The Church

We believe that all who place their faith in Jesus Christ are immediately placed by the Holy Spirit into one united spiritual Body, the church (1 Corinthians 12:12-13), the bride of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:23-32; Revelation 19:7-8), of which Christ is the Head (Ephesians 1:22; 4:15; Colossians 1:18).

  We believe that the formation of the church, the Body of Christ, began on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-21, 38-47) and will be completed at the coming of Christ for His own at the rapture (1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

  We believe that the church is thus a unique spiritual organism designed by Christ, made up of all born-again believers in this present age (Ephesians 2:11-3:6). The church is distinct from Israel (1 Corinthians 10:32), a mystery not revealed until this age (Ephesians 3:1-6; 5:32).

  We believe that the establishment and continuity of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Acts 14:23, 27; 20:17, 28; Galatians 1:2; Philippians 1:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:1) and that the members of the one spiritual Body are directed to associate themselves together in local assemblies (1 Corinthians 11:18-20; Hebrews 10:25).

- Church Governance

  We believe the one supreme authority for the church is Christ (1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 1:22; Colossians 1:18) and that church leadership, gifts, order, discipline, practice and worship are all appointed through His sovereignty as found in the Scriptures. The biblically designated primary Church officers serving under Christ and having authority over the Church are male elders (in the Bible elders are also called bishops, pastors, and pastor/teachers; Acts 20:28; Ephesians 4:11). In the Church, elders may also be referred to as “Board of Elders” or “elders” or “eldership” or “Elders.”

The business and affairs of the Church shall be conducted and all corporate powers shall be exercised by or under the direction and authority of the Board of Elders or the Elder’s offical designee(s).

The secondary officers serving in the Church are male deacons, referred to in the church as “deacons.” Elders and deacons are to meet biblical qualifications (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; 1 Peter 5:1-5).

  The Board of Elders lead or rule as servants of Christ (1 Timothy 5:17-22) and have Christ’s authority in directing the Church. The congregation is to submit to their leadership (Hebrews 13:7, 17). The deacons serve in ministry roles deemed appropriate and assigned by the Elders and under the authority of the Elders.

Decision-making pertaining to the Church resides in the Elders. The Senior Pastor is also an Elder and is Chairman of the Board of Elders unless he defers the position of Chairman to another Elder. The Senior Pastor shall be the President of the Church/Corporation unless he defers the positon of President to another person as selected by the Board of Elders. The Board of Elders shall apppoint the necessary officers to fill positions as required for the Annual Arizona Corportation Commission filing. The Board of Elders may appoint any officers to fill positions in the Church. The Board of Elders may remove and/or replace any officers.

The Board of Elders is to manage, direct, and oversee all things pertaining to the church, including the financial affairs of the Lord’s church. There are no business meetings and no voting associated with the church, except for votes taken within the Board of Elders, as deemed appropriate by the Board of Elders. The Elders are the men that God has given the role and function of managing, with authority, all the matters related to the church. Elders may delegate responsibilities. The Board of Elders select, approve and appoint the men who will become Elders and deacons. The Board of Elders has authority to remove an Elder(s) from the eldership and remove a deacon(s) from the deacons.

The government of this Church is vested in the Board of Elders. In respect to the Church and all its affairs and every possible matter, the Church is autonomous and maintains the right to govern its own affairs. The Church voluntarily partners with the Southern Baptist Convention, but the Church is independent of any denominational control and subject to the control of no ecclesiastical body, including the Southern Baptist Convention.

- Church Discipleship

We believe in the importance of discipleship (Matthew 28:19-20; 2 Timothy 2:2), mutual accountability of all believers to each other (Matthew 18:5-14), as well as the need for discipline of sinning members of the congregation in accord with the standards of Scripture (Matthew 18:15-22; Acts 5:1-11; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15; 1 Timothy 1:19-20; Titus 1:10-16).

- Church Autonomy

We believe in the autonomy of the local church, free from any external authority or control, with the right of self-government and freedom from the interference of any hierarchy of individuals or organizations (Titus 1:5).

- Church Cooperation

We believe that it is scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other for the presentation and propagation of the faith. Each local church, however, through its Elders and their (Elders) interpretation and application of Scripture, should be the sole judge of the measure and method of its cooperation. The Elders should determine all other matters of membership, policy, discipline, benevolence, and government as well (Acts 15:19-31; 20:28; 1 Corinthians 5:4-7, 13; 1 Peter 5:1-4).

