Foundations

Information about Little Rock Church

Dear Guests,

We welcome you to Little Rock Church (LRC). We hope you have been warmly received. We appreciate your interest in LRC and pray that God will guide you to the church family in which you will be most useful to his Kingdom.

We appreciate your willingness to prayerfully look for a church home and take the time to participate in the Foundations class of Little Rock Church. We believe that the process for finding a new church home is best made with all the facts. This course, called Foundations, is designed to help you make an informed decision about becoming a member of LRC.

Jesus is the foundation for all Christian faith and churches. However, each local congregation has its own history, personality, and practices. This document is our attempt to clearly and honestly describe our history, beliefs, ministry, organization, and practices.

We are always ready for your questions. Please feel free to give them to us at any time.

Sincerely,

Lynn Cook

Senior Minister,

Little Rock Church

FOUNDATIONS

Course Contents

I. History Page 2

II. Beliefs Pages 2-3

III. Vision, Mission & Purposes Pages 4-5

IV. Structure and Leadership Pages 5-7

V. Frequently Asked Questions Pages 7-10

VI. Conclusion Page 11

I. The History of Little Rock Church

e believe in the One True God, who spoke into existence the universe and everything in it. We believe that by that same Word he maintains and sustains everything today. God is all knowing, all-powerful, and fills the universe with His presence. (Hebrews 1:10 - 12; 11:3)

We believe that the One God exists in three distinct personalities; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. (2 Corinthians 13:14)

We believe that God the Father loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

We believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. He gave up being equal to God, was born of a virgin, lived a sinless, perfect life, shed His blood and died on the cross, was buried but raised from the dead on the third day, ascended into heaven, and now sits at the right hand of God and intercedes on our behalf. (Philippians 2: 5 - 11; Romans 8:34)

We believe that the Holy Spirit was sent by Christ and personally indwells everyone who becomes a Christian. He provides us with comfort, guidance, and the ability to understand the Word. He intercedes for us in our prayers and provides the motivation and ability to work for God's pleasure. He also convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. (John 14:15 - 31; 16:5 - 11; 1 Corinthians 2: 11 - 16; Romans 8:26 - 27)

We believe that all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God. Because of sin our relationship with God was broken and we stood condemned before Him. The good news of the Gospel is that Christ took our sins upon himself and died in our place. We are forgiven and saved because, Jesus Christ died on the Cross. This salvation is a gift of God, given to us by His Grace through our faith in Jesus Christ. There is nothing that we can do to earn our salvation. (Romans 3:23; 1 Corinthians 15:1 - 8; Ephesians 2:1 - 10)

We believe that when we come to faith in Jesus Christ and to a decision to live under God’s saving grace, we are commanded to confess publicly that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, to repent and turn from our sins, and to be baptized in His name. We are buried with Christ through baptism into death so that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. We believe that the method of baptism presented in scripture is immersion in water. (Acts 2:37 - 39; Romans 6:1 - 10)

We believe that when we are baptized into Jesus Christ, we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit adds us to Christ's body, the Church. Through the power of the Spirit, we are called to put to death the sinful deeds of the flesh and to walk in a new life of discipleship under His direct and continual guidance. (Acts 2:38; Romans 8:12 - 14; 1 Corinthians 12:12 - 13)

We believe the Church is the body of Jesus Christ on earth. We are here to worship God, carry out His mission of seeking the lost and caring for the needy, and to encourage and serve our brothers and sisters in the faith. (Ephesians 1:22 - 23; Matthew 28:18 - 20; Hebrews 3:12 - 14)

We believe that the Lord's Supper (communion) is a valuable aspect of our gathering times. We regard it as a high priority during our assemblies. The Lord’s supper is done in remembrance of Christ, until he comes again. The Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ and is symbolic in nature, allowing us to demonstrate our faith and obedience. (Acts 20:7, I Cor. 11:26, I Cor. 10:16-18, I Cor. 11:23-26)

We believe each member in the Body of Christ is a minister and has unique Spiritual gifts to carry out God’s mission here on earth. The purpose of the gifts are to build up the Body of Christ, serve the needy, and preach and teach the Word of God to the lost. (1 Corinthians 12:18; 1 Peter 4:10 - 11; Ephesians 4:11 - 16)

We believe the Scriptures of both the Old and New Testament are God breathed and error-free in their original form. The purposes of the Scriptures are to teach us about God, to lead us to faith in Christ, and to reveal God's will for our lives. Everything we do, both individually and collectively as the church, must be in accordance with the teachings and guidance we have from the Word of God. (2 Timothy 3:15-16)

