The Scriptures, comprised of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, are the verbally inspired Word of God, are inerrant in the original writings, and are the only standard and authority for belief and behavior for all people in all times and in all places (Psa 19:7; 2Pet 1:19-21). They are the completed canon and revelation of God's will for salvation, and sufficient in all that they speak to (2Ti 3:16-17). We believe in the veracity of God's Word and have deep conviction that His Word is always vindicated which is consistent with the very nature of the Sovereign Lord (Col 2:9). The most complete form of God's special revelation has come through the person of Jesus Christ (Heb 1:1-3).

There is but one living and true God, Creator and Sustainer of all things, worthy of worship, praise and adoration in his glorious nature and perfect character (Deu 6:4). He exists eternally in three distinct persons—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—coequal and coeternal. The three persons of the godhead each has His own proper attributes (Mat 3:16-17; 28:19).

As the Eternal Creator orders and directs everything according to His own purpose and pleasure (Jhn 5:19-23). He is graciously involved with mankind (Jhn 5:24). He hears and answers prayer (Jhn 16:23-24), and He has designed and established the means of redemption (Eph 1:3-14).

Jesus Christ, has always existed as the eternal Son of the Father (Jhn 1:1, 3; 8:58; 17:5; Phl 2:4-8). As the second person of the Godhead He is active at the creation (Col 1:15-16; Heb 1:2-3). He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary (Isa 7:14; 9:6-7; Mat 1:18, 24-25; Luk 1:34-35; Jhn 1:14). As true God and true man, His substitutionary death is the permanent sacrifice and payment for our sins, the only remedy by which man's sin could be removed and God's justice preserved (Mat 20:28; Rom 3:23-26; 1Co 15:3; Col 2:13-15; 2Jn 2:2). His death also represents His victory over Satan (Col 1:13-14; 2:15; 1Jn 3:8; Rev 20:10). He was raised bodily and ascended into heaven (Luk 25:50-51; Acts 1:9; 1Co 15:3-8; Eph 4:8-10). He presently intercedes for us as our High Priest (Heb 3:1) and Advocate (1Jn 2:1) until His personal return to this earth to establish His Kingdom (1Th 4:13-18; Rev 20; Heb 7:23-25).

Third person of the Trinity, is active in creation (Gen 1:2), in the inspired writing of the Old and New Testaments (Jhn 16:13-15; 2Pet 1:20-21), in Jesus' earthly ministry (Luk 4:1, 10:21), and in the work of salvation. Presently, He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (Jhn 16:8-11). He gives new life to those who place faith in Christ's atoning death and resurrection (Col 1:12-14; 2Co 5:17). The Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus Christ and implements Christ's work of redemption (Jhn 16:14; Rom 8:23). He regenerates (Tit 3:5), baptizes (1Co 12:13), seals (2Co 1:22; 5:5; Eph 1:13), gifts (1Co 12:1-11; 1Pet 4:10), and indwells all believers at conversion (Rom 8:9; Eph 3:16), progressively sanctifying (Phl 1:6), and securing them in Christ forever (Rom 8:16-17). The Spirit fills (Eph 5:18), leads (Psa 143:10; Rom 8:14), comforts (Acts 9:31), and intercedes for believers (Rom 8:26-27), empowering them for godly living and service (2Ti 1:7). His presence is evident by the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23) and the building up of believers into the body of Christ, the Church (1Co 12:13-20).

Satan is a personal being, a created angel who sought to be “like the Most High” and thus fell from glory and became the author of sin (Isa 14:12-17; Ezek 28:11-19; Rev 12:9-11). He provoked the fall of man (Gen 3:1-6, 14-15) and seeks constantly to counterfeit the works and truth of God (Ex 7:8-13; Mat 4:1-11; 2Co 4:3-4; Eph 2:1-3). As the archenemy of God, he is destined to eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire (Rev 20:10).

