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Please click-on any of the following FAQs to find their respective answers..:
- Why isn’t NEW LIFE Fellowship a 501(c)3 [IRS-based], tax-exempt, non-profit corporation? Why is she called a “FREE CHURCH”?
- How do you handle the issue of Finances, Property, and things like that?
- What style of “music” do you use during your Worship Celebrations?
- What is your stand on Membership? How can a person become a member of your church family?
- Why does NEW LIFE have such a strong emphasis on covenant membership?
- Why does NEW LIFE emphasize that every real, born again disciple of Jesus Christ needs to be a covenanted member of one, particular, specific local church family, at a time (i.e.: no “dual” memberships, etc...)?
- Does church membership save me, keep me out of hell, keep my salvation secure, and give me eternal life?
- What kinds of programs do you offer? Do you have Sunday School, Childrens Ministry, Childrens church, Youth Group/Ministries, Senior Adults ministries, etc.?
- Do you have deacons/deaconesses as a part of your church’s leadership?
- Why doesn’t NEW LIFE, as a local church family ministry, celebrate any of the so-called “traditional Christian” holidays and celebrations, etc.?
- Is New LIFE Fellowship a part of the “Hebrew Roots Movement” or “Messianic Christian Movement”?
- Why isn’t NEW LIFE Fellowship a 501(c)3 [IRS-based], tax-exempt, non-profit corporation? Why is she called a “FREE CHURCH”?
First, based upon Scripture (only) there is no indication that we, as a local church are required by Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, who is the HEAD of our church family, to be a “corporation” of any type. Based upon the clear teaching of Scripture, each local church family is a part of the greater, world-wide, Body of Christ, which is a Holy Spirit empowered Living Organism, as opposed to being a business or a corporation. If it is a business or a corporation, it would then be subject to all of the Federal, State, County, and City/Local business/corporate laws that apply to all types of corporations, non-profit corporations included.
Second, since we are in the United States of America, our own U.S. Constitution guarantees certain inalienable (unalienable) rights [i.e.: God-given rights], that are not given or granted by any governmental entity within the United States, but must be recognized by all governmental entities within these United States. As such, this immunity from governmental oversight, intrusion, interference, and/or even taxation, has been embodied and encoded for us in the First Amendment to our Constitution, which is “conveyed” to all of our various states, and cannot be abridged. Our First Amendment states that, “Congress shall make NO law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the FREE exercise thereof; or abridging the FREEDOM of speech, or of the press; or the RIGHT of the people peaceably to ASSEMBLE, and to PETITION the Government for a REDRESS of grievances.” (emphasis mine) This is a recognition by our Federal Government of certain inalienable (unalienable) rights [i.e.: God-given rights], not a “granting” or something “given” by it. Therefore, our nation’s founding fathers made sure to encode these God-given “rights” for all generations to come. And since the IRS is an “invention” of Congress, the IRS cannot do anything to abridge any “immunities” guaranteed and embodied in the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment.
Since we are a local church family, composed of freely associated individuals, couples and families, who have come together to form a local church family, by covenant, under the Headship of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, according to His written Holy Word... this “forming” and “associating” is a God-given “right” recognized, guaranteed and encoded in our U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment (in its Bill of Rights). Since the time when the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth... the normal way of being a local church family has been by forming ourselves into local church families as FREE CHURCHES (please CLICK HERE for more information regarding this subject).
In order to understand these concepts, it is good to understand the biblical concept of proper jurisdiction. The Bible teaches that God has ordained three institutions among men, each having its own separate jurisdiction. The family is the ministry of education (Deut. 6:1-25). The church is the ministry of grace (Eph. 4:11-16). And the civil government is the ministry of justice (Rom. 13:1-14; 1 Peter 2:13-17). Each of these institutions are charged by God to fulfill their particular role. One institution's relationship to the other institutions is to be supportive, yet without meddling or interference. For example, the church is to exhort the state to administer justice in the community, but it is not the church's role to determine how the specifics of this duty must be accomplished. In a similar way, the State has an interest to see that children are educated before God, but parents have the authority to determine how this will be worked out in their household.
