MISSION
To glorify God in all things as we make disciples in our city, nation, and world.
VISION
We want to BE the church.
The church is people who are:
1. Centered on the Gospel
To be centered on the Gospel means far beyond knowing facts about the Gospel. It means that your life is actually being affected by the truths of the Gospel. Our aim is to be people who are learning to place Jesus in the center of every aspect of our lives so that we become more like Christ.
2. Empowered By the Holy Spirit
Without the Holy Spirit and His power, we can do nothing. That is why Jesus graciously promised us the gift of the Holy Spirit – so that He can work both in us and through us to accomplish His work on the earth. Our aim is to be people who live as set-apart people. People who are continually filled with the Holy Spirit so that we have the ability to live as He has asked us to live.
3. Sent On Mission
If you have put your faith in Jesus, it means that you have become a witness of the Gospel. You have experienced Christ. This means you now have the call to go and tell others what you have heard, what you have seen, and what you have experienced. Our aim is to be people who follow this call. To be missionaries – people who share the truths of the Gospel and who show the truths of the Gospel..
We are Church because we will commit to spiritual growth of this congregation, providing fellowship and encouragement and a variety of educational opportunities, focusing on developing servant-leaders for service in God’s Kingdom.
OUR VALUES
Gospel-Centered Teaching
Faith-Filled Prayer
Authentic Worship
Intentional Fellowship
A Heart for Multiplication
Scripture
The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is completely true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.
(Matthew 5:18; Deuteronomy 4:2; Revelation 22:18-19; Psalm 119:89; Isaiah 40:8; 1 Peter 1:24-25; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Deuteronomy 29:29; Isaiah 8:20; 2 Peter 1:21; Psalm 119:105; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 1:3)
God
The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a There is one and only one living and true God. The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.
(Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Samuel 7:22; Psalm 86:10; Mark 12:29-34; Luke 18:19; Psalm 90:2; Numbers 23:19-20; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 6:17-18; James 1:17; Isaiah 44:6, 45:5-6, 43:10-11)
God the Father
God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
(Matthew 5:45, 6:26; Psalm 99:1, 103:19, 145:11-13; Daniel 4:25; John 10:29; Romans 14:11; John 3:16; 6:29, 38-40; Romans 5:8; Psalm 7:11, 11:7, 33:5, 98:9; Romans 9:14)
God the Son
Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ, He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His substitutionary death on the cross, He made provision for the redemption of men from sin.
(John 1:1,14; Romans 8:3; Psalm 2:7; Matthew 3:17; Mark 3:11; John 3:16, 15:17; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25; John 14:30; Hebrews 4:15; James 1:13; John 20:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 2:2; Matthew 12:40, 17:23, 20:19, 28:6-7; Romans 1:4; John 14:6; Acts 4:12)
God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He exalts Christ. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.
(Genesis 1:1-2; Acts 5:3-5; 2 Corinthians 3:1; John 14:26, 16:17; Ephesians 1:13-14; John 14:17; Ephesians 5:18; Acts 1:8; John 16:8-11; Romans 8:26; John 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2:9-16; 1 John 2:20,27; 2 Peter 1:21)
Man
Man is the special creation of God, created in His own image. He created them male and female as the crowning work of His creation. By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore, every person of every race possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love. Each man is individually accountable before God for his own actions.
(Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 2:17, 3:6, Isaiah 59:2; Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:9-20, 23; James 4:1; Ephesians 2:1-3)
Salvation
Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification.
(Romans 3:10-11,23; Ephesians 2:1,5; John 3:3; Romans 1:17; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; Acts 4:10-12, 16:30-31; 1Peter 1:22-25)
God’s Purpose of Grace
Salvation involves the redemption of the whole Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ and sanctified by His Spirit will never fall away from the state of grace but shall persevere to the end.
(Romans 8:28-30; Ephesians 1:4-11; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 2:10; 1 Peter 1:1-2; Ezekiel 18:23, 32; 33:11; John 3:18-19, 36; 5:40; Romans 9:22-23; 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12; Revelation 22:17).
