The name of this church is New Testament Fellowship of Pensacola Inc.
This congregation is organized as a church exclusively for charitable, religious, and educational purposes within the meaning of Section 501 c 3 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Revenue Law) for such purposes including, but not limited to, the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, establishing and exercising religious worship, Biblical equipping and educating Christian believers in a manner consistent with Holy Scripture, and the maintaining of missionary activities in the United States as well as any foreign country.
A) The Bible (Holy Scriptures). The Bible (all 66 books contained in the Old Testament and New Testament) is God's revelation of Himself to man. The Bible alone is the final authority in determining all doctrinal truths. It is inspired, infallible, and inerrant.
B) The Trinity. There is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are one in essence but distinct in Person, function, and role. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are also coequal and co-eternal.
C) Salvation. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. *See distinctives for a further explanation.
D) Baptism of the Holy Spirit. We believe that when a person is born again (saved), they receive the Holy Spirit. We also believe that you can receive more of the Holy Spirit as part of your on-going Christian experience and walk with God. *See distinctives for a further explanation
E) Sacraments. (Water Baptism and Holy Communion/Lord's Supper) The New Testament teaches that everyone who is saved should be water baptized. The New Testament also teaches that Christians are to often participate in Holy Communion (Lord's Supper)
F) Literal Heaven and literal Hell. Heaven is the dwelling place of God. This is where believers go when they die. Hell is where unbelievers go when they die. Hell is a place of fire, turmoil, and eternal separation from God.
G) Jesus Christ and His return. Jesus Christ, God's Son, while on earth was 100% God and 100% man. Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed many miracles, and died on a cross, in our place, for the forgiveness of our sins. He rose from the dead (grave) three days later. Following His resurrection, Jesus Christ spent 40 days on earth, and then ascended to the right hand of His Father. He will return (to earth) again in power and glory to judge the Earth and set-up His eternal kingdom.
All people have sinned. That sin separates us from God. This is the state of being spiritually dead. The penalty for all sin is death. Therefore, Jesus came to earth to die on a cross so that God the Father could justifiably forgive our sins based on what Jesus did (died in our place) and on Who Jesus is. Repentance is when a person is drawn by the Holy Spirit, convicted of their sins, and has true Godly sorrow and a desire to change. True repentance leads us to place our faith (trust) in Jesus Christ to forgive us and save us. It is God's power alone (grace) that saves us. Once true saving faith is placed in Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to indwell us and causes us to "come alive" to God.
It is by living in the power of the Holy Spirit that we are then able to have victory over sin and are able to grow and change into Christ-likeness. As we walk with God in this new birth, the Holy Spirit develops His fruit in us.
A) Water Baptism Water baptism is an identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We believe that this baptism should be a full immersion in water. We give the person being baptized an opportunity to testify before immersion. Before immersion, we also lead them in a public confession of the Gospel.
B) Communion/Lord's Supper. Since Jesus commanded us to do this in remembrance of Him, Communion is usually celebrated weekly. Communion takes a huge priority in our services as it places our focus on Jesus and gives us an opportunity to examine ourselves. We believe there is a special blessing of God’s grace and presence that we can receive when the elements of the bread and juice (the body and blood of Jesus) are received in faith.
Everyone receives the Holy Spirit at salvation. We also believe the Christian can receive more of the Holy Spirit as an ongoing part of their Christian experience. In the Book of Acts, Christians were filled with more of the Holy Spirit after their salvation experience. Some refer to this as being baptized in the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, Ephesians 5:18 says "be filled (continually) by the Holy Spirit." Many times upon encountering the Holy Spirit in this way, (post salvation), God gives a person a personal prayer language. Many people call this the gift of tongues.
Our distinctive is that we believe that there are also other manifestations that could be evidence a person has had a secondary and or ongoing experience with the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor. 12:1-11; 27-30) We believe and encourage speaking in tongues, and recognize it as common evidence of being Spirit filled or what again is sometimes called being baptized in the Holy Spirit. However, we do not believe that speaking in tongues is the "only" manifest evidence of being filled or baptized in the Holy Spirit. Therefore we strongly encourage pursuing the Holy Spirit and patiently celebrating whatever the Holy Spirit does in a person's life
*NTF supports each member's conviction in the area of giving. We agree on the core principle that giving to one's local church is strongly supported by Scripture, to the extent that it is expected to be practiced by believers. You will hear both terms used at NTF, ("Tithes and Offerings" and/or “Giving”).
Is the Old Testament still relevant for the New Testament Believer? *NTF believes that all Scripture is authoritative and relevant for the believer today (Il Timothy 3:16-17). You will hear Bible-centered preaching from both the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament passages will be distinguished as to past context, or present context with regard to application. Old Testament passages will be interpreted/viewed from a New Covenant understanding and perspective of grace.
