We believe the Bible to be the unchanging, mistake-free Word of God.

Authority of Scripture: We believe the Bible to be the unchanging, mistake-free Word of God. Because all Scripture is inspired by God we believe that it is the ultimate standard of truth and serves as the final authority in all matters of faith (belief) and practice (behavior). The Bible is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it commands, trusted in all that it promises, and revered in all that it reveals (Psalm 19; 119:105; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Peter 1:3).

We believe in one God, who is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

We believe in one God, eternally existing in three distinct persons: The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Each person is fully God and yet there is only one God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14).

• God the Father: God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving, and all-wise. God is Father to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ and is fatherly in His attitude toward all mankind (Psalm 103; Jeremiah 32:27; Ephesians 1:3-10, 3:20; 2 Pet 3:9).
• God the Son. We believe that Jesus Christ is God, who humbled himself and became a human for our sake. Born of the virgin Mary, he lived a sinless life, died on the cross to pay for our sins, rose from the grave to have victory over death, rules from Heaven today, and will return again for his church. Understanding who Jesus is (the person) and what Jesus did (the work) is essential to knowing why he came and why it is good news (Mark 13:24-37; John 1: 1-18; 4:12; 1 Corinthians 15; Philippians 2:5-8; Colossians 1:15-20).
• God the Holy Spirit. We believe that when Jesus left to return to heaven, he sent the Holy Spirit who lives within believers to minister to us, to guide, convict, renew, comfort, illumine, and empower for service. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. He is the seal reassuring the believer that they belong to Jesus. He is the guarantee that we will receive our inheritance promised in Christ. Until that day, we walk in obedience to and dependence upon the Holy Spirit serving the Body of Christ with the strength he provides and the spiritual gifts he granted at the moment of our salvation (John 14-16; Romans 12:3-8; Galatians 5:16-26; Ephesians 1:11-14; Titus 3:5; 2 Peter1:21).

We believe grace is God’s unearned favor and without it we would be forever separated from God.

We believe grace is God’s unearned favor and without it we would be forever separated from Him. Because of Adam and Eve’s disobedience, sin corrupted the original goodness of God’s creation bringing death and severing our relationship with God. As a result, we needed someone to act on our behalf to make us alive and restore us back to right relationship with God. So, doing what we could not, the Father, who is rich in mercy, revealed his redemptive plan of salvation by sending the Son to be the Savior of the world. We believe grace offers forgiveness and transformation that moves us away from only following rules to an ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ. As we have received grace and have been made right with God because of it, so we extend it to others (Genesis 3; Romans 5:1, 12-21; Ephesians 2:1-10; 4:1; Titus 2:11-12; 3:7; 1 Peter 1:13-21; 3:18; 2 Peter 3:18).

We believe that the only way to eternal life with God is through faith in Jesus Christ.

We believe that the only way to eternal life with God is through faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation is a free gift of grace offered to all who place their trust in who Jesus is and what he has done for us. Christ died in our place for our sins and rose again on the third day so that we could have peace with God. This is the good news of the gospel. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone according to Scripture alone for the glory of God alone. There is nothing we can do to earn favor with God. It is finished in Christ and granted by faith. Salvation includes regeneration (born again to a new birth), justification (made right with God), sanctification (becoming like Christ), and glorification (future salvation in heaven free from sin). Only in Christ can we find forgiveness for sin and hope in this life or in the life to come (Isaiah 53:4-6; John 3:3; Acts 4:12; Romans 5: 1-5; 8: 26-39; 1 Corinthians 10:31; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:8-9; Colossians 2:13-14).

We believe all people will have eternal life; those who place their faith in Jesus will have eternal life in heaven with God, and those who do not will experience eternal separation from God in Hell.

We believe all people will have eternal life; those who place their faith in Jesus will have eternal life in heaven with God, and those who do not will experience eternal separation from God in Hell. We believe God is merciful and desires for all to come to repentance rather than perish without him. We believe that God also desires Christians to be his ambassadors so that through us he might reconcile lost people back to himself. We believe that, in God’s perfect timing, Christ will visibly return for his bride, the Church. In the resurrection on the last day, Satan will be defeated, death destroyed, and those whose names are in the Lamb’s book of Life, with robes washed in the precious blood of Christ, will be face to face with the Lord forever rapt in wonder, love and praise. (Matthew 24:36-46; 25:31-46; John 5:24, 28-29; 6:40; Acts 1:11; 1 Corinthians 15:35-58; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; 1 Peter 4:7-11; 2 Peter 3; Revelation 19:7-9; 20: 7-15; 21:1-5, 22-27; 22:1-7).

We believe the mission of the Church – to make Christ known – should be lived out in every day life as we seek to love God, love others, and make disciples of Christ.

We believe that the Church’s firm foundation is Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God. We believe that the mission of the Church then is to make Christ known wherever we go. We participate in that mission by obeying the Great Commandments to love God and love others and by fulfilling the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations. Through the comfort of Christ’s abiding presence, the Church accomplishes his will and spreads his good news (Matthew 16:16-18; 22:37-40; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 3:11; Ephesians 3:8-10).

