Definition: The group of Christians known as “Plymouth Brethren” shall be deemed to mean those assemblies of Christians that accept the Holy Scriptures as their sole authority in matters of faith and practices, and the Holy Spirit as their infallible Guide; that are gathered to the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ alone, and recognize His sole authority as Head of the Church to give gifts to men, as the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into His harvest.

Statement of Faith: Our specific beliefs are as follows:

1. The Bible is inspired of God, inerrant in the original documents, and the official authority in all matters of faith and practice [2 Tim. 3:13-17].

2. There is one God, eternally existent in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit [Deut. 6:4; Matt. 3:16-17; 2 Cor. 13:14].

3. The Lord Jesus Christ is fully God, born of a virgin, sinlessly perfect. His sacrifice is substitutionary and representative. He rose bodily from the dead and ascended to His Father’s right hand, where He now ministers as our Great High Priest. He will come to rapture His Church and subsequently return to reign on the earth [Jn. 1:1; Matt. 1:23; Heb. 7:26; 1 Cor. 15:3, 4-9; Jn. 17].

4. Each member of the human race is fallen, sinful and lost, and regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential for the salvation of man. Redemption is wholly by the blood of Christ, and salvation is by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ [Rom. 3:23; Jn. 3:3; 5:12; 5:1-11].

5. The Holy Spirit indwells the believer, who is sealed until the day of redemption and is empowered to live a godly life [Jn. 14:17; Eph. 1:13; 4:30].

6. There will be separate resurrections of the saved and of the lost. On the one hand, the saved will be raised unto eternal life, while on the other hand, the lost unto eternal damnation [Jn. 5:29; Dan. 12:2; Rev. 20:4-15].

7. The church began with the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and is composed of all true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. These believers are united to Him and to one another by the indwelling Spirit. This means that the Church, as a whole, is not an organization, but a living organism, known as the Body of Christ [Acts 2;1 Cor. 12:13].

8. Christ, our risen Head, is the Giver of gifts, such as evangelists, pastors and teachers, and these men are responsible to Him for their service. They are given “for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ” [Eph. 4:11-16].

9. These are two Christian ordinances:

• *Baptism by immersion signifies that the believer, having died with Christ, is buried with Him in baptism and also is risen with Christ to walk in newness of life [Matt. 28:19; Acts 2:41].

• *The Lord Supper is a memorial feast, instituted by the Lord Himself exclusively for His own. In the observance of this supper, believers remember Him, they show His death until He comes [Lk. 22:19-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-32].

10. Every true child of God possesses eternal life and being justified, sanctified and sealed by the Holy Spirit is secure for all eternity [Rom. 8:31-39]. However, a Christian can, through sin, lose his fellowship, joy, power, testimony and reward, and incur the Father’s chastisement [1 Cor. 11:29f]. Relationship is eternal, being established by new birth [Jn. 3:3-8; 1:12]; fellowship, however, is dependent upon obedience [Jn. 15:1-11].

11. The personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ to translate His Church is imminent, an event which concludes the present age of grace. This will be followed by the outpouring of God’s wrath on the earth, known as The Tribulation. After this, Christ’s Millennial Kingdom will be established, and the “glory of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.” At the conclusion of His Millennial Reign, Christ will deliver up the Kingdom to God, the Father, that the Triune “God may be all in all” [1 Thess. 4:13-17; Matt. 24:1-28; Rev. 19:11-20:10; 1 Cor. 15:20-28].

12. We believe in the sanctity of marriage and marriage is ordained of God and is not to be entered into lightly.

13. We believe marriage is between one man (male by birth) and one woman (female by birth) (Gen. 2:20-25; Mat. 19:4-6; 1 Cor. 7:33-34; Eph. 5:22-23).

14. Marriage is a permanent covenant (Gen. 2:24; Mat. 19:5).

15. Sex is to be engaged in only within the bounds of marriage (Gen. 4:1; Prov. 5:18-19).

16. Our Pastoral Leaders perform marriages that are in line with our religious beliefs and tenants.

17. That any form of sexual immorality, such as adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bisexual conduct or any attempt to change one’s sex or disagree