Scripture says that the Law, as given by God, is never sufficient to save a person, because no human being has ever, nor will ever be able to fully keep the Law. Jesus Christ is the only perfect Person to do so (He was fully God and fully Man). The Law points us to Christ for salvation. This salvation is "by grace through faith." Furthermore, grace, not Law, perfects and completes our faith in Jesus Christ. (He is "the Author and Finisher of our faith”).
In summary, we believe one does not get saved by keeping the Law, nor does one remain saved by keeping the Law. However, if one is saved, it will be evidenced by a desire to grow in holiness and there will also be some evidence of the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
*NTF believes that healing is available through the atonement and finished work of Jesus Christ. Yes, God heals today. Furthermore, we actively ask, seek, knock and believe God for needs of healing. We believe that it is always God's will to heal either here on earth, or ultimately in Heaven when the believer goes to be with Him.
The matter of God's timing or methods belongs to Him. NTF recognizes that God does not always heal immediately. Delays in healing do not necessarily reflect a lack of faith, a sin problem, or a lack of anointing. Delays represent the mystery that remains concerning healing, God's ways, His timing, and everything else involved that we do not understand. This will be reflected in our prayers for healing.
God created and uses Government. God's purposes for human government include the following: 1) Capital Punishment, 2) Punishment for breaking just laws, and 3) Protection for all people (those living both inside and outside the womb). Therefore, we will examine which candidates (generally) running for office best represent God's original purposes for human government. This means we may verbally discuss political and cultural issues as well as which candidate most closely aligns with these intents and values. No candidate is perfect, and candidates from any represented party are flawed human beings in need of God's salvation. We do believe it is the duty of each believer to support the candidate that best reflects God’s purposes for human kind.
We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life. Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that supports aborting babies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, and birth control that kills once the egg and sperm are joined. We also recognize that abortion wounds both the woman and man involved and that God graciously desires to forgive and heal all who turn to Him through Jesus Christ.
We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between one naturally born man and one naturally born woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God's gift of sex. We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one's gender by surgery or appearance. We believe that the only Scriptural marriage God recognizes is the joining of one naturally born man to one naturally born woman for life.
We believe that men and women are spiritually equal in position before God but that God has ordained distinct and separate spiritual functions for men and women in the home and the church. *For church spiritual functions please see "ministry leadership" section. We believe that God has ordained the husband to be the leader of the home. We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. The husband is to love their wife as Christ loves the church. Even if the wife works outside the home, the husband is still responsible to work in such a way that provides for the financial, physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of his wife, children, and appropriate family. The husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the Church and the wife is to submit herself to the Scriptural leadership of her husband as the church submits to the headship of Christ. The wife is to be a helper for her husband and children. Children are to obey their parents. Parents are responsible for teaching their children spiritual and moral values through consistent lifestyle example and appropriate discipline, including Scriptural correction.
We believe that the direct taking of an innocent human life is a moral evil, regardless of the intention. Life is a gift from God and must be respected from conception until natural death.We believe that the direct taking of an innocent human life is a moral evil, regardless of the intention. Life is a gift from God and must be respected from conception until natural death.
*NTF believes that Scripture mandates that Church Leadership and Church Authority is to be positionally held by a man.
*The leadership team, (Pastors, Elders, and ministry positions involving authority, preaching, teaching, establishing doctrine, and overseeing a mixed meeting), at NTF will be men. Furthermore, these men will be prayerfully considered and chosen according to the qualifications outlined in Scripture for these positions. Beyond this "headship" principle and practice, there is a large percentage of "ministry" that is carried out by loyal, dedicated, anointed women of God, In our fellowship, this is quite evident.
What to expect on a Sunday morning? NTF strives to be led by the Holy Spirit during our Sunday morning services, and in our other ministry settings as well. As a “non-denominational" church, there will be (at times) expressions of worship and faith that reflect charismatic practices (tongues and/or prophecy etc.). There will also be expressions of worship and faith that reflect protestant and liturgical traditions. It is the heart of the Pastors and elders to safeguard the services so that everything being done will be done "decently and in order" according to the Scripture. This means that any expression of faith will be subject to being judged, tested, and discerned as to how it fits for the service and for the edification of the people. *Please know that if any individual speaks a public expression of faith, such as a prophetic word, tongue, prayer, or declaration, and it is discerned to be "fleshly" or not supported by Scripture, it will be addressed either publicly, or privately, according to the discretion of leadership.