One pertinent illustration of the doctrine of jurisdiction applied is found in the book of Ezra. Upon returning to Jerusalem, Ezra set out to restore the temple service and instruct the people in the law of God. In the process, he gives us an important principal about jurisdiction. Ezra 7:24 states, “And we also inform you that it shall not be lawful to impose tax, tribute, or custom on any of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, Nethinim, or servants of this house of God.” From these words we learn that there is a jurisdictional boundary between the civil rulers and the servants of the temple. Applied to our day, we might say that there is a separation between church and State, and that the church is FREE to function according to the Word of God without interference from the State.
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- How do you handle the issue of Finances, Property, and things like that?
Since we are NOT a business nor are we a corporation, but a local church family, composed of freely associated individuals, couples and families, who have come together to form a local church family, by covenant, under the Headship of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, according to His written Holy Word... we do not necessarily have to have a bank account, own property, and/or own a building. These are not necessities regarding being a local church family, according to Scripture nor is this indicated by apostolic church history nor by early church history, within the first 100 years or so after Pentecost (see Acts 2).
Let’s see if these concepts can be illustrated with the following illustration (which, by the way, illustrates something that is completely “above board” and “legal”, fully).
Let’s say that NEW LIFE wants to meet together for our public Worship Celebrations, and by doing so, we have chosen to rent a large room or gymnasium on Sunday mornings for 2 hours. The rent is $155.00 per week, or for each time we meet for those 2 hours. This payment covers all kinds of expenses, including seating, heating/cooling and other utilities, and any type of clean-up that might be needed, etc. ... so there are no hidden fees expected. Those who are renting to us, want this paid on the 10th of the following month, for all of the previous month’s usage. When we get the bill, the leadership announces it, and let’s anyone and everyone who wants to, to contribute to paying for this common expense, either with some partial payments directly to the owners, or by putting cash into our offering box that we have available during all of our Worship Celebrations. Any short falls regarding any expenses we incur, the eldership has agreed to pay for whatever might be remaining, etc.
Also, during our Worship Celebration gatherings, the lead pastor-teacher brings his own laptop and other presentation equipment with him for his message he will be teaching from and he brings anything else he might need (all of which he personally owns). The Worship Team brings all of their individually owned instruments and any other types of technical, music-related equipment that they might need. In essence, each of us “brings to the table” all that we might need by each of us “pitching in” voluntarily, without compulsion, for the equipping and edification of the body of Christ, within our local church family, in all of our various gatherings, equipping times, fellowship times, Cell Group gatherings, and any of our various ministry events, activities, and/or aspects, etc. We all “pitch in” and help to contribute to, and to do all that we can as we can, as God empowers us and leads us, together, as a local church family.
What if some members, want to help out our Lead Pastor-Teacher financially or with other kinds of help or support? Well, all they have to do, is what any citizen of these United States can freely do without any governmental regard, as a basic human right... each member can freely give anything to the pastor as a “gift.” That is how its been done, since the book of Acts, and even since the founding of this nation. Freely, voluntarily, not under compulsion... that kind of gift giving is perfectly biblical and perfectly legal. And the “giving” does not always have to be in the form of financial “gifts.” They can be in the form of whatever needs anyone, really, within our church family might need, including the pastor (please see Acts 2:42-47; 1 Cor. 9:14; Galatians 6:6-8).
Some people may still think that this is completely “not right” and/or is “illegal”. That “thinking” is, really, without basis. Please CLICK the following link to help with any more information that you might need regarding this subject (CLICK HERE).
Also, if our local church family wants to have a local bank account, this also is allowable for wise stewardship, biblically.
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- What style of “music” do you use during your Worship Celebrations?
