STATEMENT OF PRACTICE
OUR MISSION
River City Bible Church exists to glorify God by teaching His Word and making disciples of Jesus Christ who are equipped to serve and reach the world with the saving gospel of grace.

Jesus said,
" If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.
 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said,
 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'
"

John 7:37-38
 
WORSHIP SERVICE
The order of worship will be carefully prepared and designed to lead the congregation to heartily focus upon God's majestic character and His great works, both in history and on our behalf in Christ.

Worship shall include singing, public praying, Scripture reading, giving, preaching, remembering the Lord in communion, and sharing in fellowship with one another. We seek to do all things "decently and in order" as a reflection of God's own character (1 Cor 14:33,40).
PREACHING
Understanding that God's word is necessary to people's spiritual health and growth (Matt 4:4; John 17:17), and central to equipping them for effective service and evangelism (Eph 4:11-13; 2 Tim 3:16-17), our Sunday services give priority to "expository preaching"--preaching which both clearly explains and powerfully applies the Bible to people's lives. This will usually be done in a verse by verse manner, preaching consecutively through a book of the Bible.

We believe that the biblical pattern is for the church to gather together primarily for worship and edification, and to scatter for evangelism by being 'salt' and 'light' in the world (Matt 5:13-16).
BAPTISM
Baptism is commanded of all believers in Jesus Christ (Mt 28:18-20) and will be by immersion.

Believers’ baptism is a public declaration and confession of faith in Jesus Christ.
COMMUNION
Communion will be celebrated monthly with a special focus in the morning service.
LEADERSHIP
The church shall be led by a plurality of godly men who are qualified as elders according to the qualities listed in 1 Tim 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9, who are committed to the role of servant leadership as exemplified in the person of Christ and as commanded in 1 Pet 5:1-4, and who are in agreement with the RCBC Statements of Faith and Practice, and its Theological Distinctives.
CHURCH DISCIPLINE
The church will follow the directions of Mt 18:15-20/Titus 3:9-11 with regard to the discipline of professing believers who continue unrepentant in sin.

The purpose of such discipline is to lovingly restore the sinning believer to the place of obedience, fruitfulness, and blessing, and to preserve the purity and testimony of Christ's church.
MEN'S & WOMEN'S ROLES IN CHURCH
We teach that while both men and women are equal in God's sight, they nevertheless possess differing God-given roles.

God gives spiritual gifts (including teaching) to both men and women in order for them to make valuable contributions of service to the body of Christ, but has limited the roles of public teacher in the assembled church and elder to men only (1 Tim 2:11-15; 1 Tim 3:1-7). The concept of equal persons fulfilling different roles is exemplified even among the three Persons of the Trinity (1 Cor 11:3). This position is known as Biblical Complementarity. The Danvers Statement, published in 1988 by a group of evangelical scholars, describes well the importance and distinctives of Biblical teaching on this issue, and is available online.
MUSIC
A blend of both traditional hymns and contemporary worship songs expressing accurate Scriptural truth will be used each Sunday for worship.

Musical accompaniment will be in a contemporary style with a variety of musical instruments.
MEMBERSHIP
Membership at River City Bible Church (for the purpose of mutual edification and pastoral support) is open to all believers in Jesus Christ who have been baptized, who affirm the RCBC Statement of Faith, and who are walking in obedience to the Lord.
 
FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLES
The inerrancy, authority, and sufficiency of the Scriptures for life, godliness, and ministry
 
The pursuit of knowing and
loving the character of God
 
The headship of Jesus Christ over His church
 
The ministry of the Holy Spirit
 
The centrality of the gospel to the life of the church
 
The necessity of grace for salvation,
sanctification, and service
 
The importance of Biblical love
 
The requirement of faith for salvation,
christian living and service
 
The recognition of the church's
involvement in spiritual warfare
 
The priority and necessity of prayer in all things
Acts 6:4; Eph 3:14-21, 6:18-20; 1 Thess 5:18; 1 Tim 2:1-4
KEY COMMITMENTS