We believe that Jesus Christ will return to this earth, and that this hope has a vital bearing on the life and service of the believer. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead; of the believer to everlasting blessedness and joy with the Lord; of the unbeliever to judgment and everlasting separation from God. (1 Thessalonians 4:13 - 18; 1 Cor. 15; Hebrews 10:26 - 31)

III. Vision, Mission and, Purposes of

Little Rock Church

The Vision of Little Rock Church:

Little Rock Church is to be a relevant, family-oriented church growing to 400-500 believers experiencing Christian community in house churches that will fulfill our mission to Love God and Love our Neighbor (especially our neighbors that do not have a church home) through living out our purposes as we plant three new churches in neighboring communities by 2015.

The Mission of Little Rock Church:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind. And, love your neighbor as yourself. (Luke 10:27)

The Purposes of Little Rock Church:

Worship God (Worship)

Bring the Lost and Hurting to Christ (Outreach)

Pursue Unity in the Body of Christ (Unity)

Mature Followers of Christ (Maturity)

Equip Members for Ministry (Equipping)

A. The following information is a brief description of the five purposes:

l Worship – Worship is our response to who God is and what He has done for us. God’s purpose in the world is to redeem a people to be His very own and to share His love with his creation. Our purpose is to return that love to God by worshipping Him. Jesus said that God is seeking worshippers who will worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23). We worship God by the power of the Holy Spirit, based on the Truth that, while we were dead in sin, Jesus Christ made us right with God through His death, burial and resurrection.

l Outreach – Matthew records some of the last words of Jesus just before his ascension, “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. . . .” Luke also records some of the last words of Jesus in Acts 1:8: “and you will be my witnesses. . . to the ends of the earth Our mission is broader than telling people the Good News about Jesus. We are also called to BE the Good News. We therefore have a mission to the poor and to the hurting in our community. We pursue justice for the oppressed, food for the hungry, clothing for the naked, housing for the homeless, and caring for the sick.

lUnity - One of the last things that Jesus did on this earth was to pray for His disciples and for all of us who would believe in Him through their message. He prayed, "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you." (John 17:20-21) In fact, Jesus prayed that all believers would be brought to complete unity. Jesus wants us to "Make every effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (Ephesians 4:3) This means that we should seek and pursue unity within our Body and with other groups of believers who have a devotion to Jesus, as do we.

l Maturity - One of the goals of the Body of Christ is to help every member "become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13). Maturity in Christ involves distinguishing between right and wrong (Hebrews 5:14 - 6:2), growing in grace and knowledge of Christ (2 Pet 3:18), and being compelled by the love of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14). Ultimately, the goal of every Christian is to be transformed into the image of Christ.

l Equipping—The Bible tells us that “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). It also tells us that the purpose of these good works is to build up the Body of Christ. Every Christian is indwelled by the Holy Spirit and is specifically gifted by Him to serve in His Body. God calls church leaders to “prepare [equip] God’s people for works of service” (Ephesians 4:11-12), and to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24).

B. How Will We Accomplish God's Purposes for Little Rock Church?

By first and foremost submitting to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in our lives individually and as a Body. Realizing that God has specific purposes for our Body, we want to become a "purpose-driven" church. This means that we must focus on God's purposes for our Body, making sure that every decision we make and everything we do serves to fulfill one or more of these purposes. We have established Purpose Teams that lead our Body in each area. It is our goal to make sure the ministry and mission of LRC is accomplished as we carry out these five purposes.

C. Leadership Assignments - Purpose Team Leaders

Worship Team - Trey Chandler

Unity Team – Gerald Driskill

Maturity Team - Lynn Cook & Jeff Medders

Equipping Team – Lynn Cook & Jeff Medders

Outreach Team- Jeff Medders

IV. Structure and Leadership at Little Rock Church

A. When and Why We Meet as a Church Family: LRC meets on Sunday mornings to experience the transforming presence of God through worship, the Lord’s Supper, ministry of the Word, and through the encouragement of just being together.

Sunday mornings begin at 9 AM with an hour of Bible classes. The purpose of these classes is to provide instruction from the Word of God and to equip for ministry. We provide adult, teen, and children’s classes for all ages, which meet in different classrooms around the building including the auditorium. Lynn Cook, our Senior Minister, coordinates the adult classes. Kelly Cochrane, our Children’s Minister, coordinates children’s classes from newborn to Sixth Grade. Chad Nall our Youth Minister coordinates the classes for grades 7-12.