Man was created directly in the image of God, male and female (Gen 1:26-27; 2:7; 9:6), in a state of innocence with the ability not to sin (Gen 2:16-17, 25), to enjoy an intimate relationship with God (Gen 5:22-24; Psa 139:13-14) and to fulfill His purpose on earth (Gen 2:15; Prv 16:9). Man is contingent; that is, his creation was not necessary to God's being as only God is necessary (Acts 17:24-28). God created man for His own purposes (Isa 55:8-9), especially for God's glory (Rom 15:6). But man failed to trust God's goodness and obey God's stipulation and thus earned condemnation and death for himself and all his progeny (Gen 3:1-24; Rom 1:18-32). The fall also subjected creation to corruption (Rom 8:19-22). All men are sinners, by nature and practice, and are spiritually dead - separated from God forever, apart from salvation through Christ (Rom 5:12-21; 6:23; Eph. 2:1-10).

Jesus Christ died for our sins as the only qualified sacrificial substitute (Rom 6:10; Heb 7:26-27; 9:11-14). His atoning death fully accomplished the salvation of His elect and, at the same time, paid the penalty for sin (1Ti 2:5-6; 1Jo 2:1-2), making possible man's forgiveness, apart from any human merit, works, or ritual (1Jn 1:5-10). All who repent and believe solely in Christ for salvation are born again by the Holy Spirit (Jhn 3:16; 5:24; 6:37-40; 14:6) and are made spiritually alive (Rom 8:11; 1Jo 5:11-12). Those saved in Christ are the children of God eternally (Joh 1:12; Gal 3:26). They are empowered by the Holy Spirit to practice righteous living, and they can again enjoy an intimate relationship with God through Christ (Eph 2:4-10; 3:16-17; Rom 15:13).

True believers in Jesus Christ belong to the universal Body of Christ, comprised of all who have been saved through faith in Christ (1Co 12:12-13, 27). Every believer is directed by God's Word to be baptized (immersed) in water as a public profession of salvation, identifying with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, in order to become an active participant in a local church (Mat 28:19-20; Rom 6:1-11). Believers are not to forsake the physical assembling with other believers (Acts 2:41-47; Heb 10:23-25). Believers are to fellowship regularly around the Lord's Supper (also called Communion) as instructed in the Word (Mat 26:26-29; Mar 14:22-25; Luk 22:14-23;1Co 11:23-32). Believers are to give of their time, labor, gifts, talents, and treasure for the building up of the Body of Christ (Acts 2:41-47; 1Co 12:4-11; Rom 12:3-8; 1Pe 2:4-5, 9-10). The church corporately (and its individual members) is responsible to Christ as the Head (Eph 5:23). The local church is autonomous, free from any external authority or control (Acts 6:1-6).

God desires human flourishing (Gen 1:26-28; 2:23-24; 9:1, 44). In God's design for humanity, life begins at fertilization (Psa 51:5; 139:13-16; Jer 1:5; Mat 1:34-35; Luk 1:31, 41). He established the institution of family through the union of one chromosomal man and one chromosomal woman in a marriage covenant for life (Mat 19:3-12; Mar 10:1-12). Marriage is to picture the relationship between Jesus Christ and His Church (Eph 5:22-33; Rev 19:7, 21:2, 9; 22:17). He ordained the continuance of humanity through the procreation and discipleship of children within the marriage union (Eph 5:22-6:4; Col 3:18-21; 1Ti 3:2-5).

God alone is eternal. He has granted immortality to man. At one's physical death, the material and immaterial are divided. No one ceases to exist at death. (Ecc 12:7; Jas 2:26; Luk 23:42-43; Phi 1:21-23; Luk 16:19-31).

1. At death, the spirit of the believer in Jesus Christ passes immediately and consciously into Christ's presence, there to await the resurrection, when spirit and body will be reunited (2Co 5:6-9; Heb 9:27). This will happen at Christ's imminent coming to receive the church (Mat 24:36-41; Mar 13:32-37; 1Th 4:13-18; Rev 3:10). All believers of all ages will remain forever with the Lord in this glorified state (Jhn 14:3; 1Co 15:50-57). Every believer, furthermore, will also appear before Christ to give an accounting and receive rewards (2Co 5:10; Rom 14:10-12).
2. Every unbeliever will remain after death in conscious misery until the final judgment at the Great White Throne (Rev 20:11-12), when the spirit reunites with the resurrected body (Rev 20:13) to be cast into the Lake of Fire and punished with everlasting torment from the presence of the Lord (Mat 25:41-46; Luk 12:4-5; Rev 20:14-15).