The Church
There is one true church that is the body of Christ of which He is the Head. It has been in continuous existence since He founded it. The church is made up of all who received Jesus as their Lord and Savior. God has ordained the local body of baptized believers to carry out the functions of the body. Each believer should be a member of a local body that upholds the standard of God’s Word. Although members of a local body, each believer is responsible to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, loving one another with a pure heart, based on the uncompromised truths of God’s Word.
(Matthew 16:18; 1 Corinthians 3:11; Colossians 1:18; Matthew 16:18; Acts 2:47; Ephesians 4:7-13; Hebrews 10:25; John 13:34-34)
Evangelism & Missions
It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ and every local church of the Lord Jesus Christ to endeavor to make disciples of all nations, and to seek constantly to win the lost to Christ by verbal witness undergirded by a Christian lifestyle, and by other methods (such as prayer, giving to missions, etc.) in harmony with the Gospel of Christ.
(Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 26:18; 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, 5:19-20)
The Lord’s Day
The Lord’s Day is the first day of the week as it commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead.
(John 20:1; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2)
Last Things
God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly. The dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell. The righteous will receive their reward and will dwell forever with the Lord.
(Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8; Colossians 3:4; Revelation 21:5)
Stewardship
God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him. We are to use our gifts and possessions in such a way that brings glory to Jesus Christ.
(John 3:27; 1 Corinthians 4:1-7; Acts 4:32; 1 John 3:17)
Cooperation
Christ’s people should organize such associations and conventions as may best secure cooperation for the work of God’s Kingdom. Such organizations have no authority over one another or over the local churches. Cooperation is desirable between the various Christian denominations.
(Acts 15; Romans 15:26; 1 Corinthians 16:1; 2 Corinthians 8:1-6)
Family
God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption.
Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate to their children God’s pattern for marriage.
(Genesis 2:24; Hebrews 13:4; Ephesians 5:22-33; 1 Peter 3:1-7; Mark 10:8-12; Psalm 127:3-5; Isaiah 54:13)
Sanctity of Life
Procreation is a gift from God, a precious trust reserved for marriage. At the moment of conception, a new being enters the universe, a human being, created in God’s image. This human being deserves our protection, whatever the circumstances of conception.
(Psalm 22:10; Isaiah 49:1, 5; Jeremiah 1:5; Luke 1:15, 2:21; Galatians 1:5; Psalm 139:13)
Priesthood of All Believers
We affirm the priesthood of all believers. All believers have the same right to communicate with God, interpret Scripture, and minister in Christ’s name. All believers are an essential part of the ministry of PIBC.
(Titus 1:1; Psalm 1:1-3; Matthew 6:5-15; Luke 18:1; Ephesians 6:18; John 14:17, 26; 16:13; Acts 2:44-47; Hebrews 10:25; Acts 14:22; 1 Peter 4:7-11; Galatians 6:1-2; Ephesians 4:15-16; Hebrews 10:25)
CHURCH COVENANT
Having been led by the Spirit of God to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, and on the profession of faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we do now, in the presence of God and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another as one body in Christ.
We covenant, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit to walk together in Christian love; to strive for advancement of this church in the will of God; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to support the ministries, and the spread of the Gospel to every tribe, tongue and people.
We further covenant to relate to one another in brotherly love; to remember one another in prayer; to aid one another in sickness and distress; to demonstrate Christian sympathy in feeling and Christian courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation.
ORDINANCES
Although not found in Scripture, the term ordinance has been widely used by the Church. An ordinance is a pictorial representation of the Gospel message: Christ lived, died, and was raised from the dead in order to redeem us to himself. An ordinance must meet all of the following criteria:
a. Instituted by Christ
b. Taught by the Apostles
c. Practiced by the early church
With these criteria in mind, this church believes that the only two practices that meet these three criteria are Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
In no way do either of these two ordinances impart or maintain salvation to the participants.
BAPTISM
We believe that baptism is the immersion of a believer in water. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. The action of being baptized does not save a person, but merely serves as a public testimony of an inward decision (1 Peter 3:21).
