The Purpose of the Church: The purpose of Cornerstone Fellowship is to glorify God by making disciples; helping people to build a relationship with Jesus Christ and become maturing believers. Definition of a Disciple: A disciple is a believer who is involved in a process which is designed to help him/her become more Christ-like by displaying His character, daily living out His values and disciplin
es, choosing a ministry of service to others, actively pursuing His mission to make disciples of all nations, and seeking to glorify the Father. The Role of the Pastoral Staff: The role of our pastoral staff is to give direction, to train disciple-makers, to spend priority time in prayer and the ministry of the word, and to be models in the process of making disciples. While they are directly responsible for overseeing certain aspects of our ministry, they should rarely perform ministries or other tasks which could be done by lay persons. The Role of the Church's Leadership: The role of our lay leaders is to model discipleship, to grow in their own ministry skills, and to equip the rest of the congregation to do ministry. The Role of the Congregation: Every person is welcome to join the congregation of Cornerstone Fellowship for worship and study, however, people join the congregation of Cornerstone Fellowship as members to demonstrate their willingness to be accountable as disciples of Jesus Christ. They join with other maturing believers to share responsibility for decision-making, to provide ministry, and to financially support the work of the congregation. They receive nurture, encouragement, and guidance through the study and explanation of God's word, training for specific ministries, and discipline, to enable them to grow more committed to Jesus Christ. Programs and Methods: The purpose of every activity of Cornerstone Fellowship is to produce and further develop disciples. Every program and activity of our church will be evaluated on its effectiveness to introduce people to our Lord or to aid them in their growth as maturing believers. We will modify or discontinue programs and activities that do this ineffectively. Statement of Faith
God: We believe in one God who reveals himself in three ways: as the Father/Creator. the Son/Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit/Sustainer. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and present everywhere. As the Father/Creator, God shows Himself to be the one who called the world into existence, made us in His image, and sets before us the ways of life and death. In holy love, He seeks to save us all from aimlessness and sin. As the Son/Redeemer, God shows Himself as Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, who came to earth as a man to share our common lot by accepting our human nature and our human form. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and died on Calvary's cross in obedience to God's will. Further, as the Son/Redeemer, God shows Himself as Jesus Christ who, through His resurrection and ascension into heaven, conquered death and is calling all people into relationship with God. He offers to us all forgiveness from sin and the free gift of eternal life. Presently, He intercedes with the Father/Creator for all who believe. We believe that He will return to earth at the appointed time, personally and visibly, to gather His people. As the Holy Spirit/Sustainer, God shows Himself to be the one that brings people to Jesus Christ. He imparts truth, influencing the church and individual believers to live life God's way by providing assurance, strength, wisdom, guidance, and enlightenment through the Bible. He empowers the believer for Godly living and service. The Bible: We believe that the Bible, consisting of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, is the inspired word of God. It is protected by the power of the Holy Spirit as the infallible guide for faith and practice. The Church: We believe that God calls us to join His Church, of which Christ is the Head. The church is described as the people of God and the body of Christ. It is the community which God has ordained to accept the joys and struggles of discipleship, to proclaim the good news about God to the world and to resist the forces of evil. Through the ministries and programs of the church, individual believers are called to become maturing disciples of Jesus Christ. The Ministry: We believe that God has endowed all believers with spiritual gifts that enable the ministry of the church. Therefore, we affirm our belief that God calls each Christian to some specific task of service, and that our obligation to Him is to discover and pursue our individual ministries.