Our worship assembly begins at 10 AM. Although our worship leaders and preachers plan a time of exciting and contemporary worship, we allow the Holy Spirit to be in charge. Our leaders regularly meet to plan, prepare, and pray over our worship assembly We regularly hear an inspiring message from the Word of God during the Worship Assembly. Lynn Cook, our senior minister preaches most often, but also coordinates a small group of gifted preachers and teachers who regularly participate in our worship assembly. Words of encouragement, prayer needs, and special songs are also shared in the assembly on a regular basis by different members, male and female. We regularly gather around those that are hurting and pray for them in the assembly. Every Sunday we share in a covenant meal that Jesus Christ instituted, that we call “communion,” or “the Lord’s Supper.”

B. House Churches and House Church Leaders

LRC also gathers in small groups called house churches during the week. Our House Church Ministry has groups meeting on several nights during the week all over the Little Rock metro area including Benton, Maumelle, N. Little Rock, and Bryant. Currently there are 16 house churches that make up LRC. House churches are designed to create an authentic Christian community that can mature disciples in Christ and equip them for ministry. House churches are at the core of who LRC is and how we mature believers in God’s grace. House Churches are how the elders of LRC shepherd the church family. Each LRC elder shepherds 3 or 4 house churches by working closely with the house church leader.

House churches are as old as Christianity. When you turn to the book of Acts, you find the large group - small group concept being patterned. Acts 2:42-46 shows that new believers that were added to the church also were a part of a small group meeting in someone’s home. Acts 5:42 states “Day after day in the temple courts and from house-to-house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ.” Other New Testament passages referring to small groups meeting in homes are Acts 12:5-12, Romans 16:3-5, Colossians 4:15, and Philemon 1:1-2.

LRC’s leadership and structure are inseparable. LRC is designed to grow spiritual leaders out of an intimate community of believers. Each house church (a small group of Christians meeting in homes) has a shepherding leader and a leader in training. Our house church leaders are the heart of the shepherding care available at LRC. The elders of LRC look to the house church Leaders to be “front line” for shepherding, pastoral care, and maturing members of our church body. Members of LRC are asked to recognize and respond to the shepherding care of the house church leader and regularly participate in a house church. To ensure that our house churches grow and remain true to their purpose of growing new house churches, we ask for house churches to regroup and reform after two years if they are not experiencing growth.

The House Churches of Little Rock Church are built around geographic areas. We believe that true Christian community is built by those who are around each other often. We encourage our house churches to meet often and outside the regular weekly meeting. If you are new to LRC, we would ask you to join the group that is closest to your home. If there is not a group close to your home, please ask for some assistance in looking for options.

C. Elders

LRC believes that God has called each church to be shepherded and overseen by a group of men that the New Testament calls elders, bishops (overseers), or shepherds (pastors). The most common term given to this group of men charged to oversee the church is elder. In the New Testament, the elders have the overall responsibility for the oversight and direction of the church. They are to seek the mind of Christ (who is the head of the church), in all matters through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. They must be able to “teach and exhort the church in sound doctrine” and “refute those who contradict the truth.” Elders are to lead by example and will provide instruction for the maintenance of healthy relationships within the church. For further study on the New Testament role of elders please see Hebrews 13:7, 17, 1 Thessalonians 5:12, I Peter 5:2-3, Titus 1:5-9, , and 1 Timothy 3:1-7. Elders at LRC are chosen by the Holy Spirit and affirmed or reaffirmed regularly by the church body. Currently at LRC, we have five men serving as elders and they are Winston Chandler Jr., Brad Dell, Glenn Graham Stacy Peters, and Jerry Reed.

Supported Ministry Staff

The elders of LRC present to the church a team of gifted ministers who are charged with developing and implementing the mission and ministry of LRC. Lynn Cook, our Senior minister has been charged by the elders to coordinate the vision for mission and ministry. In February 2005 the LRC elders laid their hands on Lynn to bless him in the leadership role as Senior Minister.

Lynn Cook

Senior Minister

Jeff Medders

Associate Minister

Chad Nall

Youth Minister

Dave Garner

Church Administrator

Kelly Cochrane

Children’s Minister (Part-time)

Pam Reed

Administrative Assistant (Part-time)

Regina Graham

Home Away from Home

Ministry Leader (Part-time)

E. Other Ministry Leaders

In the New Testament, other servant leaders, or “deacons,” were chosen from the church body to lead various ministries so that the elders and apostles could continue on with their assigned responsibilities. In Acts 6:1-7; servant leaders were chosen to oversee the needs of the widows in the growing church community so that the Apostles could continue in their work of growing the church. At LRC, we have servant leaders (male and female) who lead various ministries under the direction of the LRC elders.