- Church Purpose (identical to Article II)

The purpose of the Church is to glorify God by being a God-glorifying, Christ-exalting, Holy Spirit-led Church, believing in the inerrancy and infallibility of the Bible, and striving to fulfill the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:36-40) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). The purpose of the Church includes full acceptance of the Holy Bible, both Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God, and as the only basis for our beliefs. The Church accepts the Bible as the final authority on all matters. For purposes of this Church/Corporation’s beliefs, faith, doctrine, practice, policy and discipline, the Board of Elders is SonRise Church’s final interpretive authority on the Bible’s meaning and application.

The purpose of the church includes glorifying God (Ephesians 3:21) by building itself up in the faith (Ephesians 4:13-16), by instruction of the Bible (2 Timothy 2:2, 15; 3:16-17), by fellowship (Acts 2:47; 1 John 1:3), by keeping the ordinances (Luke 22:19; Acts 2:38-42) and by advancing and communicating the gospel to the entire world (Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:8; 2:42). The Church partners with the Southern Baptist Convention. Furthermore, the Church strives to be involved in:

  • EVANGELISM/MISSIONS – “To preach, teach and share the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people.” (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; II Peter 3:9)

  • DISCIPLESHIP – “To help Christians develop toward full Christian maturity and train them for effective ministry, and promote personal, spiritual growth and discipleship through Bible teaching.” (Ephesians 4:11-13; Matthew 18:20; II Timothy 2:2)

  • WORSHIP – “To participate in worship services together and to maintain personal devotions.” (John 4:24)

  • MINISTRY/SERVICE – “To serve unselfishly, in Jesus’ name, meeting the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of those in our Church, community and in the world.” (I Peter 4:10-11; Matthew 25:34-40; I Thessalonians 5:11; Galatians 5:13)

  • FELLOWSHIP – “To encourage, support and pray for each other as Christians in the family of God.” (1 John 1:7; Acts 2:44-47; Hebrews 10:23-25; Romans 15:5-7; John 13:34-35)

- Spiritual Gifts

We believe the calling of all Christians to the work of service (1 Corinthians 15:58; Ephesians 4:12; Revelation 22:12).

  We believe in the need of the church to cooperate with God as He accomplishes His purpose in the world. To that end, He gives the church spiritual gifts. He gives men chosen for the purpose of equipping the saints for the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:7-12), and He also gives unique and special spiritual abilities to each member of the Body of Christ (Romans 12:5-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-31; 1 Peter 4:10-11).

  We believe that there were two kinds of gifts given the early church: miraculous gifts of divine revelation and healing, given temporarily in the apostolic era for the purpose of confirming the authenticity of the apostles’ message (Hebrews 2:3-4; 2 Corinthians 12:12); and ministering gifts, given to equip believers for edifying one another. With the New Testament revelation now complete, Scripture becomes the sole test of the authenticity of a man’s message, and confirming gifts of a miraculous nature are no longer necessary to validate a man or his message (1 Corinthians 13:8-12). Miraculous gifts can even be counterfeited by Satan so as to deceive even believers (1 Corinthians 13:13-14:12; Revelation 13:13-14). The only gifts in operation today are those non-revelatory equipping gifts given for edification (Romans 12:6-8).

  We believe that no one possesses the gift of healing today, but that God does hear and answer the prayer of faith and will answer in accordance with His own perfect will for the sick, suffering, and afflicted. Thus, God may heal if in accord with His divine purposes. (Luke 18:1-6; John 5:7-9; 2 Corinthians 12:6-10; James 5:13-16; 1 John 5:14-15).

 

- Ordinances

We believe that two ordinances have been committed to the local church: baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Acts 2:38-42). Christian baptism by immersion (Acts 8:36-39) is the solemn and beautiful testimony of a believer showing forth his faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, and his union with Him in death to sin and resurrection to a new life (Romans 6:1-11). It is also a sign of fellowship and identification with the visible Body of Christ (Acts 2:41-42).

  We believe that the Lord’s Supper is the commemoration and proclamation of His death until He comes, and should be always preceded by solemn self-examination (1 Corinthians 11:28-32). We also teach that, whereas the elements of Communion are only representative of the flesh and blood of Christ, participation in the Lord’s Supper is nevertheless an actual communion with the risen Christ, who indwells every believer, and so is present, fellowshipping with His people (1 Corinthians 10:16).