Christ's Church of the Valley (CCV) does not require that members subscribe to a formal creed. In a very real sense, "we have no creed but Christ, no book but the Bible." The twin bases for our unity are our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, and our adherence to the Bible the inspired text for our teaching and the one sufficient constitution for governing congregational life.
We seek unity of understanding in the essentials of our faith, yet we do not suggest that we must agree on all things pertaining to our walk with Christ. On many issues we have freedom to disagree. We do ask that all who accept and hold a leadership or teaching position in CCV respect the following beliefs and resist any temptation to use their position as a forum from which to teach other views. Unity in the body depends upon harmony and mutual trust in leadership.
We believe that the church is the body and bride of Christ. It was founded on the day of Pentecost, and consists of all Christians everywhere. To this end there are three key truths to which we adhere:
- The church is a family.
- God expects you to be a member of a church family.
- A Christian without a church family is homeless.
"... You are a member of God's very own family... and you
belong in God's Household with every other Christian."
Ephesians 2:19(Living Bible Translation)
What we Believe and Teach About...
About God:
The Bible teaches us that God is the Creator of our world and Sustainer and Lord of our lives.
Genesis 1:1; 1:26-27; 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; John 14:26; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14;
About Jesus Christ:
Jesus Christ is the one and only Son of the living God and our Savior. Through His death, burial, and resurrection God opened the way of abundant and eternal life to all who call on Christ's name.
Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 1:22-23; Luke 1:34-35; John 1:1-5; 14:6; 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; 7:25-27; Revelation 19:11-16;
About The Holy Spirit:
The Holy Spirit is God Himself encouraging, guiding, and transforming us in the way of Christ.
John 14:16-17; John 16:7-13; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:12; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 5:18;
About The Bible:
The Bible is the inspired written Word of God. It is the authoritative rule of faith and practice for Christians and the Church.
Jesus instituted a new covenant with God that succeeded and transcended His former covenant with the People of Israel; hence we accept the Old Testament as preparatory to the New, and we rejoice that we are related to God through the grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and not through the Law.
2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Timothy 1:13; Psalm 119:105; Psalm 119:160; psalm 12:6; Proverbs 30:5;
About Church Membership:
We are a free and independent church under Christ. Guided by a board of elders, we determine our own policies and practices in light of Biblical expectations, and we voluntarily cooperate with other Christian groups in fulfilling our Lord's Great Commission.
We have two requirements for church membership:
- One must be a believer in Jesus Christ as the only Son of God, be willing to repent of sin and surrender to His Lordship, to confess this faith before others, to obey Him in Christian Baptism, and continue in faithful discipleship.
- One must complete a Christ's Church of the Valley membership class.
John 14:6; Hebrews 10:24-25;
About Becomming a Christian:
We practice baptism of the repentant believer by immersion in water, confident that this expresses the form and purposes of the New Testament precedent. The New Testament teaches that all believers receive the gift of the Holy Spirit through baptism.
Acts 8:12; 1 Corinthians 12:7-11; Matthew 3:13-17; Matthew 28:19;
About Prayer:
We are a praying church. We daily lift before God fervent prayer of praise, confession, thanksgiving, and petition. If you would like to know more about prayer, visit our
What is Prayer page.
1 Thessalonians 5:17; John 1:8-9; 1 Timothy 2:1;
About The Future:
God, who created the heavens and the Earth, will one day bring life on Earth to a conclusion. While accepting various understandings of how God will bring this about, we trust that Christ will come again and will call His own to be with Him.
Acts 1:8-11; Revelation 1:7;
About Communion:
We celebrate the Lord's supper each Sunday, as we find the New Testament Christians did. In partaking of the bread and the grape juice, we remember our Lord's sacrifice for us and we strengthen our relationship with Him. All persons of all races have been created in the image of God and stand in need of the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 26:26-28; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26;
About Missions:
The church exists to serve the world; therefore we send evangelists to rescue the perishing world; participate in efforts to improve community life; feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, offer hospitality to the stranger, clothe the naked, minister to the sick, and visit the imprisoned, as Jesus has instructed. We are a mission-minded church. We send missionaries and support evangelistic and benevolent missions throughout the world. We encourage our finest people to accept the call to a greater Kingdom service, and we support them through generous mission offerings.
Matthew 25:34-40;
About Resources:
God expects wise management of our money and other resources in both our personal and congregational lives. We encourage the tithe (10%) as the minimum the Bible teaches us to return to the Lord. In fact, we understand the governing principle to be that everything we have and are belongs to God. We do not hesitate to teach the principles of Christian stewardship, agreeing with Jesus that "where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
Psalm 24:1; Malachi 3:8-10; Matthew 6:19-21;