WHO WE ARE
Christ Community of Hampshire County is a Christ centered, Bible based church with a passion to reach Hampshire County with the good news of Jesus Christ. We invite you to come worship God with us on Sunday mornings at 8:45 AM and 10:454 AM at 169 College Highway in Southampton, MA. We are affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America (www.efca.org)
Scroll down to see our Mission, Values and Statement of Faith
OUR MISSION
The mission of Christ Community of Hampshire County is, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength and love others as ourselves as we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and make disciples of all nations for His glory.
OUR VALUES
1. Worship
We value worship because it glorifies, honors, praises, exalts, and pleases the one and only holy, sovereign, creator and saving God with our heart, soul, strength, and mind. We commit to offer our lives as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. We will do this as individuals, as families and as a church. Matthew 22:37, Psalm 86:9-10, Psalm 100:1-5, Romans 12:1-2, Revelation 4:11
2. Discipleship
We value discipleship because Jesus Christ is Lord and has called us to deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow Him. The Great Commission commands us to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything He has commanded us. Discipleship is the means by which God builds His church. We commit to make disciples through intentional one-on-one relationships, through Biblical parenthood, and through small groups. We commit to equipping each member of Christ Community of Hampshire County to be a disciple maker. Matthew 28:18-20, 2 Timothy 2:2
3. Leading by the Holy Spirit
We value being led by the Holy Spirit because we can do nothing to glorify God unless we are being directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit. We commit to being led by the Spirit through submission to Christ and each other, through individual and corporate prayer, and through obedience to the Word of God. Romans 8:14, Galatians 5:18, Romans. 8:26, Ephesians. 3:16, Galatians 5:22, John 16:7-11
4. The Word of God
We value the preaching and teaching of the Word of God, because it is God’s revelation to us about who He is and how we should believe and live. We commit to the preaching and teaching of God’s Word in our corporate worship services, from parents to their children, in small groups, and in one-on-one discipleship. 2 Timothy 2:2, 2 Timothy 4:1-5, Psalm 119:105, Titus 2:1-15, 1 Tim. 4:16, John 17:17, Hebrews. 4:12, Matthew. 28:19, Romans 1:16, Acts 2:42, Psalm 19:7
5. Community
We value community because we are called to follow Jesus together. We are the body of Christ, a spiritual house, and a holy priesthood. We commit to being a community by devoting ourselves to Scripture, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer. We will take care of each other’s needs. We will build the spiritual foundations of our families, gather once a week for corporate worship and meet in homes throughout the week. We will meet the needs of those in the church and those in Hampshire County. 1 Peter 2:4-5, Acts 2:42-47
6. Prayer
We value prayer because it is how we come in line with God’s will. Prayer is one way we express our praise and worship to God and express our need for God to help us with our trials and temptations. We commit to praying individually, in relationships, as families, in small groups, and corporately. Matthew 6:9-23, Philippians 4:4-7
7. Missions and Service
We value missions and service because God has called us to preach the Gospel and to make disciples of all nations. We are to love others as ourselves. We commit to doing missions and service globally by supporting, equipping, and sending missionaries. We are going to do missions and service locally by encouraging and equipping every person to be a missionary to Hampshire County and the surrounding communities. Matthew 28:18-20, Matthew. 22:39, Acts 1:8, Romans 10:14-15
STATEMENT OF FAITH
The Evangelical Free Church of America is an association of autonomous churches united around these theological convictions:
God
1. We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for His own glory.
The Bible
2. We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.
The Human Condition
3. We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed.
Jesus Christ
4. We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures. Jesus—Israel's promised Messiah—was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.
The Work of Christ
5. We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation.
The Holy Spirit
6. We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and in Him they are baptized into union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also indwells, illuminates, guides, equips and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.
The Church
7. We believe that the true church comprises all who have been justified by God's grace through faith alone in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, of which He is the Head. The true church is manifest in local churches, whose membership should be composed only of believers. The Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish the believer.
Christian Living
8. We believe that God's justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed.
Christ’s Return
9. We believe in the personal, bodily and glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission.
Response and Eternal Destiny
10. We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace. Amen.