We believe that the Holy Spirit calls us to a life of Christ-like character and Christian responsibility.

We believe that as a Christian grows in appreciation for what God has done for them, they will grow in their worship of him and work for him. We believe that the Holy Spirit will produce in us Christ-like character as we live in dependence upon him. We believe he encourages us to demonstrate these qualities by spending time in prayer, studying God’s Word, gathering together in worship, fellowshipping with Christians, serving in our giftedness, financially supporting the local church, and by caring for one another as Christians (Acts 2:42-47; Philippians 2:1-5; Romans 12:3-8; 2 Corinthians 9:6-15; Hebrews 10:24-25).

We believe in the unity of all believers, in all places, across all times in the fellowship of the Church.

We believe in the unity of all believers, in all places, across all times in the fellowship of the Church. As Christians, we are called into one body, the Body of Christ Jesus, the Church. We are to think with the humility of Christ and consider others more important than ourselves striving for unity in all things. Where there is conflict, we submit to Scripture and strive for peace knowing that Christ’s prayer for unity is both honoring to him and effective in fulfilling the task we have been given (John 17; Ephesians 4:1-5:21; Philippians 2:1-5; Colossians 3:1-4; 1 Peter 3:8-12).

We believe worship is something for which we were created and that our best expression of worship is to daily give God the honor he is due.

We believe worship is something for which we were created and that our best expression of worship is to daily give God the honor he is due with all of who we are. All of life is sacred and so every aspect of it should be seen as a living offering to God. We believe this includes both gathered worship (when God’s people gather together) and scattered worship (how we live outside of gathered worship). We believe the Scripture encourages everyone to regularly gather together for prayer, fellowship, communion, and instruction in the Word. We also believe that Christians are to participate in the worship of giving (time, talent and treasure) and service to support the work of this church, and provide for the needs of others (Psalm 95; Acts 2:42-47; Romans 12:1-2; Hebrews 10:19-25; 12:28-29).

We believe that Jesus Christ gave the Church two ordinances to follow: Baptism and Communion.

We believe that Jesus Christ gave the Church two ordinances to follow: The first, communion, is a celebration of the Lord’s Supper where the elements of bread and wine represent the body and blood of Christ. In obedience to Christ, we come to the table of communion breaking the bread and drinking the wine to commemorate Christ’s work on the cross, his present intercessory work on our behalf, and his glorious future return when all things will be made new. In communion, we come with an attitude of faith and self-examination remembering and proclaiming the death of Christ. As we do, we receive spiritual nourishment for our souls and signify our unity with other members of the Body of Christ. The second, baptism, is the outward sign of what God has already done in the individual’s life. It is a public testimony (witness) that they belong to Jesus as well as an identification of faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We practice “believer’s baptism” by immersion in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Instead of infant baptism, we practice infant dedication where the family and church commit to help the child embrace Christ at an early age. Given the serious responsibility that accompanies each ordinance, both baptism and communion are only available for those who have professed faith in Christ (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 14:12-26; Luke 22:7-23; Romans 6:4; 1 Corinthians 11: 17-34).

We believe God provided principles of moral and sexual conduct by which all should live. This leads us to responsible, God-honoring standards of living.

We believe God provided principles of moral and sexual conduct by which all should live. This morality leads us to care for and love our neighbor, to promote justice for those who are deprived of it, to faithfully steward the creation God has made, to defend and revere human life, to live honorable lives before God and man, and to properly reflect God’s purpose of human sexuality and sexual activity to be between one man and one woman within marriage (1 John 2:15-17).

We believe all human life is sacred and created by God in His image.

We believe all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. However, because the human condition has been affected by sin, this image was marred from what God intended. In sending Jesus to rescue us, we believe that God declared human life to be of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition. We believe God calls us to defend, protect, and value all human life. We believe every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. We believe that hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of the First Congregational Church of Chester, NJ (Genesis 1:26-27; 3; Psalm 139; Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31; Romans 5:12).

We believe that the family is God’s foundational institution for human society and that the Bible defines marriage to be between one man and one woman.

We believe that the family is God’s foundational institution for human society and that marriage is defined by the Holy Scriptures to be between one biological man and one biological woman. We believe God honors lifelong commitments in marriage and has a heart of compassion and grace to those who experience brokenness within or to the covenant of marriage. We value the ongoing nurture of the family as essential to the overall health of the family, the church, the community, and society as a whole (Genesis 2:18-25; Ephesians 5:22-6:4).

The Bible is our ultimate authority, but for the purposes of clarifying our beliefs, our interpretive authority on the meaning and application of our faith, doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, rests with the Senior Pastor and Deacon Board.

The Constitution of FCCC and the Articles of Faith does not fully exhaust the extent of our beliefs. The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God, speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and proper conduct, and is the final source for all we believe. However, should any future concern not addressed in FCCC’s Constitution or Articles of Faith, need to be clarified, FCCC’s interpretive authority on the meaning and application of its faith, doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, rests with the Senior Pastor and Deacon Board based on the authority given to them by the congregation (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:21).