Q – Is Community Bible Church part of a denomination?
A – No. CBC is a Bible church, and, like other Bible churches, is an independent and autonomous church. We aren’t against denominations, and in fact recognize some benefits that joining together with other like-minded churches can provide (missions, publishing, higher education, hospitals and orphanages, etc.). But we choose autonomy as a church body so that we aren’t under the control of others outside our fellowship. We trust God to raise up mature, godly leaders from within, who can effectively guide the church.
Q – How would you define Community Bible Church theologically?
A – We are a conservative, evangelical congregation. We believe the Bible in its entirety, upholding it as God’s revelation to mankind. We seek to live by grace, and try to avoid the trappings of legalism. We view the Christian life as a life of gratitude, in which we are so thankful to God for all He has done for us, that we find our greatest delight in living lives that honor and please Him. CBC is a place where the Word of God and the Love of Christ are exalted, and we seek to live our lives accordingly, by God’s power and for His glory. Having said that, CBC isn’t a place full of perfect people. In fact, we’re more of a hospital – a place of refuge for hurting and wounded souls who find healing and strength in the Lord Jesus Christ and in the fellowship of God’s family.
Q – Is Community Bible Church charismatic?
A – No. We do not practice or observe the use of sign gifts (tongues, etc.) in our public worship service. However, we have people in our church who come from a charismatic background, and who do practice the sign gifts in the privacy of their own homes, for private edification. We enjoy a wide spectrum of views on this issue, from those who believe these gifts are active today to those who believe they have ceased. We have chosen not to allow this issue to be a source of conflict and division in our church family.
Q – What age groups come to Community Bible Church?
A – CBC is very blessed to have people of all ages attending the church. We enjoy young families with small children, plenty of teens, young adults, middle aged folks, seniors and the elderly. We are thankful for the wisdom of our elders and for the energy and vitality of those who are young. CBC is a family. There are deep relationships being built here, and those bonds are cross-generational. Whether young or old, we share in the joys and sorrows, trials and victories of life together.
Q – What is the “dress code” like at Community Bible Church?
A – We wear everything from shorts to suits at CBC. Please come dressed in whatever is works best for you.
Q – What are the sermons like?
A – Pastor Steve preaches expositionally, which means that he enjoys going through a book of the Bible at a time, and breaking it up into a couple of paragraphs or so for each sermon. He will form an outline from those five or ten verses and then develop his sermon right from the passage. He believes that preaching the Word of God is his calling as a pastor, and he seeks to prayerfully be faithful to that calling. On occasion he will take a four or five week break and address a particular topic that he senses is a need in the congregation. But even then, he seeks to teach Scripture passages that speak to that topic. He makes use of a lot of illustrations in his sermons, and he applies the truths of Scripture to daily living.
Q – What is the music like?
A – CBC has a blended music style. Since we have people of all ages in attendance, we find that music preferences are quite broad throughout the congregation. We deliberately avoid catering to one particular age group and their preferred style, but seek to serve one another by expressing our worship through both traditional and contemporary music. We want everyone to feel at home in our worship service and able to come before God in heartfelt worship.
Q – How do you become a member?
A – The process for membership is pretty simple. Our members need to be born-again believers who have been baptized, and who are in agreement with our Doctrinal Statement. We have the person come to a casual meeting with a couple of our Elders to share how they came to Christ, and to ask the Elders any questions they might have about the church and its ministries.