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Mission Statement

Connect Jesus Christ with passion and precision to our communities.

Core Values

Authority: The power or right to direct or control someone or something. The Bible is the Supreme authority as it is inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21), it has divine power and authority. Believers are to exercise authority through their understanding of the Scriptures.

Excellence: The fact or state of excelling; superiority; eminence. Berea seeks to accomplish every aspect of ministry with the goal of providing a superior product to demonstrate Christ’s qualities within His body, the church. (Matthew 5:48; 2 Corinthians 8:7; 1 Thessalonians 4:1,10; Philippians 4:8; 2 Peter 1:5)

Growth: The process of increasing in every area of life, as a believer, to exalt and magnify the person of Jesus Christ. Growth is to be developed within the body of believers spiritually, mentally, numerically, and socially. (Ephesians 4:13; 1 Timothy 4:13; 3 John 2)

Outreach: An effort to bring Christ and/or information about Berea to people where they live or spend time. Berea is intentional to bring unbelievers to fellowship with Christ and His body. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8; Romans 10:15)

Commitment: The state or quality of being devoted to the cause. Berea seeks to have an attitude of being fully dedicated to Jesus Christ and His Church. (Romans 12:10; 15:5; Ephesians 4:32; 1 Peter 3:8; 1 John 4:11)

Vision

To be a church with 350 multi-generational individuals who have a passion to reach the un-saved and un-churched in Springfield and all corners of the world, while creating an environment that allows people to serve with excellence, utilizing their God given gifts and talents.

The Meaning of Salvation

The Bible teaches that sin separates us from God and keeps us from enjoying eternal life with Him.

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23

"It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." Hebrews 9:27


God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, into the world in order to be the savior from sin. 

"God demonstrated His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8


As such, He will remove our sin and give to us His own righteousness. 

"He has made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Corinthians 5:21


We cannot trust works (such as being baptized, doing good deeds, receiving communion, or the like) for salvation.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9


Although this offer is made to all, sin’s removal is only applied if we believe who Christ says that He is and what He said He would do.

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved." Acts 16:31


Our role is to ask Jesus Christ to be our personal savior. That means we confess that we are sinners, we cannot save ourselves through good works, we ask Him to forgive us of our sin, and ask that He give to us His righteousness.

"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.Romans 10:13


If we do this, the Bible uses the word “salvation” in order to describe the experience. That is because we are saved from hell and saved unto Christ, receiving His righteousness.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16



What We Believe

While this statement does not exhaust the extent of our doctrinal beliefs, it accurately represents the teaching of the Bible. The members, Elders, Deacons, and Officers of the Church accept the Scriptures as their authority in matters of faith and practice, and adopt the following confession of faith as their interpretation of Bible doctrine:

A. The Holy Scriptures

We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as verbally inspired of God and inerrant in the original writings, and that they are of supreme and final authority. We affirm a historical-grammatical interpretation of Scripture. (Matthew 5:18; Revelation 22:18-19; 2 Peter 1:19-21; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; John 16:12-13)

B. The Godhead

We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit—co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections. (Exodus 20:2-3; 1 John 5:7; Matthew 28:19; Genesis 1:26; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Matthew 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Deuteronomy 6:4; Revelation 4:11; Romans 13:1; Isaiah 6:8)

C. The Person and Work of Christ

  1. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became sinless man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, in order that he might reveal God and redeem sinful men.
  2. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross for all mankind as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice, and that the sufficiency of this atoning sacrifice to accomplish the redemption and justification of all who trust in him is assured by his literal, physical resurrection from the dead.
  3. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our high priest, he fulfills the ministry of representative, intercessor, and advocate. (John 1:1-2,14; Luke 1:35; Romans 3:24-25; 4:25; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Timothy 4:10; Hebrews 2:9; 1 Peter 2:24; 1:3-5; 2 Peter 2:1; Acts 1:9-10; Hebrews 9:24; Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2)

D. The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

  1. We believe the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and that he is the supernatural agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption.
  2. We believe that he is the divine teacher who guides believers into all truth; and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit. (Genesis 1:1-3; Matthew 28:19; Mark 1:8; Luke 1:35; 24:49; John 1:33; 3:5-6; 14:16-17, 26; 16:8-13; Acts 5:30-32; 11:16; Romans 8:9,14-16, 26-27; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 1:13-14; 5:18; Hebrews 9:14; 1 John 2:20)

E. Creation

  1. We believe that God spoke the universe into existence and that man was created, by a direct act of God, from the dust of the earth. (Genesis 1:1; Colossians 1:16; Nehemiah 9:6)
  2. We believe the Genesis account of creation is both literal and historical in nature.
  3. We believe that God completed His creative work at the close of the sixth day and that “all was good.” (Genesis 1:31)
  4. We believe that the six days of creation were six literal, consecutive, twenty-four-hour days with no gaps of time before, between, or after.
  5. We believe that any belief regarding creation that contradicts the statements above constitutes serious error that strikes at the person and glory of God.

F. The Total Depravity of Man

We believe that mankind, including all races, was created in the image of God, that man sinned, violated God’s standard for human thought and behavior, and thereby incurred not only physical death but spiritual death, which is separation from God, and that all human beings, since Adam and Eve, incurred a sinful nature and those who reach moral responsibility become sinners in thought, word, and deed. (Genesis 1:26-27; 3:1-6, 24; John 1:12; 3:3, 6-7; Acts 16:30-33; Romans 1:18, 32; 3:22-23; 5:12, 19; 6:23; 2 Corinthians 5:17-19; Ephesians 1:7; 2:1-3, 8-10; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 John 5:1)

G. Salvation

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice, and that all who believe in Him are justified by grace, and not works, on the ground of His shed blood. (Isaiah 53:4-7; Luke 19:10; John 3:16; Romans 8:34; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 2:1-2)

H. The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers

  1. We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever. (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Romans 8:1, 38-39; 1 Corinthians 1:4-8; 1 Peter 1:5)
  2. We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word; which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh. (Romans 13:13-14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11-15)

I. The Church

  1. We believe that the Church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all born-again persons of this present age. (Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:25-27; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians 11:2)
  2. We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures. (Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11)
  3. We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or control. (Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; Romans 16:1,4; 1 Corinthians 3:9,16; 5:4-7,13; 1 Peter 5:1-4)
  4. We believe in the ordinances of believer’s water baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper as scriptural means of testimony for the church age. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:8; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
  5. We believe there is a distinction between Israel and the church.

