What We Practice

The purpose of Westside Bible Fellowship (WBF, Westside) is to exalt Jesus Christ who is our Lord and Savior by:

• Evangelizing unbelievers in our world, primarily the family members, friends and acquaintances of assembly members and the unchurched neighbors of the fellowship and, secondarily, unbelievers in other areas and cultures, so they will personally trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, openly identify with Christ and other believers in water baptism and become active in the Westside fellowship or some other Bible believing fellowship (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 8:4, 10:47-48, 2 Corinthians 5:18-20).

• Edifying believers in Christ, primarily those who regularly fellowship with our assembly, so that they will grow in worship, faith, obedience to God's Word and Christ-likeness (Matthew 28:20, John 4:23-24, Acts 2:42-47, Ephesians 4:11-16, 1 Thessalonians 5:11, Hebrews 10:24-25)

The elders of Westside Bible Fellowship humbly acknowledge that individual Christians and local churches differ in their application of the Biblical principles that govern many of the issues addressed in our Philosophy of Ministry. We also recognize that Westside is not necessarily the best or right church for everyone. We cannot insist on uniformity of opinion in regard to all areas of church doctrine and practice. But we must insist that anyone who chooses to make WBF their home fellowship respond to differences within the body in a way that preserves "unity" and "peace" (Ephesians 4:1-3) and from an attitude of humble submission to the leaders of the church (Hebrews 13:17).

Spiritual Gifts

The New Testament provides a long and widely varying list of spiritual gifts given to the church. We believe the appropriate emphasis in regard to spiritual gifts is to focus on the teaching of the New Testament that every true believer is uniquely endowed by the Holy Spirit with one or possibly more gifts for the purpose of serving others in the church (1 Corinthians 12). These are not natural talents, but rather supernatural desires and abilities in areas like serving, encouragement, exhortation, teaching, mercy, pastoring, administration, hospitality, evangelism and giving (Romans 12:3-8, Ephesians 4:7-13, 1 Peter 4:10-11). For the church to have a complete and effective ministry, each individual's gift is needed. Therefore, elders and other leaders in the body will consistently encourage and assist members to identify, develop and exercise their spiritual gifts.

Some gifts appear to have had a defined purpose at a specific period in time. For example, scripture describes tongues as a "sign" gift provided to authenticate to "unbelievers" the gospel and teachings of the apostles as the church was founded (Acts 2, 1 Corinthians 14:22). Prophecy, in the sense of providing new or additional revelation from God, served an obvious purpose in the early church prior to the completion of the Word of God. But with the completion of inspired scripture which contains "the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3), this kind of prophecy has become both unnecessary and prohibited by God's Word. The inspired scripture (Bible) contains all the truth that is needed "so the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17). In the final chapter of Revelation, Christ gives a stern warning to anyone who would "add anything to... or take words away from this book of prophecy" (Revelation 22:18-20).

We believe that God could choose to use gifts like tongues or healing today for the same authenticating evangelistic purpose that they served in the early church. But with the completion of the historically authenticated and authoritative Word of God, we believe the purpose and scriptural pattern for their use has become a rare need. We must also emphasize that if they appear today as a true Spirit-given gift, their authenticity will be demonstrated by use that is in obedience to the specific patterns provided in scripture (1 Corinthians 14:26-33).

Finances and Giving

The Bible has much to say about the use of money. We are warned not to grasp tightly to money and other material things of this earth but to pursue the true treasures of God's kingdom (Matthew 6:19-21, 31-33). We are also told that we have been bought with the price of Christ's blood and everything we are and have belongs to Him (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

Many Christians choose to make the principle of tithing, or giving 10%, a beginning standard. A careful study of the commands on tithing in the Old Testament reveals that there were several "tithes" given at different times and for different purposes. In reality their required giving added up to far more than 10% each year. The New Testament does not specifically state a standard for giving. It teaches that "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:6-8). The leadership of WBF will never pressure individual members to give a specific amount. A Christian whose heart is truly surrendered to Jesus Christ will give to the work of His kingdom willingly and generously, without compulsion (2 Corinthians 8:7).