We seek to have the “philosophy” of being both fully biblically sound as well as being fully culturally relevant with the surrounding “target” culture around us. We seek to obey God’s commands in Jude 1:3 and in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 (with the overriding Missional strategy of Matt. 28:18-20 and Acts 1:8). Thus we tend to be fully “contemporary” with even a bit of Gen-X in our style. Yet, we will integrate some “older” hymnal-type songs, but typically “spice” them up a bit, and get them more into the 21st Century.
As to being culturally relevant... we are not saying that we throw out all sensibility nor do we abandon God’s Truth as revealed in Holy Scripture. Since the surrounding culture tends to be younger (than most would think)... FACT: within a 5 mile radius all around us... 65% are 46 years old and younger. That is quite a majority of “shared culture.” Let me explain briefly... when the dad and mom are listening to the same types of music styles, watching the same types of television programs, playing the same kinds of video games, and are involved in watching and playing the same kinds of sporting and/or recreational activities... you have shared culture across generations. Thus, in most times (outside of any religious activities)... what kind or type of music styles do these folks listen to? Once this is answered, that will help us know, as a ministry, what styles of Christian Worship Music we should use in our Worship Celebration gatherings. And since “Rock & Roll”, “Modern Country”, and even “Alternative Rock” are the majority of music styles in our area (for those who are “unchurched non-christians”, even up to the age of 60 years old, by the way) we unashamedly, unabashedly, and boldly pursue employing fully biblically sound, more modern contemporary worship music as the overwhelming majority of our “style” of worship music within our Worship Celebrations. We want the “unchurched non-christian” to walk into our Worship Celebrations and not feel that he/she walked into some time-machine and was transported back to the 1950’s. We want there to be the least amount of “culture shock” in their experience within our Worship Celebrations. This does not imply that we will water down the Message being taught, just so people will feel comfortable and safe. The Messages will be fully biblical. But the “way we do things” as we obey Christ’s mandates, in all of our Ministry Aspects, we will seek to be relevant to our surrounding culture (1 Cor. 9:19-23), while being fully biblical and truthful (Jude 1:3).
- What is your stand on Membership? How can a person become a member of your church family?
This is completely covered by our “Foundational Documents” within our “Membership” section of this website. Please CLICK HERE to go there.
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- Why does NEW LIFE have such a strong emphasis on covenant membership?
This is our stance regarding membership, plain and simple. We look to the Holy Scriptures of the Holy Bible and we discover that God is a covenant-making God. In his dealings with His people, He relates to them via a covenant or covenants.
Since the days of the early church, each local church had its way of receiving members. As the most common way, the “candidate” new believer would have to confess his/her faith in Christ and His finished work as enough, complete, and the only means for his/her salvation. He/She was then publicly baptized as a sign of the covenant between that newly born again person and God, based upon the sacrifice of the Resurrected Savior. As time went on, though, many churches found that many “new” converts, may have gone through the religious “motions” and what they did was some sort of ritual... in the sense that the “ritual” was saving them. So, churches began to implement written sets of beliefs and practices regarding that particular local church family... and the “candidate” for membership had to either verbally and/or by signing in some way... publicly agree even beyond the rite of baptism.
We know that this is true, based upon many early church writings. By the time we come to the time in history of the Pilgrims coming to America, we have actual written evidence of this in the Mayflower Compact and in many of the earliest American church congregations and their foundational documents. They utilized a way of covenantal membership, to ensure that the new believer / candidate for membership was indeed a true, born again disciple of Jesus Christ and was covenanting with God and with the local church family to become an active, participating member of that particular local church.
Therefore, we follow this biblically-based practice, based upon the principles discovered in Scripture regarding covenant. We covenant with God and with each other to be a local church family, under the Headship of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, according to His Holy Word. This also allows our shepherding-overseers (i.e.: “elders”) to actually know with whom they have proper biblically-based shepherding charge over (see 1 Peter 5:1-4; Acts 20:28-31; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13; 1 Timothy 5:17-18; Hebrews 13:7; 17).
