OUR VISION
Becoming Like Jesus!
John 14:6
OUR MISSION
We are committed to loving God and loving people through relationships.
Mark 12:30-31
Lifebridge Christian Church is an non-denominational Independent Christian Church in Decatur, AL. Our doctrine, teachings and leadership structure are based on the New Testament church model. We believe we are called to be locally governed by our Board of Elders. Lifebridge is led by Elders for both business and spiritual matters.
As a non-denominational Christian Church, Lifebridge has people from a variety of church backgrounds. We seek to meet people wherever they are in their spiritual journeys, but we do have some key doctrines that we view as non-negotiable for Christians. We believe the following statements to be not only true, but critical to our faith community.
NON-NEGOTIABLE STATEMENTS OF FAITH
DISCIPLESHIP
We take very seriously Jesus’ words to His disciples in Matthew 28:18-20, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore 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 I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
We fully believe in Baptism by immersion, but baptizing new believers is not our ultimate goal. Ultimately, we want to make disciples of all the believers in our community, and we want the disciples from Lifebridge to go and make disciples all over the world.
THE BIBLE
The Bible is the Word of God, written by human hands under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Inspired by God, the Bible is absolute in its authority, complete in its revelation, final in its content and without error in its teaching.
Psalms 119:105, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21
GOD
There is only one God. He exists eternally in three co-equal persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He created all things, gives life to man, and is our sovereign Lord.
Genesis 1:1-2, 1:26-27, 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2
JESUS
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Jesus was born of a virgin mother, lived a perfect human life, and willingly died on the cross as a sacrifice for all our sins. He rose from the dead after three days, defeating both sin and death. Jesus ascended to Heaven, where He sits at the right hand of the Father, and He will return to Earth someday.
Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 1:22-23;John 1:1-5, 14:10-30; Acts 1:9-11; Romans 1:3-4; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4;1 Timothy 6:14-15; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 4:14-15
THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is God’s active presence in this world, serving to reveal Jesus the Son and God the Father, and convicting sinners and non-believers. The Holy Spirit lives within every Christian. He helps each Christian grow in faith, understand spiritual truth, and overcome sin.
John 14:16-17, John 16:7-13; Acts 1:8; Romans 5:5; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 1:13, 5:18
SALVATION
Salvation is a free gift from God, offered to all, but only given to those who accept it. Salvation cannot be earned. Every person sins, falling short of the glory of God, but those who trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior accept God’s offer of forgiveness, therefore being saved from the penalty of sin.
John 1:12, 14:6; Romans 5:1, 6:23; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5
Plan of Salvation:
- Hear the Word of God.
(John 5:24, Romans 10:17, 2 Timothy 1:13) - Believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins.
(John 3:16, Acts 16:31, Hebrews 11:6, Mark 16:15, 16) - Repent of your sins.
(Luke 15:3-5, Luke 15:7, Acts 2:38, Acts 17:30,31) - Confess your faith in Jesus.
(Matthew 10:32,33, Acts 8:36,37, Romans 10:9) - Be baptized by immersion in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
(Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, John 3:5, Acts 2:38, Acts 8:36-39, Acts 16:33 Romans 6:3-6, Colossians 2:12, Galatians 3:27, 1 Peter 3:21, Ephesians 4:5) - Live as a faithful servant and follower of Christ until death.
(Matthew 24:13, 1 Corinthians 15:58, Acts 2:42, 1 Peter 1:5-12, Revelation 2:10)
ETERNITY
Death seals the eternal destination of each person. The saved will inherit eternal life in Heaven with God; the unsaved will inherit eternal separation from God in Hell.
Acts 1:10-11, John 5:28-29; Daniel 12:2; 2 Corinthians 4:14
COMMUNION
We celebrate communion together every week at Lifebridge. Communion is a simple memorial in which we remember our Lord Jesus Christ, the sacrifice He made for us on the cross, and the salvation He offers us through this sacrifice. Communion marks the new covenant Christ made with those who choose to follow Him. We model communion after the Biblical example given by Jesus at The Last Supper.
“For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.'”
1 Corinthians 11:23-25
Furthermore, as a sacred part of our worship celebration and our Christian lives, we also follow the following command to only take Communion with a right heart.
“For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.”
1 Corinthians 11:26-30
STEWARDSHIP
Tithing is an important practice for all Christians, as commanded by God’s Word. The Biblical standard for tithing is to give 10% of your income to your local church, so this is the recognized and expected standard for members of Lifebridge.
Malachi 3:10, 1 Corinthians 16:2, 2 Corinthians 9:6-7
Many faithful followers use 10% as a starting point and seek to cheerfully and sacrificially offer much more of their income and resources for God’s work both locally and globally. Stewardship goes far beyond monetary gifts, and we encourage everyone at Lifebridge to also be good stewards of their time, talents and abilities, as all of these things can and should be used to bring glory to God. Local service projects and global mission trips are a crucial part of our identity at Lifebridge Christian Church.