deathbed Theology.”
A great Church father once said, “In the essentials-unity, in the non-essentials-liberty, in all things-charity (love).” It is my deepest desire and prayer, the core values listed will leap off the page and bury themselves as seeds deep within the good soil of your hearts.
Koinonia,
John W. Anderson
Senior Pastor
TCIP VISION STATEMENT
To be salt and light to all people everywhere and to share the good news of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom no matter the cost, consequence, or sacrifice.
TCIP Core Values
The Holiness of God
God is unique in that His holiness is absolute and complete. Everything in God’s character is pure, without a trace of evil. He cannot tolerate sin in any form. Therefore, when man sinned, he was separated from God. However, God so loved the world that He sent His Son, to be born of a virgin, to live a sinless life, to bear the sin of man in His crucifixion, and to be resurrected. Jesus chose to take our sin upon Himself and pay for us with His own life. Only through His blood can we be brought into the presence of God.
The Trinity
God exists as a simple being (needing nothing nor can be added to); and He manifests Himself in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. One can only know the Father through God the Son, and one can only know God the Son through God the Holy Spirit. God’s existence, as the three-in- one God, is an incomprehensible and wondrous mystery that can never be fully explained or understood.
We believe both Heaven and Hell are real physical places. Heaven is a place of eternal life with God, His resources, and attributes. Hell is a place of eternal separation from God due to sin.
Sin
Sin is any act in opposition to God’s will. Sin can be committed by thought, action, or failure to do God’s will. An individual’s heart and will is totally separated from God due to sin, and only through Jesus Christ can one overcome sin and be united with the Father.
Water baptism is one of two ordinances of the Christian Church. Water baptism identifies the believer into the Kingdom of God. Only the blood of Christ saves an individual. However, baptism should be the first act of obedience. This public act symbolizes and demonstrates a believer has put to death and buried the old sin life. Also, water baptism represents rebirth and resurrection to a new life. Water baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances of healing, protection, and communion with God.
The Lord’s Supper
The Lord’s Supper is the second of two ordinances of the Christian Church. It is a visible reminder of how the body of Jesus Christ was broken, and His blood was poured out for our sins. Again, the Lord’s Supper and water baptism are ordinances of healing, protection, and communion with God.
Baptism of the Holy Spirit
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is an endowment of power available to every Christian at, or following, conversion. As a result, spiritual gifts should be manifested with balance and guidance from the local Church ministry.
God Loves the World
All people are God’s creation and made in His image, believers and nonbelievers. God displays His love for everyone in that He sent His Son, Jesus, so all may seek, reach out, and find Him because He is near.
Faith and Provision
It is impossible to please God apart from faith. We define faith as “taking the appropriate action to what God has spoken.” According to the Scriptures, if we ask in faith and believe God, He will provide, even in difficult times. Jesus promised He would never leave nor forsake us. Therefore, from the time of salvation, we should do the will of God from the heart and accept His provision for our needs. I John 5:14, “And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”
God Empowers Believers
Believers receive power from the Holy Spirit to perform signs, wonders, and miracles to accompany God’s Word. Prayer, laying on of hands, and responding to the preached Gospel are ways the Holy Spirit empowers believers. God gives every believer spiritual gifts and allots to each one, individually, as the Holy Spirit chooses. God’s empowerment and gifts are for the common good to edify the body of believers and draw nonbelievers to salvation through Jesus Christ.
Sanctification / Lordship Salvation
Sanctification is a process beginning with salvation and continuing as a believer grows in intimacy with God. This is a work of the Holy Spirit and is proportional to the degree in which a believer makes oneself available to God. As this process moves toward completion, Christ-like characteristics begin to appear in the life of a believer.
God Desires Intimacy
God is all-knowing. He desires that we know Him personally, intimately, and reverently. God desires to be involved in every aspect of our daily lives. He delights in constant communion (prayer) with us.
Unity and Fellowship
The Holy Scriptures admonish us to maintain unity of the Spirit, essential to the effectual working of the Spirit. This is not something we can strive for but is a direct result of koinonia (authentic Christian fellowship). Koinonia occurs when we obey Jesus’ commandment to love one another.
God Responds to Our Response to Him
The primary response of the believer, both individually and corporately, is to worship God through Jesus Christ and in the Holy Spirit. We define worship as “our heart’s response to God’s revelation of Himself.” We experience this revelation through song, dance, the arts, and other forms of expression. We maintain the Church’s historical worship with a great enthusiasm for new and innovative expressions of our love, devotion, and communion with the Lord.
The Scriptures and Discipleship
The Scriptures are God-breathed and written by men as the Holy Spirit led them. They give us wisdom that leads to salvation by faith in Jesus and guide us in matters pertaining to conduct and doctrine. Jesus commands us to teach them to our children and others.
Doctrine of Atonement
Justification – As if I have never sinned
Substitution – What is true of Jesus Christ is true of me
Adoption – An heir with Christ, a child of God through the lineage of Abraham
Sanctification – Preparing my heart to live a more holy life with Christ Glorification – My body and spirit reunited at the second coming of Christ
Healing and Deliverance
The fall of Adam negatively affected every aspect of human life. However, Jesus came and brought new life to mankind. Jesus continues His work through the Church to heal those who are physically, emotionally, and spiritually sick. Prayer, Scripture, accountability, and Word-based counseling are a few of the tools used by the Church to heal, renew, deliver, and strengthen the individual. Satan and his forces are real enemies against the Kingdom of God. However, through Jesus, believers have victory over these forces of evil and deception.