J. The Ministry and Spiritual Gifts

  1. We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowment of all His gifts; and that the gifts of evangelists, pastors, and teachers are sufficient for the perfecting of the saints today; and that speaking in tongues and the working of sign miracles gradually ceased as the New Testament Scriptures were completed and their authority became established. (1 Corinthians 12:4-11; 13:8-10; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 4:7-12)
  2. We believe that the biblical offices of pastor and elder in the church, or their equivalents, are restricted to biblically qualified men. (1 Timothy 2:12; 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9)
  3. We believe that God does hear and answer the prayer of faith, in accord with His own will, for the sick and afflicted. (John 15:7; 1 John 5:14-15)

K. Unity of the Body

We believe that God desires for every believer to be a functioning member of a local body or family of believers. These believers as members of one another are to:

  1. Be devoted to one another Romans 12:10
  2. Honor one another Romans 12:10
  3. Be of the same mind Romans 15:5
  4. Accept one another Romans 15:7
  5. Admonish one another Romans 15:14
  6. Greet one another Romans 16:3-6, 16
  7. Serve one another Galatians 5:13
  8. Bear one another’s burdens Galatians 6:2
  9. Bear with one another Ephesians 4:2
  10. Submit to one another Ephesians 5:21
  11. Encourage one another 1 Thessalonians 5:11-15

L. The Second Advent of Jesus Christ

We believe in that “blessed hope,” the personal, pre-tribulation, and imminent return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to earth with His saints to establish His Kingdom. (Psalm 72:8; Isaiah 9:6-7; 11:1-10; 32:1; Zechariah 14:4-5; Matthew 16:26; 24:29-30; Luke 1:32; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; 2:29-30; 1 Corinthians 15:25, 42-44, 51-53; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 3:13; 4:14-15, 5:1-10; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; 2:6-8; 1 Timothy 6:14-16; Revelation 3:10; 9:11-16; 20:1-15)

M. The Eternal State

  1. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. (Matthew 25:46; John 5:28-29; 11:25-26; Revelation 20:5-6, 12-13)
  2. We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where they will be judged according to the things done in the body whether good or bad and enter conscious bliss where they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. (Luke 23:43; Revelation 20:4-6; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; 3:21; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)
  3. We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious misery until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment. (Luke 16:19-26; Matthew 25:41-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Mark 9:43-48; Revelation 20:11-15)

N. Personality of Satan

We believe in the existence of a personal devil, who is working in the world to destroy the souls of men and that he and all his angels, and all who receive not Christ as their Savior, will eternally perish in the Lake of Fire. (Job 1:6-7; Isaiah 14:12, 17; Matthew 4:2-11; Matthew 25:41; 1 Peter 5:8; Revelation 20:10)

O. Missions

We believe the Church, the Body of Christ, is to preach the Gospel to all the world. It is the obligation of the saved to witness by life and by word to the truths of Holy Scripture and to seek to proclaim the Gospel to all mankind. (Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:19-20; Matthew 28:19-20)

P. Separation

We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior and Lord; and that separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices, and associations is commanded of God. (2 Timothy 3:1-5; Romans 12:1-2; 14:13; John 2:15-17; 1 John 2:9-11; 2 Corinthians 6:14–7:1)

Q. Statement on Marriage and Sexuality

  1. We believe the term “marriage” has only one meaning. Marriage sanctioned by God joins one man and one woman (as genetically defined at birth), in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture.
  2. We believe that sexual intimacy is a gift of God that is to be expressed between one man and one woman (as genetically defined at birth), only within the love and bonds of marriage. (Genesis 2:24-25; Matthew 19:4-6; 1 Corinthians 7:3-5; Hebrews 13:4)
  3. We believe that any other form of sexual intimacy is both morally wrong and a misrepresentation of God’s gift. (Leviticus 18:1-30; Proverbs 6:32; 1 Corinthians 6:18; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8)

Therefore, to preserve the function and integrity of the church as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to the Berea Bible Church members and the community, we affirm this statement. (Genesis 2:18-25; Matthew 19:4-6; Ephesians 5:22-33; Colossians 3:18-21; 1 Peter 3:1-22)

R. Civil Government

  1. We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: (1) the home, (2) the Church, and (3) the State.
  2. We believe that every person is to be subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and are to be governed by the Holy Scriptures.
  3. We believe that God has given each institution specific biblical responsibilities with the intent that no institution has the right to infringe upon the respective responsibilities of the other.
  4. We believe that civil government is ordained of God for the welfare of human society to promote and protect the good, and to restrain and punish evil. Therefore, we consider it the duty of Christians to pray for those that are in authority over them, and to give due loyalty, respect, and obedience to them. However, if the demands of civil law would contradict the supreme law and will of God, Christians should obey God rather than man. (Daniel 4:17; Matthew 22:17-21; Acts 4:1; 5:29; Romans 13:1-7; 1 Timothy 2:1-4; Acts 23:5; Titus 3:1; 1 Peter 2:13,14)
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