What to expect on a Sunday morning? NTF strives to be led by the Holy Spirit Church Discipline is a Biblical protection for all members. Any behavior by a church member or attendee that willfully and consistently neglects his or her Christian duties, or is guilty of sinful conduct whereby the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be dishonored, (including conduct contrary to New Testament Fellowship's Statement of Faith, Core Doctrines, and Doctrinal Distinctive's), may be subject to church discipline by the Pastors and Elders according to the instructions of our Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 18:15-17, and other examples throughout the Holy Scripture. Church discipline will be contemplated by the pastors and elders if private admonition has failed.
The purpose of church discipline is for repentance, reconciliation, restoration, and spiritual growth. Should a member or attendee resist discipline, correction and remain unwilling to change; being asked to leave New Testament Fellowship and termination of membership will be prayerfully considered by the pastors and elders.
The Statement of Faith, Core Doctrines, and Doctrinal Distinctive's listed above do not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself is the sole and final source of all that we believe. We do believe, however, that the foregoing statement is binding upon all members.
Having been brought by God's grace to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, we now, depending upon the Holy Spirit, establish this covenant with one another. In all we do we will strive to glorify God. We will strive to maintain unity and peace in the Spirit by walking together in love. This includes putting away bitterness, unforgiveness, anger, or corrupt and injurious speech. We will strive to display love by being patient, kind, forgiving, and tenderhearted towards one another. We also commit to carrying one another's burdens at the direction of the Holy Spirit. We will strive to maintain Biblical family relationships within the church family and within our immediate family. We will strive to live self-controlled, Holy Spirit led, Godly, upright lives in this present age as we await the return of Jesus Christ. We will not neglect to meet together regularly as commanded by Scripture. We will support and treasure Biblical teaching and preaching of the Bible (whole counsel of God) by the pastors and elders. We will joyfully participate in the sacraments of the church. We will submit to Church authority and one another as stated in the Bible. We will cheerfully give and contribute financially to the church as directed by the Holy Spirit.
To qualify for membership in this church, the candidate must be a believer in Jesus Christ. The candidate must show evidence of regeneration by the Holy Spirit. This means the candidate has been born again (born of the Spirit), and displays this by evidential fruit of the Spirit. The sacrament of water baptism must also be obeyed by the believer. (If not yet water baptized, this must be obeyed before membership will be considered)
A person must also agree to submit to the teaching of Holy Scriptures. A person must also be willing to submit to all listed areas in New Testament Fellowship's: 1) Core Doctrines 2) Statement of Faith 3) Doctrinal Distinctive’s.
New Testament Fellowship's Church Covenant must be agreed with and entered into willingly. The candidate must be willing to agree to and submit to Church Discipline as defined in the New Testament Fellowship bylaws Article #3 section #5.
The New Testament Fellowship bylaws will be used for decision making by the pastors and elders of the church. Therefore, each candidate must read and agree to submit to the bylaws of New Testament Fellowship. Each candidate will be asked to sign a membership agreement form indicating the following:
Only church members will be allowed to be married at New Testament Fellowship Church. Members will be asked to read and agree to the Wedding Policy Form for New Testament Fellowship Church.
Only members of New Testament Fellowship will be allowed to use church facilities for other events besides weddings. This includes but is not limited to birthday parties, workshops, meetings, or events of any kind. Pastors and Elders carry the authority to reject any request if they discern to do so.
Membership at New Testament Fellowship Church can be rescinded or canceled by the Pastors and Elders, or a member may dis-qualify themselves for the following reasons or more:
New Testament Fellowship is watched over and governed by a team of elders. At NTF the senior Pastor is an elder but all other Pastors are not necessarily elders. The office of Elder is held by a man as described in Scripture. Elders are considered and chosen by the current Elder board as the Spirit sets apart a specific man, and when the need for another elder arises. Elders are also chosen based on the description of character as described in Scripture. The Senior Pastor sets vision for the Elders and the Elders work together to oversee all major decisions and direction for the church. This includes but is not limited to:
The Administrative Assistant oversees the finances of the church and reports directly to the Senior Pastor. This overseeing of the finances includes but is not limited to the following duties:
The Finance Committee monitors the finances through profit/loss statements for each month. The Finance Committee meets quarterly to review any major financial decisions. These decisions include but are not limited to:
The Pastoral Assistant is responsible for helping the Senior Pastor throughout the week. These duties include but are not limited to:
This person oversees general building and grounds maintenance. This includes but is not limited to:
The church cleaner comes weekly to clean the church. The church also hires a carpet cleaning company to deep clean the carpets approximately four times a year and as needed beyond that number.
The Senior Pastor oversees and directs all discipleship areas of the church. This is divided and delegated as follows:
Corporate Officers are responsible for signing documents that are needed for purchases, legal documents, etc.