Today, we’ll discover that healthy churches have a healthy view of ordinances.  Healthy churches embrace the two ordained practices of baptism and the Lord’s Table.

Today, we’ll study the close relationship between a healthy church and biblical church officers.  The Bible describes two offices in the church, elder and deacon.  First, we’ll see the biblical qualifications, giftedness, and responsibilities of elders.  Second, we’ll see the biblical teaching on the biblical qualifications and responsibilities of deacons.

We will study the biblical belief that God had ordained a structure of church leadership.  As a result, the church grows in purity and strengthens her God-given responsibility to protect Gospel beliefs and behaviours. 

Today, we will consider the biblical belief that the congregation does bear a form authority in the Christian’s life and in the life of the church. We will see that the Bible teaches that the congregation has parameters of authority. We will also see that the Bible teaches us the proper character that accompanies congregational authority.

Today, we’ll consider two reasons for meaningful church involvement. First, Christians should care about the church because it is the center of God’s activity on earth. Second, Christians should care about the church because it is the place for spiritual nourishment.