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- Why does NEW LIFE emphasize that every real, born again disciple of Jesus Christ needs to be a covenanted member of one, particular, specific local church family, at a time (i.e.: no “dual” memberships, etc...)?
We believe this based upon the preponderance of the teaching regarding this subject in the New Testament documents. But for more information, please CLICK HERE and read this document, it should help. Another article, by Kent Shirley, “When a ‘church’ is really a ‘church’”, is also very helpful.
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- Does church membership save me, keep me out of hell, keep my salvation secure, and give me eternal life?
The Simple and Straight-Forward answer is NO!!!
Only Jesus Christ, who is LORD and Savior of all of mankind... He is the only One who can and does Save anyone, gives Eternal Life, keeps believers out of hell, and Eternally Secures the believer’s Salvation - please CLICK HERE to see that section of our Statement of Faith.
The proper view and practice of covenanted membership within the context of a local church family is FOR those who are already born-again disciples of Jesus Christ. Membership is open for those who are “saved” already, and have been Scripturally baptized as believers in Christ (i.e.: “believers baptism”). And we might add, it is open to those baptized believers with whom God has led, by His Spirit, to join by covenant with us in serving Him, together, according to His Word. This is what real, genuine, born-again, disciples of Jesus Christ are supposed to do as His followers, together (see Hebrews 10:23-25).
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- What kinds of programs do you offer? Do you have Sunday School, Childrens Ministry, Childrens church, Youth Group/Ministries, Senior Adults ministries, etc.?
We do not have any "programs" designed specifically for children, youth, senior adults, etc... as we do not find programs to be the Biblical model of carrying out Acts 2:42-47. However, our goal is to have some great dads who are seeking to be very involved in the lives of their children and who are stepping up to the leadership roles and responsibilities in their home and in our local church family. Please CLICK HERE for a great explanation.
We believe that every parent within our church family should hold to a Biblical model of having consistent family worship times, together, on a regular basis (see Deut. 6:1-25; Joshua 8:34-35; 24:15; Nehemiah 8:1-3; Matt. 19:13-14). Therefore, we have no "Sunday school programs", no "youth groups", no "youth programs", no “childrens church”, no “childrens ministries”, no “seniors ministries”, and no need for volunteer applications, as we do not find any place in Scripture that gives us any indication that this is how God would have us conduct any of our ministries.
Sunday School and youth groups are recent inventions, and for the most part, have come about as a response to the growing government school model that arose in the early 20th century (If you are interested in the philosophical and practical agenda and history of the public school system, there is a great book called "The Deliberate Dumbing Down of America" by Charlotte Thomson Iserbyt. Most churches have blindly followed suit to the socialist methodology of dividing children into peer based groups, without even realizing the philosophy behind it). Also, please read this article by Scott Brown on the subject of Youth Groups (click here).
Babies and Infants are always welcome in our various gatherings, including our Worship Celebrations. Parents should never feel pressured not to attend with us, nor feel intimidated because they have babies and/or infants. We all understand this, as we were all babies and infants at one time or another. If we need to provide some temporary nursery care of some sort for babies and/or infants, we will seek to make sure that we provide this help as we all “pitch-in” to help one another. If we can't find someone to help, you can always bring children into the Worship Celebration. Our hope is that the parents will always respectfully take them outside if they begin to cry disruptively or behave disruptively.
We are a disciple making church. Disciple making is a high priority: starting in the home and then from there moving out from the home into the church and then moving from there into our surrounding community.
We are home-discipleship oriented. We seek to disciple dads (really both parents, but with “leadership” emphasis on “dad”) to disciple their own families.
We are family-integrated. Most of NEW LIFE’s events and activities (whether on a Sunday morning or during the week) are done TOGETHER - AS family units (men, women, teens and children).
We do not have extensive programming. Church should compliment family, not compete with it.