On a day known only to God (Mat 24:36; Acts 1:7), Christ will personally return to earth in a glorious, bodily, visible coming, accompanied by all His saints, to complete His work as Messiah, to subdue His enemies, to judge all people, and to reign on the earth with His saints (Dan 7:25-27; Rev 19:11-20). Christ will sit on his Great White Throne and judge the living and the dead (Rev 20:11). Everyone whose name is not found in the book of life will be thrown into hell (Rev 20:15) where they will suffer forever together with Satan and his angels (Rev 20:10). Those whose names are found in the book of life will be welcomed into everlasting blessing in the presence of God in the new heavens and the new earth (Isa 35:4-10; Eze 37:27; Rev 21-22).

1. God is holy, righteous, and awesome in glory (just to name a few of His attributes).
   • Any attempt to bring God down to our level is an act of blasphemy.
   • Jesus came to show us the Father and He was completely free from sin (Matthew 4; Hebrews 4:15).
2. We must be careful how we worship Him, because God is a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24 & 9:3; Hebrews 12:29).
   • This demands that our worship of Him be serious, not flippant or glib.
   • He made examples of Nadab & Abihu in the Old Testament as well as Ananias and Saphira in the New Testament. By killing those who worship Him wrongly (Leviticus 10; Acts 5).
3. We want to experience God as He has revealed Himself in His word (all of his attributes).
   • The trend in Christianity is to focus on the aspects of God's nature which are more palatable to us as people; love, mercy, and grace etc.. These are amazing and should be talked about, but they in no way eclipse God's other attributes; holiness, justice, glory, and wrath.
4. God's character sets the standard for what is right and wrong and is spelled out in His Word.
   • We were made in His image not the other way around. We are obligated to conform to His standards.
   • God's Word is the final and ultimate authority.

The Bible is the very Word of God (2 Tim. 3:16) and is therefore without error and completely trustworthy in all that it asserts.

• Inspiration — Verbal and complete inspiration (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21). Scripture is “breathed out” by God. God inspired the writers of the Biblical texts through His Holy Spirit to write the message He desired while using their unique styles and language.
• Inerrancy — It contains no errors. God conveyed truth to divinely chosen individuals. What they wrote did not stray from the original formulation of truth as it existed in the mind of God (Psalm 19).
• Infallibility — The Word of God is incapable of erring. When the Lord inspired the authors of Scripture, He worked so as to make it impossible for them to affirm error in the completed product. In other words, it is never wrong and thus completely trustworthy (Psalm 19:7; Titus 1:2).
• Authority — What it says I must do (Psalm 119). The ramifications of the authority of Scripture upon a ministry are manifold. For example, the church is never to stray outside the boundaries given in the Word of God. Every aspect of ministry (whether a sermon, Bible study, program, or activity) must be motivated by an understanding of the authority of Scripture and must bring Scripture to bear upon the lives of believers. Furthermore, since the Bible is completely authoritative for belief and practice, the church need not derive its methods from the culture nor conform its message to what is acceptable in the eyes of the world. Rather, ministry must be dictated by principles taught in Scripture itself.
• Sufficiency — 2 Peter 1:3-4; Psalm 19; 2 Tim. 3:17; Heb. 4:12 The Scriptures are not only authoritative over every aspect of life and ministry; they are also sufficient for the same. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 states, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” The implications of this verse are astounding, for it asserts that the Word of God is sufficient for all areas of ministry, including preaching, teaching, and counseling believers unto godliness. Therefore, the primary focus of every sermon, Bible study, or counseling opportunity must be the teaching of Scripture.
  • Positively: A ministry that believes in the sufficiency of Scripture will do everything possible to bring the Word to bear on the lives of the congregation. The sufficiency of Scripture demands that individuals as well as ministries be devoted to and trusting of the Word of God. In other words, a proper view of Scripture demands our obedience and our belief. It demands our affections, our faith, and our understanding.
  • Negatively: A belief in the sufficiency of Scripture prohibits any attempt to integrate it with psychology or worldly philosophies that stand opposed to a biblical worldview.
• Relevance — It is totally relevant for every situation (Psalm 19; 119:105; Isa. 40:8 2 Tim. 3:17). It may not give us an explicit answer to every specific problem, but it will always give us the principles by which we can, through obedience, glorify God.