In an effort to avoid stumbling unbelievers who may mistakenly believe they can purchase God's favor by giving money to the church, our weekly offering will be taken at the Breaking of Bread service when predominantly Christians are present. However, an offering box will be kept available at the back of the main auditorium so believers will have the opportunity to worship our Lord through giving at any time. We will also generally avoid public "fund raiser" activities. We believe a heavy focus on money, including fund raisers that involve the unsaved community, could compromise the testimony of our church (3 John 7). Our desire is to be seen as serving and giving to the community.

If members of the church are going to give sacrificially to the needs of the ministries of the church, they must be kept well-informed about those needs. In January of each year, an all-church meeting will be held to communicate to the body the plans and goals God has led the leadership to make for the coming year. The financial needs and budget that correspond with these goals will be shared. The WBF leadership is committed to keeping the body informed about the financial plans and goals. The deacons will prepare and distribute a detailed financial report at the end of each quarter throughout the year.

Galatians 3:26-29 makes it clear that men and women are completely equal in value and status on a spiritual level. Regardless of gender, every believer is a child of God and an "heir" of all the spiritual blessings that are a part of our "inheritance" (Ephesians 1:3-14). From the very beginning God created men and women equal spiritually, but for different roles (Genesis 2:18-22). God has outlined His order for male and female roles in 1 Corinthians 11:3 where it says "the head of the woman is man." Scripture applies this general principle to both marriage (Ephesians 5:22-24, 1 Peter 3:1) and the church (1 Timothy 2:11-12, 1 Corinthians 14:33-35).

It is extremely important to understand that a God-given role of submission in no way denotes inferiority or less value in God's spiritual economy. For example, the "Head" of Christ is God the Father, and the Son "submits" to the Father (1 Corinthians 11:3, John 6:38-40). To conclude from this that Christ is somehow inferior to the Father would be blasphemy and would contradict the truth of Colossians 1:15-19. Another example is in 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 where God makes it clear that a person with an upfront gift like teaching should never be considered superior or more valuable than someone with a behind-the-scenes role like serving. It is also critical to understand that the role of "headship" in no way gives men the right to lord it over women. Rather the calling of man is to sacrificially "love his wife as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her" (Ephesians 5:25-30).

We see no scriptural reason to conclude that women are not able to have all the same spiritual gifts men can have. However, the use of these gifts is governed by the Biblical principle that in the context of the local church women are not to "teach" men, or take "authority" over men (1 Timothy 2:11-12, 1 Corinthians 14:33-35). We believe this principle actually creates few restrictions and provides a multitude of ministry opportunities for women. Within the context of our women's ministries, women exercise gifts including administration and teaching of other women. Women also have a tremendous positive impact as they minister to the entire body with gifts like encouragement, mercy, hospitality, service and giving. We believe that unless the women in our body are effectively using the spiritual gifts God has given them "for the common good" of the body (1 Corinthians 12:7), Westside will not thrive and be used as God intends.

• It will be our policy that women will not be placed in a teaching position, act as a worship leader, lead a Care Group or head a ministry team in a situation where men are involved.
• Women are encouraged to participate during congregational times of spontaneous sharing (not teaching). Women are also invited to enthusiastically participate in the discussion, sharing and prayer within the small Care Groups which meet in various homes each week. It will be our chosen practice that men lead any large group congregation of the church in prayer.
• We ask that the men lead in verbal participation in the Breaking of Bread. The focus and purpose of this meeting is worship, but much of the participation inherently involves "teaching." It is also our intent that this meeting provide a specific opportunity that will encourage men to assume their God-given role of spiritual leadership.
• Only men will be recognized for the office of either elder or deacon. The scriptural qualifications for both elders and deacons are clearly exclusive to men (1 Timothy 3:1-12, Titus 1:6).

God has clearly charged those who lead the church with the responsibility to aggressively protect the church from those who would introduce false teaching, division and immoral behavior into the church (2 Timothy 4:1-4). God's Word repeatedly charges all Christians with the responsibility to lovingly confront and encourage each other to turn away from sin (Galatians 6:1, Matthew 18:15-17). The motive and attitude must never be self-righteous judgment of one another (Matthew 7:1-2). Instead, our goal should be to encourage each other to repentance which will lead to the restoration of close fellowship with the Lord and other Christians.

