About Our Church
Shakamak Community Church
Our Constitution In order to form a Christian Fellowship which will be inclusive of all who are called Christian, we join ourselves together in the spirit of Christ to proclaim the truth of God’s love for all men; and to witness this truth by our individual and corporate lives. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.” Matthew 5:16. We believe that the Church is one and as such cannot be denominated in any way without being destroyed in essence. Therefore, we form this fellowship called the Shakamak Community Church, recognizing that we are all sinners being saved by grace and as such the fellowship will always be imperfect and in need of God’s regeneration. “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16. This group of Christians, who consider themselves to be a part of the Church of Christ Universal, choose, for practical and Biblical reasons, to bear the corporate name of Shakamak Community Church. We choose this name because it defines us as a group geographically. We are citizens of the Shakamak area. The name Shakamak transcends town and city to include all those who live in the various towns and cities of the area. We choose this name because of Biblical precedent. The Churches of the New Testament took the names of the towns, cities or areas in which they began, not the names of those who organized them, nor according to the form of government they practice, etc. The term Shakamak also has religious symbolism meaning “The Waters of the Long Fish” in the Delaware Indiana language. The fish was the sign used by early Christians to identify their faith. Membership in the Shakamak Community Church may be obtained by any person who professes faith that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and desires to be a member of this Church. There are three ways of becoming a member of the Church, 1. By profession of faith and baptism by any method. 2. By transfer of membership from another Christ-believing Church, 3. By statement of faith of their personal relationship with Christ and previous baptism. Our Beliefs 1. On God We believe that there is one God, who is eternal, personal, great, and good. Further, God is the unity of three persons of the GodHead. They are three distinct persons in one God. Also, God has communicated to mankind, through His written Word, in terms of human understanding God has a plan for the ages. He rules throughout the whole universe and will accomplish His plan. 2. On Scripture We believe in “Verbal-Plenary” inspiration of Scripture. That is, the very words are inspired and it extends to all parts of the Word of God. We further believe that Scriptures is perfect, complete, infallible, and inerrant in the original copies. From that time Scripture has been in a state of ”Divine Preservation." Scripture is the absolute which God has given Man, to both reveal Himself to Man and to draw Man to himself. Hence, the major theme of Scripture is the Son of God, and His bridging the gap between Holy God and Sinful Man. 3. On Jesus Christ We believe that Jesus Christ is 100% God and 100% Man. He is the God-Man. He is eternal and has co-existed with the Father from eternity past. He came to Earth by means of a virgin birth to do the will of the Father, which was to die for the Sin of the world. He was raised from the dead the third day and now is at the right hand of the Father. He will come again and gather all believers unto Himself. He will later come and reign on Earth in a literal kingdom. It is only through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that a person can enter into the Kingdom of God. Through this personal relationship the person receives eternal life and is brought into the family of God. 4. On Man We believe that Man is created by God and in the image of God. Man has not evolved from some lower form of animal life. Man was created for divine fellowship with God. When Man rebelled in the garden this fellowship was permanently broken. Man is now depraved and cannot reach God or please God through his own efforts. Divine fellowship between God and Man is restored only through the mediator, Jesus Christ. Once Man, is reborn, he is seen as righteous in the eyes of God, not because of his works but because of Crist’s work in him. 5. On Salvation We believe that Salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ, not of works; hence no person can boast. Included in the process of salvation are seven main elements. 1. Atonement- Christ’s sacrificial death for payment of our sin. 2. Conviction- The work of the Holy Spirit whereby he enlightens Man to his sinful state. 3. Repentence- The turning around of one’s attitude toward God. 4. Confession- Public acknowledgement of one’s personal relationship with Christ. 5. Faith- Placing one’s trust in Christ and His work for salvation. 6. Regeneration- The work of God whereby He creates in us a new Man. 7. Imputed righteousness- Whereby God sees us as righteous because we are now clothed in the blood of his Son Jesus Christ. Also included in Salvation is the ongoing sanctification and final glorification of the saints. 6. On the Church We believe that the head of the Church is Christ. It is Christ who is building it and He is the object of its worship. The individual Church members are to be holy before God, a witness unto a lost world, and a proclaimer of His Word. They have a responsibility to keep themselves pure and undefiled by sin. We believe that the Church is one body though many in membership. Each member has been given particular gifts which are to used to minister to the rest of the body. The Church is to evangelize the world; hence it is the means by which God communicates His salvation unto sinful Man. 7. On the Holy Spirit We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the triune GodHead. We further believe that He is the agent in the new birth, the convictor of sin, sealer and teacher of the believer, the proclaimer of the gospel, the sanctifier of the saints, and the administrator of the gifts unto the Church. 8. On the Resurrection We believe that Christ literally arose from the dead and is now presently alive. We also believe that Christ will raise all of the dead believers to life, to be with Him forever. This resurrection of the saints will take place when Christ comes back to take home all the living believers. This gathering and resurrection of saints is known as the rapture. 9. On Baptism Because baptism is taught in the Scripture as the outward expression of an inward change, we believe that the spiritual condition of the person is more important than the method of baptism. 10. On Membership Membership in the Shakamak Community Church may be obtained by any person who professes faith that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and desires to be a member of this Church. There are three ways of becoming a member of the Church, 1. By profession of faith and baptism by any method. 2. By transfer of membership from another Christ-believing Church, 3. By statement of faith of their personal relationship with Christ and previous baptism. |