THE LORD’S SUPPER
The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby any Christian, through partaking of the bread and fruit of the vine, commemorates the death of Jesus Christ and anticipates His second coming. The Lord’s Supper should be observed at least once every quarter.
PIBC welcomes any born-again Christian to partake in the Lord’s Supper regardless of their church membership. Before partaking in the Lord’s Supper, each person should examine themselves as in accordance with 1 Corinthians 11.
CORPORATE CHURCH ASSEMBLIES
The church shall meet regularly for preaching, instruction, evangelism, fellowship, giving offerings, testimonies, prayer and corporate worship of Almighty God. These meetings shall be conducted under the direction of an elder, or someone designated by an elder.
- Worship and praise: Hebrews 13:15; Romans 12:1; John 4:23; Hebrews 12:28–29
- Preaching and teaching:1 Corinthians 14:26; Acts 20:7; 2 Timothy 4:2
- Prayer and thanksgiving: Ephesians 5:20; Matthew 6:9; 1 Timothy 2:1
- Scripture reading: John 17:17; Colossians 4:16; 2 Timothy 3:16–17; 1 Timothy 4:13
- Giving and contribution: Acts 20:35; 1 Corinthians 16:1–2; 2 Corinthians 9:7
- Baptism and the Lord’s Supper: Matthew 28:18-20; 1 Corinthians 11:25–26
- Music and singing: Ephesians 5:19
- Evangelism and outreach: Acts 2:47; Matthew 28:19
- Sharing and encouragement: Colossians 3:16; Hebrews 10:24
MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Becoming a Member
Membership in PIBC involves commitment to the body and submission to the teachings of the church. Therefore, becoming a member of PIBC will be done in one of the following three manners:
1. By trusting in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and receiving baptism by immersion
2. By transfer of membership letter from another church of like faith and practice
3. By statement of faith affirming faith in Jesus Christ and having already received baptism by immersion
* All other situations will be decided by the elders.
Section 2. Termination of Membership
Membership shall be terminated in the following ways: death, a request for transfer from another church, personal request of the member, the result of a church discipline process, if a person is known to have left Korea or has been absent for more than 3 months (without prior explanation).
Section 3. Church Discipline
The Elders will have the responsibility for administering the discipline process. If the need for church discipline arises, all attempts will be made to handle it in a redemptive way to restore the offender to fellowship with God and the church.
1. The Objective:
a. To remove the corruptive influence (i.e., false teaching, immorality, etc.) from the presence of the other members of the congregation in order to prevent sin from spreading to other members.
b. Redemptive restoration of the member to God, not punishment, is the goal of all discipline.
2. The process:
a. The brother/sister who is in sin must be interviewed in private.
b. If the brother/sister is unrepentant, two or more witnesses must confront him/her.
c. If the brother/sister refuses to listen and repent, his/her case should be communicated to the Elders.
d. If the brother/sister refuses to accept Godly counsel, after much prayer, the matter should be communicated to the members of the congregation.
CHURCH LEADERSHIP TEAM
Elders
The church will be elder led. The elders, as overseers of the church, will have the oversight of all persons and functions of the church. Having oversight of the persons involves ministering to the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of the congregation in alignment with Scripture. The functions of the church are diverse, but may be categorized as equipping and evangelizing. These categories include worship, education, business, outreach, and missions, etc. The elders will be responsible for the oversight of each of these within the church.
PIBC will operate under a plurality of elders, so that authority will not be vested in one man. Matters of decision shall be of unanimity following Bible study, prayer, and investigation on the subject. The objective in any decision is to find the mind of Christ. Unanimity based on Scriptural truth best demonstrates having found the mind of Christ concerning any matter. Christ’s mind is not divided, and the decisions of the elders should reflect that to the church. When unanimity cannot be reached, the elders shall wait upon God to reveal His will. Elders will serve in the office of elder so long as the qualifications of the elder as mentioned in Scripture are maintained.
While under the guidance and oversight of FVC, PIBC’s elder body will include the elders of FVC.