About Us

Mission Statement

OUR PURPOSE IS TO:

Glorify God as a fellowship of followers of the Lord Jesus Christ

By corporately and indivuadally relying on the Holy Scripture as our rule of life and faith, fulfilling the Lord’s command to remember Him, obeying the Holy Spirit’s guidance, demonstrating the oneness of the body of Christ under His headship, practicing the priesthood of all believers, teaching people to think and act Biblically, and ministering the grace of God in word and deed to all people.

THEREFORE, WE INTEND TO:

Glorify God
By meeting weekly for corporate communion and worship, welcoming to the Lord’s table all who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation,
Nurture believers
By preaching and teaching the Word by those gifted for such ministry, modeling love, liberty, and purity, strengthening individuals and families through teaching and example, equipping believers to develop and exercise their spiritual gifts,
Attract others
By reaching out in practical ways to those in need, praying for one another, and proclaiming the Good News of salvation in our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Elders
April 1990
Last Revised November 2014

About Us

Malvern Bible Chapel considers itself a non-denominational or inter-denominational assembly of believers with roots in the Plymouth Brethren movement. We meet weekly to remember Jesus Christ's work on the cross by breaking bread together and for a time of praise and preaching ministry. We sometimes also describe ourselves as a New Testament church, meaning that we operate on principles found in the New Testament.

 


What We Believe

New Testament Principles

We believe in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament as inspired by God and inerrant in the original writings and that they are the supreme and final authority in faith and life.

We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We believe that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin and is true God and true man, sinless and perfect.

We believe that man was created in the image of God; that man sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death which is separation from God; and that all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are sinners in thought, word, and deed.

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, as the representative and substitutionary sacrifice, and that all who believe in Him are justified by virtue of His shed blood.

We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord, in His ascension into heaven and His enthronement at the right hand of God the Father where He ministers for us as High Priest, Advocate, and Head of the Church.

We believe in that “blessed hope”—the personal and victorious return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

We believe that all who receive the Lord Jesus Christ by repentance and faith are born again of the Holy Spirit and become children of God.

We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust, the eternal blessedness of the saved and the eternal punishment of the lost.


Below is a list of where we stand on:

Baptism

We believe that Christian baptism is an expression of a believer’s identification with Christ and a commitment to follow Him. Baptism is not a means of, nor an aid to salvation. Nor is it a prerequisite to fellowship at the Lord’s Table.

It is however, expected of all believers in obedience to our Lord. Our practice is to baptize by immersion, symbolizing the believer’s death and burial with Christ, and his being raised with Him to live a new life.

References: Colossians 2:12Acts 8:12, 35-3916:31-33

Communion

We believe that the celebration of the Lord’s Supper is the privilege and responsibility of all believers. No person who gives a credible confession of faith is to be refused participation in the communion of our Lord, unless that person is willfully engaging in sin, persists in disseminating false doctrine or creating schism, or is being disciplined by another church for such practices.

The observance of the Lord’s Supper does not require the presence or administration of a designated leader. Believers may exercise their common priesthood under the leadership of the Holy Spirit to remember and worship the Lord.

References: Matthew 26:26-29Luke 22:15-20Acts 2:42-461 Corinthians 10:16-171 Corinthians 11:23-241 Peter 2:9

Bible study

Ministry in the Church

We believe that the teaching and pastoral ministry in the local congregation is not the duty or the responsibility of any one individual within the congregation.

The roles of evangelists, pastors, and teachers may be filled by elders or others who have gifts in these areas. Sharing of these responsibilities is intended to benefit the total ministry of the church by encouraging and facilitating development of these gifts.

We believe that the local church is to be guided and led by recognized elders who are responsible before God as shepherds of His flock. The elders are to share various responsibilities with other spiritual and capable men and women.

Women share with men in various spiritual ministries, an exception being the teaching of Scripture to the whole congregation, which is an exercise of authority.

References: Ephesians 4:11-131 Timothy 2:11-141 Corinthians 11:3-1014:34-35Acts 14:2320:17,28 1 Timothy 3:1-7Titus 1:59Philippians 1:1Hebrews 13:171 Peter 5:2-31 Corinthians 12:4-11

believers

Responsibility of Believers

We believe that it is the responsibility of all Christians to love God and their neighbor, to worship God in spirit and in truth, to study the Scriptures, and to be faithful in prayer in order to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ in daily living.

We are to be filled with the Spirit, to share the Good News of salvation, and to encourage one another in the faith, as we look expectantly for the coming of our Lord.

References: Matthew 28:18-20John 4:23-24John 15:16-17Acts 1:81 Corinthians 10:31Galatians 5:22-26Ephesians 5:18-212:10Titus 2:11-15Romans 12:1-2


 

Membership

At Malvern Bible Chapel we welcome all Christian believers to share in the services and in the observance of the Lord’s Supper (Communion) on the basis of their personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Believers who desire to be a part of this local fellowship and under its leadership and guidance will meet normally with two or more elders before public recognition of such desire and reception by the church.

Those who engage in any teaching or counseling ministry on behalf of the church are expected to teach, positively and wholeheartedly, the beliefs to which this church is committed. These beliefs are based on Scripture as indicated by the biblical references accompanying each section in our Statement of Faith.


Affiliation & Links

In addition to having the opportunity to serve the Lord’s work in the church, members of Malvern Bible Chapel are encouraged to seek out events, conferences and ministry opportunities through organizations whose beliefs align with our statement of faith. Several of these organizations include:

CMML

Camp Iroquoina

Greenwood Hills