Sovereign Grace Bible Church

God’s Glory: We are committed first and foremost to the honor of God’s name and the praise of His glory as the ultimate goal in all that we are (our existence) and all that we do (our executions) (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Biblical Authority: We are committed to living in submission to God’s sufficient Word as the ultimate authority in the life of our church. We glorify God as a church by preaching, studying and obeying the truths of God’s Word. The Word of God is our infallible, inerrant and sufficient authority (2 Timothy 3:15-17; 4:2). God only honors those who honor His Word (Jeremiah 7:28; 38:20; Romans 2:6-8).

Sound Doctrine: We are committed to functioning faithfully as a pillar and support of the truth by teaching and upholding sound doctrine as found in the Word of God so that the unity of the church is a result of unity in Christ through unity in doctrine (1 Timothy 4:16; Ephesians 3:17-21; 4:13-16).

Biblical Philosophy of Ministry: We are committed to the biblical philosophy of ministry, not gimmicks and programs. The centrality of the Word of the God demands that the Word of God is not just the stated authority of the church but the “functional” authority of the church. It is imperative that the philosophy of ministry behind SGBC is thoroughly biblical. This means that what drives our church must be dependent solely on Scripture and not on what works, what people need or want. We believe pragmatism in the church is dangerous and deadly (Matthew 16:18-19; 2 Tim 4:2).

God-Centered Worship: We are committed to worship that joyfully exalts the character and work of God as set forth in His Word. According to Scripture our lives are lived in response to God’s amazing grace (Romans 12:1-2). The appropriate response to God’s amazing grace toward us is to live our lives as worship to God and in complete dependence on the Lord through prayer in all things. Hence worship and prayer are not secondary practices in the church, but they are the life and breath of the church (Philippians 4:6-7).

Expository Preaching: We are committed to the verse-by-verse exegetical exposition of God’s Word as a primary means by which God brings about spiritual transformation in the lives of His people.

Qualified Leadership: We are committed to church leadership in which the body is governed by a plurality of godly men who are biblically qualified to shepherd and oversee the flock. We believe that God’s design for leadership in the church is that a plurality of godly men should lead. Though each elder might have different and varying roles and functions in the church, they are all equal in authority and responsibility. The unity of the elders is of inestimable importance. The church can overcome anything except failure in leadership. We believe in complete plurality and unanimity of elders in their leadership of SGBC (1 Timothy 3:1-13; 2 Timothy 2:2; Titus 1).

Homegrown Leaders: We are committed to raising leaders within (Acts 6). A church will never go beyond her leaders. Godly and biblical leadership is a cherished gift from God to His church. We believe that biblical leadership is not an office to be given, but a role and calling given by God and affirmed by the church. Therefore, we believe that as a fruit slowly grows from a tree, biblical leaders will emerge over time in the life of the church. Time and patience are crucial. Through time, a person’s leadership will be affirmed by his life, doctrine and ability according to Scripture (1 Timothy 3:1-13; 4:6-16).

Importance of the Family: We are committed to setting priority to our family. Christianity begins at home. The first context in which a Christian practices discipleship is in the family. The family is the primary place for God’s instruction, prayer, fellowship and evangelism. The elders and the members of SGBC must daily spur one another to be more devoted to one’s own family (1 Timothy 3:4; 5: 4).

Holy Living: We are committed to living lives of purity and holiness in imitation of the One who alone is perfectly holy. Hence, we actually practice biblical church discipline.

The Priesthood and Ministry of all Believers: We are committed to every church members utilizing their spiritual gifts for the mutual edification and fruitful fellowship (Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Corinthians 12).

Priority of Members Over Non-Christians: We are committed to the members of this local church. We gather to equip the saints and scatter to evangelize the lost. This is a simple truth that has profound implications. The Bible teaches us that in ministry, priority is to be given to fellow church members and then to the world. The apostle Paul outlines this paradigm of ministry in Ephesians 4:11-16. Our love for our members is to be a priority over our love for the world. This is what will attract the world to Christ; our sincere love for fellow Christians (John 13:34-35).

Active Gospel-Driven Missions: We are committed to fulfilling Christ’s commission to make disciples of all nations by proclaiming the gospel to the lost first locally and then globally supporting missionary endeavors throughout the world (Acts 1:8).