INTRODUCTION
When a baby is born, it experiences different stages of growth. A child goes from an infant to a toddler, through childhood, then adolescence, and finally into maturity. A church, which is composed of a body of believers, will experience the same cycles of growth as it progresses toward maturity.
Psalm 127:1 teaches us that it is the Lord who must build a house. The New Testament is clear that Christ is to be the foundation. The Bible also teaches that we are the builders and the laborers for His Church. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the head of this church, not the members, deacons, elders, or pastor. Christ is the one who leads, provides, and guides this ministry. When God started this church in 1990, the ministry's cause or vision was the primary focus. As this church has grown, we have come to see the need for some structure and organization to keep our course and vision clear. Because of our different church backgrounds, cultures, and diversity, we need to establish guidelines to keep this ministry focused, balanced, and moving in the direction God has mandated for us. We want to maintain our diversity while also keeping unity within the body. These guidelines should not hinder our fellowship, but rather enhance it.
A philosophy of ministry is simply a direction, not a destination. This document helps us decide how we believe the Lord is directing us to build His house in this community. It helps us keep the pressures of people, programs, and ministries in their proper balance, and it is the direction we believe God is currently leading us. This philosophy has been drawn from several sources and developed through much prayer.
Regarding our Purpose
We do what is biblical, not what is religious.
Our Doctrinal Statement outlines the essentials on which all Christians must agree to work together toward a common goal. Our philosophy is to align ourselves only with people and churches who agree with these essentials of Biblical Christianity. Therefore, we do not participate in something because it is "religious" or because a "Christian" label is involved. It must be biblically based and doctrinally sound before we participate as a church fellowship. The Bible, not tradition, is our authority in all matters of faith and practice, and the word of God is the main instrument of growth in the lives of Christians.
We are a country church, not a "mega" ministry.
We believe that Holly Springs Bible Fellowship has the gifts and people to build a large church. People in this area are hungry for Bible teaching and Christian fellowship. We seek to offer both to our church and community. If we had the room, this church would continue to grow and grow. As we consider future building options, we could continue building and moving our facilities always to accommodate the people. There would be nothing wrong with this approach. "Mega" churches can meet community needs and provide tremendous global outreach. But this is not our philosophy of ministry.
People
At Holly Springs Bible Fellowship, we believe in the biblical principle that the ultimate work of the church in the world is to be done by the saints – plain, ordinary Christians – and not by professional clergy or a few selected laymen. We believe the purpose of the church is revealed in Paul's statement that apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor-teachers exist for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry and for the building up of the body of Christ
Christ. (Ephesians 4:12).
Membership
We believe that every member of the body of Christ is a member of Christ's body (Romans 12:5). Therefore, we seek to help each person take the next step spiritually in their Christian walk. We try to minister to people based on where they are in their walk with Christ. We feel that strong expository preaching is the primary tool for challenging people to take the next step spiritually. Our goal in preaching is not simply to comfort, but to challenge people to godly living. Second, we also believe that every member of Christ is a minister. Scripture teaches that servant gifts are equally important as leadership gifts in building a healthy, disciple-making church. We believe that God has uniquely gifted individuals with both natural and supernatural gifts. We do not believe that God saved us to be "spectator" Christians. We believe that stewardship includes the proper use of your God-given gifts. Christians are not to be critical consumers or detached bystanders. They are to be positive contributors to the body. This is essential to who we are in Christ. We encourage members to use their gifts creatively in this church. We do not expect an eternal commitment to a ministry; however, we hope that each person will find an effective ministry for an extended period of time (3-5 years) in this church. We believe this helps in the stability of the church and the faithfulness of those ministering. We do not want to spread guilt; however, if a person feels it is time to move to a different ministry.
Growth
We believe that spiritual growth is intentional (Phil 2:12,13), practical (1 Timothy 4:7), and involves an element of time (Ephesians 4:13). True spiritual growth is demonstrated more by behavior than beliefs (Matthew 7:24-27). We also believe that spiritual growth involves the body (1 John 1:7) and a variety of experiences. It does not occur in isolation, but rather in the context of fellowship. Spiritual maturity is shaped by one's spiritual gifts, talents, heart for God, abilities, personality, and personal life experiences. It is in this context that God molds him into the person he wants him to be.
