Our Beliefs

 

At Christ Church West Chester (CCWC), our basic beliefs represent the simple and foundational beliefs of Christianity.

Our Statement of Faith—the New Hampshire Confession of Faith (1833, Adapted)—puts forth a concise and clear declaration of what we believe as a church based on God’s revelation to us in the Scriptures. This document is not an exhaustive explanation of our beliefs, but it highlights and summarizes beliefs we deem as essential to membership of this local body and faithfulness to our Lord. Anyone pursuing membership and baptism at Christ Church West Chester must agree with these beliefs.

At CCWC we are steadfast in our commitment to historic Christian orthodoxy and joyfully stand alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the ages as we are also guided by widely accepted historic Christian statements of faith: the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Chalcedonian Creed, and the Athanasian Creed.

As a church affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, we also affirm the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, and believe that the Second London Confession (1689) provides helpful expositions of God’s Word.

Statement of Faith

From the time of the Apostles to today, Christians have laid out doctrine (beliefs) in brief, definitive statements. As those who know God, we believe it necessary to set forth in a concise fashion the cornerstone truths of our church as guided by Scripture. Our Statement of Faith summarizes essential Christian beliefs, shows unity in Christ, and guards the church from error.
All who join CCWC are required to affirm the CCWC Statement of Faith, the adapted New Hampshire Confession of Faith from 1833. This statement registers our belief in historic Christianity, evangelical Christianity, believer’s baptism, and congregational polity. Once we as members agree to the statement, we are responsible for believing and living in accordance with it.

Read Our Statement of Faith

Covenant

Our church covenant is equal parts promise, summary of expectations, ethical statement, and biblical standard. We summarize how we promise to live together in the covenant. It forms the ethics, or the moral principles, of our worldview and holds out a biblical standard by which we live. Our acceptance of this multifaceted document follows the practice of believers throughout the centuries who have pledged to God and one another to live out the gospel in community.

We use our covenant in two key ways today. We require all new members to sign it before joining the church. We also reaffirm our commitment to the covenant at all members meetings, when we stand as a body and recommit ourselves to it. By featuring the covenant in our life together, we strive to protect ourselves from individual and corporate sin. Of equal importance, we spur one another on to live in light of a greater covenant, one initiated by love, sealed by sacrifice, and kept for eternity by our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Read Our Covenant

Constitution

Our constitution was first adopted by the membership on Sunday, September 9, 2018.

Read Our Constitution