ABOUT

OUR BELIEFS

Together, we will win seekers to Christ, establish believers in their faith, equip workers for the ministries in the world and develop leaders in the Church, “that we may present everyone complete in Christ.” (Col 1:28)

STATEMENT OF FAITH FOR PARMA CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP CHURCH

1. Regarding God:

1.A We believe in one God who is supreme over all creation. He is perfect in every way,
and infinite in presence, knowledge and power. God eternally exists in three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
1.B We believe that God the Father is the intentional and intelligent creator of all that exists. He is the sustainer of all life and the final judge of all that He has made.
1.C We believe that God the Son, Jesus Christ, is the completely divine person in a
completely human body. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, Mary. He died innocent of personal sin on a cross, was buried, and rose again bodily by the power of God on the third day. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, from which place He
will return physically to the earth at the conclusion of the current age.
1.D We believe that God the Holy Spirit influences the seeker and indwells the believer as the personal presence of God, to glorify Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit inspires, transforms, and enables the believer for life within a right relationship with God, that being to be justified by
faith in Jesus Christ and sanctified by the Holy Spirit for wholehearted obedience to the will of God. The Holy Spirit equips and empowers the believer for witness and ministry within the body of Christ and in the world.

2. Regarding Scripture:

2.A We believe that the Bible is the inspired, accurate and reliable Word of God, composed in the 66 canonical books of the Old and New Testaments. The Holy Spirit can and does reveal God’s truth through any version commonly accepted by the general Christian church. The Bible contains the complete and permanent revelation of God’s will for salvation and spiritual, godly living. The Bible is the final authority for the Christian faith and life.
2.B We believe the Old Testament is the foundation for spiritual and doctrinal truth,
which is completed in Jesus Christ. Its moral instructions will never cease to be an accurate and truthful revelation of the will of God for mankind. The Old Testament is comprised of the 39 canonical books of Genesis to Malachi.
2.C We believe the New Testament is the final written foundation for spiritual and
doctrinal truth, which is revealed in Jesus Christ. Its moral and spiritual instructions will never cease to be the standard of the Christian faith and life for all mankind. It is comprised of the 27 canonical books of Matthew to Revelation.

3. Regarding Mankind:

3.A We believe God intentionally created mankind as a moral, intelligent and responsible personal being, formed as both male and female in the image of God. As such, mankind is given the moral authority of free will, with both its privileges and responsibilities.
3.B We believe that mankind knowingly and intentionally entered into sin, breaking a right relationship with God by personal disobedience. Therefore, mankind became spiritually dead and subject to both temporal and eternal separation from God.
3.C We believe that mankind may enter into a living, right relationship with God through personal faith in the crucified and risen Lord, Jesus Christ and through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. On the basis of the shed blood of Jesus Christ, God forgives those who believe and cleanses them from all spiritual impact of sin. The primary evidence of faith in Jesus Christ in a believer’s life is repentance from sin and devotion to God. Through the Holy Spirit, God empowers believers to live rightly in holiness and complete love for God and man. The primary evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life is the fruit of the Spirit.
3.D We believe that unity in the body of Christ is based on our common faith in the person of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The common essentials of the Great Commandment (to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself), the Great Commission (to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to observe all Christ taught) and matters which are clearly taught in Scripture provide the basis for Christian unity. Other matters are discretionary, and may be studied, discussed and decided as a matter of personal conviction, and therefore godly and competent people may have some variation in such matters, while maintaining true unity in Christ.
3.E We believe that mankind may communicate with God through prayer and the study of the Scriptures. Prayer may be of adoration and worship, confession and contrition, thanksgiving and praise, supplication and request, and intercession and advocacy. The means of prayer may be in silent thought, words, songs and music, writing, meditation, symbolic action, silence or other means of communication. Effective prayer is based simply in faith, and is not dependent upon style or means, but upon the character of God. God communicates through inspiration by the Scriptures as well as through His Spirit to the individual or to His body.

4. Regarding the Church:

4.A We believe that the true Church is composed of all persons who have entered into a right relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ and indwelling by the Holy Spirit.
4.B We believe that the universal spiritual sacraments of the Church in the present age are baptism as an expression of faith in Jesus Christ, and communion in the Lord’s Supper, as a continual remembrance of His sacrifice, death and resurrection until He returns. Marriage, membership, burial and other rituals may also be vital expressions of faith and obedience to the will of God, but without universal application.
4.C We believe that membership in the visible church is a privilege and responsibility granted to any person who testifies to such a right relationship with God, and who is willing and able to maintain their commitments to the body of believers who are connected together in a temporal and/or corporate identity.

5. Regarding the End of the Current Age:

5.A We believe that all mankind will experience a bodily resurrection at the conclusion of the present age, the lost to eternal punishment and conscious separation from God and the saved to eternal blessing and conscious presence with God.
5.B We believe that God’s final judgment of mankind is based on the gracious and complete work of Jesus Christ, and each person’s relationship Him, and not on an evaluation of human performance or on an incidental decision concerning spiritual matters.

OUR TEAM

Dr. Michael B. Merrill

SENIOR PASTOR

Myke has developed many resources from the basis of local church ministry. Materials such as The Children’ Bulletins, The Covenant Series of booklets, a Biblical Spiritual Gifts Inventory, books such as The Simple Strategy of Jesus Christ (a Study in Luke), and over 150 short skits are available on his website. Also available is a seminar titled “Why Do People ACT that Way?” based on his doctoral dissertation titled “Five Basic Emotions: A New Systems Approach.” See drmyke.com for more information on these print resources, as well as on-line and on-site training seminars.

Michael G. Whitcomb-Tavey

CO-PASTOR

Michael recently joined us from South Carolina with his family.

LEADERSHIP TEAM

Paula Merrill

SECRETARY

Laurie Symonds

ASSISTANT TREASURER

Joshua Merrill

TRUSTEE

MINISTRY LEADERS

Joshua Merrill

SOFTBALL

WORSHIP TEAM

Josh Merrill

VOCALS, PIANO, & PERCUSSION