A Summary of Our Beliefs & Practices

  • We believe the Bible is the inerrant, authoritative Word of God, rightly understood in a normal, literal way.  In practice, the weekly teaching and preaching of the Bible is a priority with us.

  • We believe Jesus Christ is God the Son and that His death on the cross was a gracious, substitutionary work on behalf of all humanity – the full and only acceptable payment for all the sins of all people.

  • We believe that eternal salvation from the guilt and penalty of sin is offered freely to all, as a gift needed by all.  It is given by God’s grace alone and through Jesus Christ’s completed work on the cross alone, to anyone who personally receives Jesus Christ as Savior through faith alone.  We believe that once a person places his or her trust in Jesus Christ for salvation, that person is in the family of God forever – still a sinner throughout this life, but never again able to be lost.  For a more complete presentation of the gospel message and how it is received,  CLICK HERE .

  • We believe God the Holy Spirit permanently lives in all believers, beginning from the moment they receive Jesus Christ, and that victorious Christ-like living comes from yielding completely to the Holy Spirit’s control as He guides through God’s Word.

  • We believe every Christian has been gifted by the Holy Spirit for building up other believers and for reaching those who have not yet believed, but we also believe that some of the spiritual gifts referred to in the New Testament (prophecy, speaking in tongues, healing, etc.) were given temporarily, revealing and confirming God’s truth in the days of the early Church, while the Church was being founded and the New Testament was being completed.

  • We look forward, at any moment, to Jesus Christ’s coming to catch up all living believers to be with Himself forever; and then, after a time of tribulation judgment on earth, to His return to earth with believers,  to begin His 1,000-year reign on earth.

  • Meanwhile, as individual believers and as a local church family, we believe that we have a three-fold purpose:  1) to worship God, 2) to build up other believers, and 3) to reach out with the message of the gospel to those in our world who have not yet believed.  In practice, as a local church, we are committed to involvement together in all three of these activities, following the positive, personal and practical guidelines found in God’s Word.

  • As to church leadership and government, we believe in the general spiritual oversight of a Council of Elders – a group of spiritually mature men from among us, recognized and appointed by our membership, and accountable to our members – along with the spiritual and operational leadership of a Senior Pastor.  In practice, our Senior Pastor is included as a permanent member of our Council of Elders and serves as the leader of the council.

  • We believe Jesus Christ gave two ordinances to the Church:  1) Believer’s Water Baptism and 2) the Lord’s Supper (or Communion).  In practice, we baptize new believers at their request, by immersion, and share Communion once each month.

  • We believe financial giving should be to the Lord, through one’s own local church, and that it should be an entirely voluntary, private act of worship.  All of our church’s funding is provided in this way – through the unsolicited, quiet giving of those who attend our church meetings. On Sunday mornings, there is a simple offering box for this purpose – in the back of our meeting room on our Welcome Table.  Those who are just visiting with us are encouraged to think of themselves as our guests. While they are certainly welcome to worship with us by giving back to the Lord through our church, our first desire is that they feel they have received during their visit. For a more complete summary of what God’s Word says about giving, CLICK HERE . Giving checks are made payable to Countryside Community Church. In that Countryside is a registered non-profit religious organization, all giving through our church is tax deductible, and acknowledged via official letter from our bookkeeper at the end of each year.

  • While we recognize, appreciate and desire to be a help and encouragement to many other good local churches, we do not have an organizational affiliation with any other local churches at this time.  We are listed as a Dallas Theological Seminary Alumni Church.

For a more complete statement of our beliefs, CLICK HERE .