1. Mankind is totally depraved.
   
   Total depravity does not mean that man always acts as wickedly as possible, but rather that wickedness so permeates his entire being that he is enslaved to it and is therefore unable to respond to the gospel in faith and repentance apart from the grace of God. Notice how the Scriptures portray mankind:
   • On his own he cannot do good (Rom. 3:10-18).
   • On his own he is unable to understand or accept the things of God (1 Cor. 1:18; 2:14).
   • His heart is deceitfully wicked (Jer. 17:9-10).
   • His goal in life is selfish and only evil continually (Gen. 6:5; Eccl. 9:3).
2. Mankind continually sins.
   
   Sin is any disobedience or rebellion against God. It is manifested in refusing to think, feel, act, and speak according to what He commands (omission), and/or in insisting on thinking, feeling, acting, and speaking in ways which He forbids (commission).
   
   Sin chiefly concerns the heart. To be sinfully angry with your brother is enough to convict you of murder (Matthew 5:22), and to lust after another person is to commit adultery with that person in your heart (Matthew 5:28). Therefore, though one may be externally above reproach, internally we are guilty of breaking the entire law (James 2:10).

In Matthew 16:18, Christ said, “I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it,” and He has done just that!

1. The Composition of the Church
   
   The church is made up of all the men and women who have repented of their sin and placed their faith in Christ.The church is a living organism made up of true believers who “offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2: 5).
   • Every believer has direct access to God through Jesus Christ and the church is a fellowship of priests serving together under the lordship of Christ.Now that Christ has fulfilled the representational role of the priesthood, and since He is the one mediator between God and men(1 Tim. 2: 5), there is no continuing need or role for a human priest.No longer does a human priest stand to represent other humans before God.As the people of God, the church is now a “royal priesthood” (1 Pet. 2: 9), ministering together in the name of Christ.
   • The problem , there are religions that teach that we must have a mediator between us and God. The priesthood of believers replaces any notion of representational or sacramental ministrations.
2. Christ's Role in the Church
   
   Christ so loved the church that He died for her (Eph. 5:25) that He might sanctify her and present her to Himself in all her glory, blameless and without spot or blemish (Eph. 5:26-27). Christ both nourishes and cherishes the church (Eph. 5:29), and He exists as head over His bride (Eph. 5:23).
3. The Function of the Church
   
   The church, having been “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets” (Eph. 2:20), is to function as “the pillar and support of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). It is through the church that believers are equipped to mature into the likeness of Christ (Eph. 4:11-16) and unbelievers are presented the good news of the gospel (Matt. 28:19-20).
4. The Responsibilities of the Church
   
   The universal church finds concrete expression in the local church (a.k.a. the local assembly of believers). Because the church (local assembly) is God's primary vehicle for working in this age, it is vital that all believers identify with, function in, and submit to the leadership of a local church (Heb. 13:17). Believers are to edify one another with their spiritual gifts (Rom. 12:6-8; 1 Peter 4:10-11), regularly assembling together (Heb. 10:24-25) so that they might devote themselves to the teaching of God's Word, fellowship, celebration of the Lord's Supper, and prayer (Acts 2:42). Because of the premium that Scripture puts on this kind of involvement in the local church, any given ministry must seek to foster in God's people a deepening love for and commitment to the church, as well as a biblical understanding of what it means to function as the church.
   • The church (local assembly) exists to worship and glorify God (1 Cor. 10:31; 1 Peter 2:4-12).
   • The church (local assembly) exists to be a repository of divine truth (1 Tim. 3:15).
   • The church (local assembly) exists to provide a context of loving fellowship for the purpose of mutual edification (Eph. 3:16-19; 4:12-16).
   • The church (local assembly) exists as a training center where people can grow through the application of teaching and the utilization of their spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12-14; Rom. 12; Eph. 4:11-13).
   • The church (local assembly) exists to be a light in this dark world, for the evangelization of the lost (Matt. 5:13-16; 28:19-20; Titus 2:11-15; Acts 1:8).
   • The church exists to provide accountability for the purity of the church members (Matt. 18).