We emphasize hospitality and ‘one-another’ ministries from the home (i.e.: LIFE Groups). Little is really done publicly in our Large Group gatherings outside of our Worship Celebrations, which is primarily focused on Worshipping Christ and on Equipping the saints for the work of the ministry, etc. (see Ephesians 4:11-16)
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- Do you have deacons/deaconesses as a part of your church’s leadership?
We understand that throughout church history that there have been many views and practices within various churches and various expressions of “church” that may take a different stance regarding this issue.
Please CLICK HERE to view our church’s foundational documents, which address this quite well. Also, please CLICK HERE for an understanding of our overall philosophy of church ministry, her structure, purposes, and mission, etc.
Briefly, as already stated within our Statement of Faith, God has provided certain chosen men of God, who are elders (shepherding overseers). They provide leadership oversight regarding the “overall” ministry within our local church family, NEW LIFE Fellowship. Please CLICK HERE to view our “requirements” for being an elder on our elder-leadership team.
The category of leadership, or really “servant leadership” that seems to be also, “team leadership”, which many call a “deacon” is just that, a category. We only have one example of how this category of leadership “worked”, we find this in Acts 6:1-7. We find the qualifications or criteria for this category of leadership in 1 Timothy 3:8-13. And other than that, there is very little to “help” us understand about this category of “servant leadership.” The word “deacon” is really a transliteration of the Greek work “diakonos” which means “through the dirt” or “running through the dust.” Thus, this category of leadership most likely related to “servant leadership” with things “here and now” and not the kind of leadership that “elders” related to. Elders, by the way, have a requirement to “be able to teach”, whereas, “deacons” do not. Thus, we find that the “diakonos” category of leadership related to “serving”, as well as leading while “serving”. Team leadership is the best understanding that fits in today’s way of thinking. The elder is like a coach over a team. The “diakonos” is like a team player, who leads a certain section of the team. Similar to the “Defense Team Captain” on a football team. He plays, leads, and leads by example, but is not really teaching or providing overall leadership for the whole team, just the “Defense Team”.
Regarding our Cell Groups, the Cell Group leaders (whether a man, or a husband and wife team) are deemed to be in the category of “diakonos” according to 1 Timothy 3:8-13. They would need to fit the criteria seen there.
Any other type of “servant leadership - ministry team leadership” that would lead a “ministry team” beyond the scope of Cell Group leadership, and the various other levels of Cell Group coaching, etc... would need to be according to this category of servant leadership of “diakonos.” Most, if not all of our “Body-Life Ministry” can be accomplished in and through the contexts of our Cell Groups. But if there is something that God has led the leadership of our church family to pursue that would be beyond the scope of that which can be accomplished in and through the contexts of Cell Groups (including, even, the collaboration of many Cell Groups, together)... we would need to form a “ministry team” that would be led or co-led by a man/men or husband and wife team(s) that fit the criteria found in 1 Timothy 3:8-13.
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- Why doesn’t NEW LIFE, as a local church family ministry, celebrate any of the so-called “traditional Christian” holidays & celebrations, etc.?
First, we are a “SOLA SCRIPTURA” Bible church, gaining our doctrinal inheritance and emphasis from the Protestant Reformation of times past. Because of this, we emphasize following God’s Word, based upon, ONLY that which is written therein. Therefore, what we believe, hold-to, practice, celebrate, and how we do what we do, together, as a church fellowship ministry is based upon ONLY that which is written in Scripture, period. Some may think that this is too restrictive and even legalistic. But they would be incorrect. We simply look at this as us seeking to obey God’s Word, together as a local church family. As one of the sections in our Distinctives addresses this issue, it states that we seek to do this simply in obedience to God without being judgmental, condemning, or in a “know-it-all” manner. We seek to apply God’s love, grace, understanding, wisdom, and mercy as we obey Him, together.
Since, these “so-called” Christian holidays came to us from the Roman Catholic church and since we are a Protestant Reformation Evangelical Bible Church... we continue the Protest of these paganistically-rooted and idolatry-rooted (yet “Christianized”) holidays, traditions, customs, celebrations, festivals, and rituals. For more in-depth information and research regarding this subject, please CLICK HERE. It may be very eye-opening, indeed.
