Central Baptist Church - Bend, Oregon

Diligently train in doctrine and godliness. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we must grow in our knowledge of God’s Word, and we must mature in our walk of faith. It takes discipline to train ourselves in sound teaching and holy living. Such discipline is pleasing in God’s sight and holds promise of blessings now and in eternity.

Be aware of error by knowing the truth. The world is filled with spiritual lies and false religions designed by Satan to lead people away from the truth. Scripture describes these false teachings as doctrines of demons. God has given us His Word as a guard against these errors and as a revelation of truth.

Place your confidence in who God is. There are times when life can feel like a violent storm. Times when control is seized from our hands, and we are helpless in our circumstances. In those days of trouble, we can trust that God is with us and sheltering us. After all, God is always in control and Ruler over all.

Christ is the central message of the church. Christ’s church proclaims Christ! Since its birth, the church has rallied around key doctrinal truths about Christ, His identity, work, and glory. A true church will hold to the confessions of faith revealed in the Scriptures.

Church, live to protect and showcase the truth. Christ saved and united a people together in His church for the purpose of protecting and proclaiming truth to the world. The truth that the world needs to hear and see is the good news of Jesus and the revelation of God in His Word. It is the church’s duty to hold high and live out these truths.

The church must evaluate men for the role of deacon. Christ builds His church and gifts the church with godly men to serve in the role of Deacon. While the deacons must be men of integrity, they are to be trained, evaluated, and appointed by the church. Godly deacons display the humility and service of Christ.

A pastor must walk with godly integrity. Pastors have the responsibility to live out a godly example for the church to follow. It is important that the pastor has a godly reputation in his home, private life, and before the unbelieving world. In this way, he leads well and does not bring reproach on the name of Christ.

Pastors must lead in godliness. Christ is the head of His church, and He has the authority to regulate those whom He places in leadership. In His Word, Jesus has set the qualifications required for a faithful pastor. A pastor must lead with accurate doctrine and by a godly example.

God showcases His beauty through the service of women in the church. Christ has unique roles in the church for men and women, and He has purposefully created men and women to fulfill those roles. Without spiritually strong women who rejoice in God’s design for them, the church will be spiritually weak.  

Come before God with a humble heart. God designed men and women differently to uniquely display His image through them. These differences are wonderful, but due to our sin, they now present unique temptations for pride. Both men and women are gifts to the church, and each must serve with godly conduct.