SCRIPTURE
We believe in the Sufficiency of Scripture.
We believe the Bible is God’s Word. More importantly, we believe that it is our final authority in all matters of faith and practice. Thus, we are constantly reforming ourselves in view of God’s Word.
(Deuteronomy 4:2, 12:32; Proverbs 30:6; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Revelation 22:19).
BAPTIST FAITH AND MESSAGE
We affirm the Baptist Faith and Message.
Lifepoint is a Southern Baptist Church that is deeply committed to the eternal truths of the Christian faith. We live in an ever-changing world, where many believe truth is relative. At Lifepoint Church, we believe truth is absolute. We believe truth is at the foundation of what we do and who we are.
CHURCH MEMBERSHIP
Our goal is not to grow as fast as we can. Our goal is to grow as healthy as we can. We are very deliberate in our membership process. Every member of Lifepoint Church is carefully counseled to determine whether or not they truly understand and have experienced Biblical conversion. Our goal here is not elitism. We simply wish to avoid giving false assurance to those who are not truly regenerate. Our mission is not to get as many people to “walk the aisle” as possible. We desire to see true conversion. We constantly proclaim and explain the gospel, and take our time with people struggling to understand what it means to follow Christ.
(Romans 3:23, 5:8, 10:9-14; Ephesians 2:1-10; Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46; 2 Corinthians 13:5, etc)
We are especially careful with children and would never manipulate or rush any child.
(Matthew 18:6; Mark 9:42; Luke 17:2)
EXPOSITION PREACHING
We Practice Systematic Exposition
Because we believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, we practice systematic exposition in our preaching ministry. That means we preach verse by verse through sections of the Bible in order to faithfully proclaim “the whole counsel of God” to his people.
BAPTISM
We are committed to Baptism by Immersion
This is the essence of what it means to be a ‘Baptist’ church. While we respect Christians from other orthodox traditions, we will only receive members who have experienced ‘Believer’s Baptism’ by immersion. Moreover, we consider baptism necessary to all other privileges of membership. To find out more about our next Baptism Service, please email info@lifepointsenatobia.com .
WORSHIP
We are committed to Christ Exalting Worship
The New Testament has surprisingly little to say about worship styles. However, one thing is sure: we are to engage in Christ exalting worship through praying, preaching, Scripture reading, singing, giving, honoring and obeying God.
(John 4:23-24; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 14:15; Ephesians 5:18-20; Philippians 2:9-11; Colossians 3:16).
At Lifepoint Church, we are not interested in being “Contemporary” or “Traditional.” Our mission is to exalt Christ. We value worship that is theologically sound and doctrinally correct. We value hymns and praise choruses as they draw us to worship in Spirit and Truth.
BIBLICAL COMMUNITY
We are committed to Biblical Community
The Church is not a building, but a community of believers. As such, we are to live in fellowship and community with one another. We must do more than just occupy pews near each other on a weekly basis to call ourselves a church. We also believe the New Testament gives us clear teaching that Biblical Converts (Regenerate Believers) were a part of Christian Community. We do not believe that a true convert of Christ will live a life apart from the community of Christ – His Church. At Lifepoint, Community is demonstrated through active membership participation and small group involvement.
(Matthew 18:15-18; Romans 12:3-18; Acts 2:41-47, 4:32-35, 6:1-7; Hebrews 13:17)
BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW
We are committed to practice a Biblical Worldview
Christianity is not merely a religion, it is also a lifestyle, a philosophy; a worldview. We are to think biblically about every aspect of our lives. It is only through filtering our life choices using the WORD of God as our filter that we will understand, develop, and practice a Biblical Worldview. At Lifepoint Church we believe every member must filter his or her life choices through the WORD of God, and in doing so we will glorify God in this WORLD.
(Romans 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 10:5-6; Colossians 2:8; 1 Peter 1:14-16).
FAMILY DRIVEN MINISTRY
We practice Family Driven Ministry
We believe the church is a “family of families.” While the church is called to make disciples, it is clear that God has given the family as the primary discipling agent. Children are entrusted to parents for their spiritual nurturing. We believe scripturally the role of leadership is given to the man and biblically he is entrusted as the authority and spiritual leader as ordained by God in Scripture. Therefore it is of the highest responsibility that a man seeks to be a biblical husband and father as he will be held accountable by God for his position. At Lifepoint Church, all of our ministries function under the umbrella of FDM (Family Driven Ministry). We work together in all age ranges to equip families in establishing God-Centered, Family-Discipling environments.
(Genesis 12:8; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Psalm 113:3; Ephesians 6:1-4; 2 Timothy 3:14-15).
CHURCH GOVERNMENT
We practice Congregational Church Government; Which is Pastor Lead, Leadership Team Represented, and Deacon and Ministry Team Served.
There are three basic forms of church government: Episcopal church government (a single bishop at the top of a hierarchy), Presbyterian church government (a synod or presbytery governing a group or denomination), and Congregational church government (no governing body above that of the local church). Lifepoint Church, like all Southern Baptist churches, is governed congregationally. The SBC is a convention with which Lifepoint Church voluntarily cooperates. All of our decisions are made locally. Within that context, we have a leadership team that supports the staff by providing input, conducting research, and reviewing financial decisions to ensure proper accountability in all areas of church life.
CHURCH DISCIPLINE
We Practice Compassionate Church Discipline
Although Church discipline is a foundational doctrine in Baptist history, it is now almost non-existent among “contemporary” Baptists. This forgotten and almost misunderstood Biblical doctrine is practiced at Lifepoint Church. If we truly seek to honor God and care for the well-being of His people, we must obey Christ’s commands to practice Church discipline. When practiced biblically and compassionately, it is a powerful tool to restore the fallen, avoid meaningless and unholy conversation, maintain unity in the Church and preserve Christ’s honor in the Church and among the unbelieving world.