First Baptist Church Stowell Core Values

• Jesus is the Lord of all, head of the church, and only means to salvation. (John 14:6, Acts 4:12, John 10:9)

• The Bible is the inspired word of God and is the foundation of our beliefs. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

• We are accountable for sharing the message of Jesus with everyone. (Mark 16:15-16; Matthew 28:19)

• We are accountable for making disciples by teaching and nurturing Christ-followers. (Matthew 28:18-20)

• Prayer is essential to all we do. (Hebrews 5:7, James 5:13)

• We are responsible to help those in need. (Proverbs 14:21. Acts 20:35)

• We are accountable to be good stewards of God's gifts through serving and giving. (2 Corinthians 5:10)

• We believe that growing relationships with God and others is essential. (2 Thessalonians 5:11, Ecclesiastes 4:12, Matthew 7:12)

• Worship is an expression of our love for God. (Isaiah 43:12, Revelation 4:11, Psalms 100:4)

• God established the family and it is our responsibility to encourage and promote family values. (Ephesians 6:1-3, Ephesians 5:22-24)

• Marriage is between one man and one woman. (Genesis 2:24, 1 Corinthians 7:2)

• Any and all sex outside of marriage is a sin. (Hebrews 13:4, 2 Corinthians 12:21, Galatians 5:19)

• God equally loves every person. (Romans 5:8, John 3:16)

• All human beings are equally created in the image and likeness of God. The "world" includes all ethnic groups. God does not show partiality or favoritism. (Genesis 1:26-17, John 3:16, Romans 2:11, Deuteronomy 2:11, Acts 10:34, Ephesians 6:9)

• If prejudices are identified in the church, they should be addressed according to sound Biblical doctrine (1 John 4:1, 1 Thessalonians 5:21, Matthew 18:18-20)

• Our public lives should represent Christ and this is a direct reflection of the church (gossip, attitudes towards sin, language, drunkenness, etc) (Proverbs 20:19, Romans 15:5, Ephesians 4:29, Ephesians 5:18)

• Eternal security of the believer (John 10:28-29, 1 John 5:13, Psalm 97:10)