Is Little Rock Church part of a denomination? Who does Little Rock Church fellowship?

ur intent is to be Christians only, nothing more, nothing less. We therefore consider ourselves “non-denominational,” since we do not give ourselves any particular label other than that given to us by God, nor do we align ourselves exclusively with any particular denomination. We are a body of believers who have placed our hope in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord. He called us into existence at this place in our community and at this point in time to serve him. We are part of the church that began almost 2,000 years ago on the day of Pentecost, and continues to this day throughout the world. We pursue fellowship with all who have been justified by faith in Christ.

How is Little Rock Church led?

e believe that Jesus Christ is the head of His body, the Church. Everyone in the church is in submission to him. We also believe that as described in the New Testament, the Holy Spirit appoints men to serve as elders, overseers and pastors of each local church. These men are charged with following Jesus Christ and overseeing the affairs of the church, and shepherding the church family. The New Testament describes another office in the church, that of evangelist or minister. In our context, these evangelists and ministers have specialized training and education and are charged by the elders to lead and equip our church in fulfilling our purposes. Our church is overseen and shepherded by our elders. They appointed Lynn Cook as Senior Minister to coordinate and direct the day-to-day mission and ministry of the church.

What does Little Rock Church believe about salvation and baptism?

e believe that we are saved by God’s grace, through our faith, not by our works—salvation is a free gift from God (Ephesians 2:8-10). Jesus Christ paid the price for our sins so that we can have a reconciled relationship with God (1 John 2:2). We enter into this relationship through faith in Christ (Romans 3:22).

Faith in Christ must be demonstrated in obedience to Christ. Christ commands that we repent of our sins (Luke 13:3), confess before others that He is Lord (Matthew 10:32), and be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). Baptism represents giving our lives over to Christ. We believe baptism is connected to salvation because of the following Scriptures:

· The Apostle Peter refers to baptism as an act that “now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. . .” (1 Peter 3:21).

· “And now, what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name” (Acts 22:16).

· On the day that the Christian church began, Peter said to the crowd, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

· “We were therefore buried with him [Jesus] through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:4).

· “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:27).

We believe immersion is the biblical method of baptism, as it “re-enacts” the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ for each Christian. We also believe that baptism is only for believers who are old enough to choose it for themselves. Every member of LRC is a baptized believer, “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body” (1 Corinthians 12:13). Jesus himself was baptized to “fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15), and we invite others to follow in His steps.

What does Little Rock Church believe about the role of men and women?

cripture teaches that men and women are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Paul writes in Galatians 3:28-29 "there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free man, there is male nor female, for you are all one in Jesus Christ." Men and women are joint heirs in Christ. All men and women in Christ have been given gifts by the Holy Spirit.

We not only affirm the biblical teaching on the worth of all persons, but we also believe the Bible teaches that God created man and woman to fulfill different, but complementary, roles which are rooted in their unique, sexual identity (Gen. 2:17-25, 3:6-7). God created the man with the primary role of "servant leader." He created woman with the primary role of "helper." When the authors of the New Testament provided practical instructions on the roles of men and women in the church and in the home, their teaching was based on God's design in creation.

We believe that both men and women are called to use their gifts of the Holy Spirit in ways that serve in the body of Christ. Women have been blessed by our elders to participate in the life of our church and worship assembly in many ways including leading of ministries, teaching children, reading scripture, participating in the praise team, wording a prayer, serving as greeters, sharing a testimony, and passing communion.

In 1 Timothy 2:12 the apostle Paul writes about roles, "But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise spiritual authority over a man, but to remain quiet." We believe that women should not serve in roles in which they would be preaching or teaching in our worship assembly and house churches.

Why does Little Rock Church take communion each Sunday?

he Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ as a symbolic act of faith and obedience. We find in scripture four primary purposes for the Lord’s supper or communion:

· To remember Christ until he comes (I Corinthians 11:23-26)

· To symbolize unity in the body of Christ, the church. (I Corinthians 10:16-18)

· To proclaim Christ’s death and love for the World (I Corinthians 11:26)

· Self examination (I Corinthians 11:27-28)