God has ordained how the leadership is to be structured. Though TCC is historically a congregational church, a better descriptor of our government would be “Elder Led, Congregational Rule.”

• The Office of Elder
  
  As numerous passages in the New Testament indicate, the words “elder” (presbuteros), “overseer” (episkopos), and “pastor” (poime-n) all refer to the same office. In other words, overseers and pastors are not distinct from elders; the terms are simply different ways of identifying the same people. The qualifications for an overseer (episkopos) in 1 Timothy 3:1-7, and those for an elder (presbuteros) in Titus 1:6-9 are unmistakably parallel. In fact, in Titus 1, Paul uses both terms to refer to the same man (presbuteros in v. 5 and episkopos in v. 7). All three terms are used interchangeably in Acts 20. In verse 17, Paul assembles all the elders (presbuteros) of the church of Ephesus to give them his farewell message. In verse 28 he says, “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers [episkopos], to shepherd [poimaino-] the church of God.” First Peter 5:1-2 brings all three terms together as well. Peter writes, “Therefore, I exhort the elders [presbuteros] among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd [poimaino-] the flock of God among you, exercising oversight [episkopeo-] not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God.” The different terms, then, indicate various features of ministry, not varying levels of authority or separate offices, as some churches espouse.
• The Plurality of Elders
  
  The consistent pattern throughout the New Testament is that each local body of believers is shepherded by a plurality of God-ordained elders. Simply stated, this is the only pattern for church leadership given in the New Testament. Nowhere in Scripture does one find a local assembly ruled by majority opinion or by a single pastor.
  • The apostle Paul left Titus in Crete and instructed him to “appoint elders in every city” (Titus 1:5).
  • James instructed his readers to “call for the elders of the church” to pray for those who were sick (James 5:14).
  • When Paul and Barnabas were in Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, they “appointed elders for them in every church” (Acts 14:23).
  • In Paul's first epistle to Timothy, the apostle referred to “the elders who rule well” at the church at Ephesus (1 Tim. 5:17; see also Acts 20:17, where Paul addresses “the elders of the church” at Ephesus).
  • The book of Acts indicates that there were “elders” at the church in Jerusalem (Acts 11:30; 15:2, 4; 21:18).
  • Again and again, reference is made to a plurality of elders in each of the various churches.
  Much can be said for the benefits of leadership made up of a plurality of godly men. Their combined counsel and wisdom helps assure that decisions are not self-willed or self-serving to a single individual (cf. Prov. 11:14).
  
  Because we see the value in this plurality, if there is division among TCC's elders in making decisions, all the elders will study, pray, and seek the will of God together until consensus is achieved. In this way, the unity and harmony that the Lord desires for the church will begin with those individuals he has appointed to shepherd His flock.
• The Qualifications of Elders
  
  The character and effectiveness of any church is directly related to the quality of its leadership. That's why Scripture stresses the importance of qualified church leadership and delineates specific standards for evaluating those who would serve in that sacred position.
  
  The qualifications for elders are found in 1 Timothy 3:2-7 and Titus 1:6-8. According to these passages, an elder must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, gentle, not contentious, free from the love of money, not fond of sordid gain, a good manager of his household, one who has his children under control with dignity, not a new convert, one who has a good reputation outside the church, self-controlled, sensible, able to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict, above reproach as God's steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, loving what is good, just, and devout.
  