Leadership
Our philosophy regarding lay leadership is to involve as many people as possible in the ministry process. We are training people to do the "work" of ministry. The importance of "lay people" instead of "professionals" is a distinctive feature of this ministry. We would rather have someone from our fellowship ministering than professional paid people ministering to our fellowship. Therefore, we allow people the freedom to minister and learn from mistakes, rather than requiring people to be "professional" before they can minister. We give people in ministry a degree of trust rather than demand absolute control. This trust allows people the freedom to fail, with an understanding of the responsibilities involved in their ministries. We also grant people the authority they need to fulfill their God-given responsibilities. Responsibility involves both the authority to do ministry and the freedom to make mistakes in ministry.
Ministries
We believe God's people do God's work; therefore, we will not beat our heads against a wall trying to recruit people to fill a certain need. Specialized ministries depend on the gifted people that God sends to our church. If a certain ministry begins to die, it may be because we no longer have the leadership or the need for it. We will let it die until God brings along the right people with the right gifts to administrate and lead that ministry. We also realize we are not the only church in this area. We cannot be the whole body of Christ; we are only part of that body. Since we cannot meet every need, we do not feel guilty for not having certain ministries.
Activities
We believe that every member of Christ needs maturing on a consistent basis (Ephesians 4:13). Therefore, the main purpose of our activities is to develop and further produce disciples "for the work of the ministry" (Ephesians 4:11). Our activities are simply a means to an end. We evaluate activities based on their ability to mature saints and allow ministry opportunities.
Money
Realizing that money can easily become a major focus of any ministry, we have established some strong beliefs regarding money in this ministry. We believe that God's people should willingly give to God's work, not grudgingly or out of necessity. We have placed offering boxes in the back of the church so that people may give privately, purposefully, and with a grateful heart. We do not believe the world should be asked to support the work of God, so we do not have fund-raisers, bake sales, or church rummages. We also do not participate in fundraising, letter-writing campaigns, or pleading for funds.
Family
We believe the family is a God-ordained institution; therefore, we seek to focus on family-oriented activities rather than age-determined activities. While we do provide some age-oriented activities, our main focus is on the development of the family as a unit. Therefore, we do not schedule too many activities that would tear families apart. We try to schedule church activities so the family can spend time together. This also allows our people time to be involved in community activities, so we can be salt and light.
Government
At Holly Springs Bible Fellowship, we uphold the principle of the separation of church and state. The role of the church is to lead people to Jesus Christ and disciple them. We are not to become an organizational political caucus to lobby for changes to the civil laws. Individual members of our church are very involved in many political issues, acting as salt and light in the community. We believe this is how God directed the Apostle Paul to organize New Testament churches. Paul never led the church as an organization to demonstrate against slavery in the first century. Paul taught the principles for being moral in an immoral world. This is our calling as well. We meet to worship and study the principles of God's Word. We are called to lead people into a personal relationship with a Holy God through the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and to teach the principles of biblical morality. We do not feel that the United States is God's special, blessed country, or that we are to keep it pure through legislation. We believe that the only way to keep our country pure is by humbling ourselves, praying, and seeking God's face (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Evangelism
We are a soul-winning church, but not an evangelistic meeting church. We do not bring the world into the church buildings to be saved, but we send believers into the world to evangelize. God has given each of us gifts, and we are to use them to bring people to Christ. It is our ministry to move out into the community and use our gifts to witness. We do not bring people to our meetings so that our pastor and church leadership can lead them to Christ. We are not a seeker-sensitive ministry which can produce a "consumer mentality". We focus on the family of believers that God has called together to invest themselves in the lives of others. When properly trained and fed, they will automatically reach their community for Christ. While some churches see the church as a primary tool for evangelism, we believe that each member of the body is the primary tool for evangelism. We believe that Christians are to go into the world (or their own personal mission fields) and be light and salt. Therefore, our services are not designed to bring the world to us, but rather to minister to the believers who will each week take Christ into the world.
Missions
From a worldwide perspective, this philosophy aligns with our missions program. We pray for the day when our own people (whose missionary gifts have been recognized by the church) desire to go to the mission field as missionaries. We believe we should provide as much of their support as possible (even to 100%). We would be able to say to the prospective missionary, "You need not take the time to raise support – GO!" From a monetary standpoint, we have seen the importance of native missionaries doing the work of the ministry. We believe these people, who have very few contacts in the States, should have a priority in the disbursement of missionary funds. While accountability is not as easily tracked, with careful planning and reliance on the Holy Spirit, we believe we can honor God with the wise use of His money.
Property (Facility)
We do not build elaborate facilities. Our buildings are a testament to our community: functional and attractive, but not flashy. We believe that a majority of our money should be put into ministry rather than buildings.