OUR
VISION
South Salem Church of Christ has a simple vision – Live, Love & Grow. While the name of Jesus may be commonly known, the greatness of his redeeming work for his people and the world is not. We believe it is God’s mission, for us, to exalt Jesus above all; therefore, it is our mission as a local church.
It is a simple mission, but an intentional one. At South Salem you will not find a lot of programs or bells and whistles. What you will find is a covenanted group of followers of Jesus who have said we can: Live like Jesus, Love like Jesus and Grow in Jesus better together than individually.
Our weekly Sunday gatherings for worship are the foundation of our life together. During this time, we gather to Learn, Sing, Read, Pray, Hear and See the Word of God, in all we do.
Gathering for worship provides the transition from what you hear and learn on Sunday into how you live Monday through Saturday.
If you are not part of a church, we invite you to live this vision with us.
If you are not a Christian, we invite you to join us on Sunday to hear and see God’s gracious offer of redemption in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Every Sunday, we have guests from across all spectrum of beliefs and backgrounds; you won’t be alone. You are welcome here.
It has been said that Jesus wants us to be fishers of men, not the cleaners of fish. That simply means “come as you are”. We are to bring you to God; he will do what is needed to clean what is dirty. If churches were meant for only those who are “right”, then they would be empty.
BELIEFS
We are committed to the simple belief that GOD has placed us here in a common belief. South Salem is a place where Jesus is the root of all things, fostering an environment for each and everyone of us. Our core values are built solely on a foundation of God’s Grace. We are faithful stewards of all that God has given us. By believing that the Bible is our final authority on all things, we become a Holy people by His Word and being culturally relevant.
South Salem is committed to the principles of our Christian church heritage in the Restoration Movement, as expressed by phrases like these:
1.) Where the Bible speaks, we speak; Where the Bible is silent, we are silent
2.) In essentials, unity; in opinions, liberty; and in all things, love
3.) We are not the only Christians, but we are Christians only
4.) No creed but Christ
These key biblical principles are not intended as a test of fellowship, but are simply meant to affirm our belief in key issues of biblical doctrine. We offer this document as a theological framework to help unify our faith community under the authority of Christ and His Word, and to advance our efforts to communicate the gospel to the world.
To that end, we believe and have faith in:
GOD
Is the one living and true God, the Maker, Preserver and Ruler of all things, having in and of Him all perfections and being infinite in them all. To Him all creatures owe the highest love, reverence, trust, and obedience.
Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 145:3; John 1:3; Romans 11:36; 1Corinthians 8:4-6; 10:31;
Colossians 1:16-17; 1 Timothy 1:17
JESUS CHRIST
Is God’s only begotten Son and is fully God and fully man. We believe in his virgin conception by the Holy Spirit, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. We believe in his substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for his people, and personal, visible return to earth. We believe that he is the divinely appointed and only Mediator between God and man, the Prophet, Priest, and King of the Church, and Sovereign of the universe.
Isaiah 53:10-12; Matthew 1:18-25; 20:28; Luke 1:26-38; John 1:1, 14, 18; 10:30, 17:3; 20:28, 30-31; Acts 1:9-11; 20:28; Romans 5:6-8; 6:9, 10; 8:34; 9:5; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 15:3-4; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13; Ephesians 1:4; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:1-3; 7:25; 9:28; 1 Timothy 2:5; 3:16; Titus 2:13; 1 Peter 2:21-23; Revelation 12:10
The HOLY SPIRIT
Came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide.
John 14:16-17, 26; 15:26, 27;16:9-14; Romans 8:9, 14-17;
1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; Galatians 5:22-26; Ephesians 1:13-14
The BIBLE
The Holy Bible, consisting of the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, alone is the Word of God, being fully written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and therefore is without error in the original manuscripts and has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
Psalm 19:7; Isaiah 40:8; Mark 13:31; John 20:31; Acts 20:32; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21
COMMUNION
We take communion every week, following the example of the early church, because it provides us a reminder of the foundation teachings of our faith related to the death, resurrection, ascension, and promised heavenly hope of communing one future day with Jesus in Heaven. It is a distinction of our churches that we take communion every week, but we do not believe that one must take communion every week – it is our choice. We choose to partake of the Lord's Supper on a weekly basis to be constantly brought back to Christ the center of our faith, His atoning death, His future coming, and God's grace.
SALVATION
We believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross to save us from the eternal penalty of our sin – separation from God. No amount of good works or human effort can restore us from our state of eternal alienation from God. It is only by God's grace that we are saved from this state of alienation, and this grace is appropriated by a change of heart toward God's authority in our lives (repentance) and by faith in Jesus to forgive our sins. The Biblical pattern for expressing one's personal decision to place faith in Jesus Christ and turn from sin involves water baptism by immersion, which re-enacts the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Baptism is the concrete means by which we entrust and commit ourselves to God through Christ in a visible, historical moment.
John 3:16, Acts 17:30; Acts 2:28, Romans 10:13; Romans 6:1-6