  The single, overarching qualification, which the rest support, is that he is to be “above reproach.” That is, he must be a leader who cannot be accused of anything sinful because he has a sustained reputation for blamelessness. An elder is to be above reproach in his marital life, his social life, his business life, and his spiritual life. In this way, he is to be a model of godliness so he can legitimately call the congregation to follow his example (Phil. 3:17). All the other qualifications, except perhaps teaching and management skills, only amplify that idea.
  
  In addition, the office of elder is limited to men. 1 Timothy 2:11-12 says, “Let a woman quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.” In the church, women are to be under the authority of the elders, excluded from teaching men or holding positions of authority over them.
• The Functions of Elders
  
  As the apostolic era came to a close, the written Word of God became the sole authority over the church. Elders were established to minister the Word of God to the church, and this office emerged as the highest level of local church leadership. Thus, it carried a great amount of responsibility.
  
  As managers and caretakers of the church (1 Tim 3:5, Acts 20:28), the primary responsibility of the elders is to care for the church by studying God's Word and applying it in the following areas:
  • Determining church policy (Acts 15:22)
  • Ordaining others (1 Tim. 4:4)
  • Ruling, teaching, and preaching (1 Tim. 5:17; cf. 1 Thess. 5:12; 1 Tim. 3:2)
  • Exhorting and refuting (Titus 1:9)
  • Acting as shepherds, setting an example for all (1 Peter 5:1-3).
  • Congregational Affirmation
    
    As established above, elders are required to lead the church, and it is appropriate that they be empowered to make decisions relating to the life and ministry of the church. Furthermore, the congregation is called to submit to their leaders (Heb 13:17). However, elders are not infallible and do require involvement from the congregation in making decisions and holding them accountable.
    
    The New Testament shows the congregation actively involved in supporting and affirming the decisions of the church leadership. The following passages demonstrate this involvement:
    1. Acts 6 - Selection of elder-level leaders;
    2. Acts 15:22 - Resolving major biblical/doctrinal issues;
    3. I Corinthians 5 - Membership issues including discipline (This is reinforced in Matthew 18:17-18, and presumably would also apply to discipline of a leader [I Timothy 5:15-20; Romans 16:17-18]).
    As elders fulfill their role in leading the church, they also recognize the role and ministry of the Holy Spirit. The local body is said to be the “temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor 3:16-17) which indicates that the Holy Spirit acts through the body corporately. With this in mind, the elders willingly and humbly submit all major decisions to the congregation for affirmation. If a decision is not affirmed by the congregation, the elders are committed to trust the congregation's opinion, withdraw their decision, and reevaluate and adjust accordingly.

We believe that God has provided us in the Scripture with everything necessary to nurture and sustain spiritual life. We believe that Scripture is central in the services of our church (1 Tim 4:13-16). Therefore, consecutive expository preaching is our normal and consistent approach to teaching the Scripture. We interpret Scripture using a literal, grammatical, historical hermeneutic. This means we are committed to teaching and to counseling directly and exclusively from the Word of God. Rather than seeking something more than God's glorious revelation, Christians need only to study and obey what they already have. We do not believe secular psychology has any legitimate role in the sanctification of believers. Scripture is sufficient.

As numerous passages in the New Testament indicate, the words “elder” (presbuteros), “overseer” (episkopos), and “pastor” (poime-n) all refer to the same office. In other words, overseers and pastors are not distinct from elders; the terms are simply different ways of identifying the same people. The qualifications for an overseer (episkopos) in 1 Timothy 3:1-7, and those for an elder (presbuteros) in Titus 1:6-9 are unmistakably parallel. In fact, in Titus 1, Paul uses both terms to refer to the same man (presbuteros in v. 5 and episkopos in v. 7). All three terms are used interchangeably in Acts 20. In verse 17, Paul assembles all the elders (presbuteros) of the church of Ephesus to give them his farewell message. In verse 28 he says, “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers [episkopos], to shepherd [poimaino-] the church of God.” First Peter 5:1-2 brings all three terms together as well. Peter writes, “Therefore, I exhort the elders [presbuteros] among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd [poimaino-] the flock of God among you, exercising oversight [episkopeo-] not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God.” The different terms, then, indicate various features of ministry, not varying levels of authority or separate offices, as some churches espouse.