And, as our Distinctives addresses this issue, it also states that we are not addressing what individuals, couples, and/or families do on their own outside of any ministry context of NEW LIFE. All born again disciples of Jesus, doing things on their own, outside of any context of anything that relates to their own local church family, stand or fall on their own before God and each is personally accountable to God for those “things”, etc. Thus, we are not addressing this sphere of involvement outside of the context of NEW LIFE Fellowship. We are ONLY addressing that which we do together as a local church family as NEW LIFE Fellowship.
We believe, based upon the Word of God, that each local church family must be limited in scope to what we believe, hold-to, and practice (do), together... and it must be limited to doing all things for the sake of the Gospel, period! (see 1 Corinthians 9:19-23) Therefore, if we do “things” together and it “communicates” a “message” other than that which is ONLY found in Scripture, we need to not do that or be involved with that, together. And since these so-called “Christian” holidays, festivals, celebrations and rituals were inherited (in whatever present form they are in today) from the Roman Catholic church... and they do, in fact, come from the blending of paganistic idolatrous beliefs, customs, traditions and practices (although they have been “sanctified” and “Christianized” by the Roman Catholic church)... these kinds of “things” are contrary to Scripture and therefore our participation in them as a local church family ministry would be against what we have just stated above... doing all things for the SAKE of the GOSPEL. Participation in these would not be “for the sake of the Gospel” since they still have paganistic idolatrous roots, even until this day.
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- Is New LIFE Fellowship a part of the “Hebrew Roots Movement” or “Messianic Christian Movement”?
Regarding this subject... which is a wide and varied subject... we are NOT a part of any particular “Hebrew Roots” or “Messianic” movement.
Understanding this, that Jesus Christ, or “Yahshua/Yeshua h’Mashiach” is and always will be Jewish, an Israeli, a descendant of King David, according to the “flesh”, as being fully God and fully man, and being a perfect sinless man, He is still related to King David, as a human. And we, also, understand that all the writers of the Bible are Israeli, according to Romans 3:2... Israel was entrusted with the “oracles of God”... that is : the full Old and New Testaments... the Holy Bible. And God, Himself, has tied His identity with being the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob... the God of Israel. So, from this standpoint, all genuine, real, born again believer/disciples of Jesus Christ, according to the Bible, are in a sense “Messianic”. And that is really the only sense that we are.
We teach faithfully and consistently all of the Bible, Old and New Testaments, but we are a part of the New Covenant inaugurated in the blood sacrifice of God’s Only Son, Jesus Christ. According to Jeremiah 31:31-33, Ezekiel 36:25-27, the whole books of Galatians and Hebrews - the New Covenant is different than the Covenant God made with Israel by the hand of Moses... it is much different and better. And this New Covenant we are in as believers in Jesus Christ takes us back to the “faith of Abraham” according to Romans 4 and Galatians 3 & 4. Therefore we are not under obligation to the various and specific ritualistic things that were instituted under Moses specifically for Israel while in their land, until Messiah was to come. Then Jesus Christ came on the scene and fulfilled all the Law of Moses for us, completely.
Although we may celebrate Passover, Shavuot (Pentecost), and Tabernacles (Sukkot), we do so in remembrance of and in light of our Messiah Jesus Christ - in seeing the “Pictures” of our Messiah in those feasts. And if we do celebrate them, they are optional and not obligatory. No guilt, obligation, or any heavy persuasion is laid upon any member to participate in any of these celebrations... these are not obligatory for being a member nor for maintaining membership with New LIFE Fellowship. We do these celebrations as fun times of fellowship and of learning more about Jesus Christ, as we see shadows and types of Messiah in these feasts.
For more information on the Hebrew Roots Movement and how to have discernment regarding the various strains of movements out there... we have found a very long, in-depth, and detailed article on this subject - which can be found by clicking HERE.
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