The consistent pattern throughout the New Testament is that each local body of believers is shepherded by a plurality of God-ordained elders. Simply stated, this is the only pattern for church leadership given in the New Testament. Nowhere in Scripture does one find a local assembly ruled by majority opinion or by a single pastor.

• The apostle Paul left Titus in Crete and instructed him to “appoint elders in every city” (Titus 1:5).
• James instructed his readers to “call for the elders of the church” to pray for those who were sick (James 5:14).
• When Paul and Barnabas were in Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, they “appointed elders for them in every church” (Acts 14:23).
• In Paul's first epistle to Timothy, the apostle referred to “the elders who rule well” at the church at Ephesus (1 Tim. 5:17; see also Acts 20:17, where Paul addresses “the elders of the church” at Ephesus).
• The book of Acts indicates that there were “elders” at the church in Jerusalem (Acts 11:30; 15:2, 4; 21:18).
• Again and again, reference is made to a plurality of elders in each of the various churches.

Much can be said for the benefits of leadership made up of a plurality of godly men. Their combined counsel and wisdom helps assure that decisions are not self-willed or self-serving to a single individual (cf. Prov. 11:14).

Because we see the value in this plurality, if there is division among TCC's elders in making decisions, all the elders will study, pray, and seek the will of God together until consensus is achieved. In this way, the unity and harmony that the Lord desires for the church will begin with those individuals he has appointed to shepherd His flock.

We believe that all those whom God has genuinely saved by grace through faith alone are new creatures in Christ and will demonstrate that new life by submission to Christ and obedience to God's Word. All Christians still sin, sometimes horribly, and sometimes for extended periods without repentance. But a decreasing pattern of sin and an increasing pattern of holiness will characterize every Christian's life. The saved will be dedicated to their Savior. A true Christian will not feel comfortable habitually living in unconfessed sin.

We believe that the gift of tongues was the miraculous, God-given capacity to communicate the truth of God's Word in human languages the speaker had never learned or studied. It was a manifestation of God's power and blessing to validate the gospel message the apostles taught and to establish the early church. We believe that ecstatic outbursts and private prayer languages share nothing in common with the New Testament gift of tongues, and that they are patently unbiblical. Since there are no apostles today, there are no sign gifts to authenticate apostles. From the perspective of latter New Testament writers, the sign gifts had served their purpose and were all viewed in the past tense.

We believe that both men and women bear the image of God and that those in Christ enjoy equal spiritual standing before God. But Scripture teaches that God has assigned different roles and responsibilities to men and women. In the home, the husband is to be the gracious, loving head and the wife is to submit to her husband's leadership. God has provided equally clear roles in the church. While there are many wonderful ways women can serve, we believe that Scripture forbids women from teaching and leading men, or in any way exercising authority over men in the context of the church.

We believe Genesis is a straightforward, literal presentation of the historical events it describes. We believe that God created everything in six literal days. We reject every form of theistic evolution.

Critical Race Theory (CRT) is a modern approach to social justice change, developed from a broader critical theory, which is derived from political Marxism. It approaches issues like justice, racism, and inequality with specific intent of reforming or reshaping society. In practice, it does nothing other than inverting the oppressed and the oppressor groups. We believe that critical race theory entirely violates a biblical worldview by suggesting that people are defined by their ethnicity or class, rather than by their individual acts and attitudes. It incorrectly emphasizes intersectional categories such as gender, race, sexual preference, and economic status above and beyond a person's own choices and responsibilities (Galatians 3:28). Additionally, it conflicts with a biblical approach to absolute, objective truth by suggesting that an “oppressed” person's feelings matter more than what the “oppressor” has actually done or intended (1 Corinthians 4:4; 10:29). We believe when and where prejudices are found in the church, they should be addressed according to sound doctrine, not according to inherently secular and unbiblical approaches.

For more on this, we refer you to The Statement on Social Justice & the Gospel.