Matthew 18:15-19 teaches a three-step approach to confronting an individual brother or sister who has sinned "against you" or whose sin you observe. It teaches that you should first go alone to that person to seek repentance and reconciliation. If the person refuses to listen, you are then to take one or two others along to make another appeal. If the individual still refuses to listen, the next step is to tell it to the church so all the believers can encourage repentance. The principle seems to be that if the sin is not already public knowledge, it should only be told to others when and if it becomes absolutely necessary in the process of encouraging the believer to turn away from the sin.

It is important to note that in other scriptures where it appears the sin is already public knowledge, this same three-step pattern is not instructed (Titus 3:10, Galatians 6:1, 1 Corinthians 5:1-5,11-13). When unrepentant sin is public knowledge, scripture seems to require swift and decisive action by church leaders so harm to the testimony of the church and the name of Christ are minimized. We also believe that when sin has become public knowledge, it is appropriate for the individual's expression of repentance to be public also. This allows the individual and the church to clearly reaffirm their testimony and commitment to obeying Christ and His Word.

Scripture is plain about the appropriate response of the church toward someone who "calls himself a brother" (1 Corinthians 5:11-13) but persists in public unrepentant sin. Matthew 18:17 instructs us to "treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector." The practical application of this is that we are to "Keep away from them" (Romans 16:17), to "not associate with them" (2 Thessalonians 3:14-15), "have nothing to do with them" (Titus 3:10), and to "expel the wicked man from among you" (1 Corinthians 5:1-5, 11-13).

Scripture repeatedly teaches the importance of the attitude and character of those who confront others. Those who rebuke others must first have genuinely confessed and repented of the sin in their own lives (Matthew 7:3-5). Those who are truly "spiritual" can then work gently, humbly (Galatians 6:1-3) and patiently (2 Timothy 3:10) to restore the one who has fallen into sin.

WBF is committed to obeying God's instruction and carrying out loving discipline when scripture requires it. We will also honor the discipline of other evangelical Bible-believing churches. It is critical that we keep in mind that the end goal is not discipline. The goal is repentance that allows for restoration of the believer's relationship to God and other believers. When repentance occurs, we are instructed to "forgive and comfort" the person and to "reaffirm our love for him" (2 Corinthians 2:5-8).

Baptism

The moment a person places sincere faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit baptizes them into the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). This baptism by the Holy Spirit means that on a spiritual level we have been "united with" Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. It means our old self has been "crucified with Christ" and that "just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a NEW LIFE" (Romans 6:3-10). We believe the scriptural teaching and example is that water baptism of a believer by immersion serves as an outward physical expression of the inner spiritual renewal that has already taken place at the point of salvation.

Physical baptism with water plays no role in a person's salvation. The repentant thief dying alongside Jesus at Calvary was not physically baptized, but Christ assured him that "today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:39-43). Water baptism must, however, be one of a new Christian's first vital steps of obedience. The Lord Himself, and the Apostles, clearly commanded and practiced baptism for all believers (Matthew 28:19, John 3:22-23, Acts 2:37-41, 8:12-13). Baptism also provides each new believer with a critical opportunity to give public proclamation of their personal decision to follow and identify with Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will acknowledge him before my Father in heaven" (Matthew 10:32).

Membership in, or affiliation with, any denomination or local church plays absolutely no role in an individual's salvation. However, the New Testament clearly teaches and illustrates, by the example of the early church, that God intends Christians to join together in local definable groups. These local church bodies are made up of people who have confessed Jesus as Lord and desire to serve Him by willingly identifying with and committing themselves to a local church (Acts 2:47, Hebrews 10:25).

Westside Bible Fellowship is committed to fellowshipping with all true believers. However, at any point in time there may be many people attending Westside who are not yet Christians, or some who are believers but who haven't yet chosen Westside as their home church. At least once each quarter of the year, a class will be held for those who have recently started attending Westside. This class will provide prospective new additions to the fellowship an opportunity to review our philosophy of ministry and statement of faith so they can make an informed decision about commitment to our fellowship. After attending the class, those interested in making WBF their church home will have the opportunity to meet with one or two elders for further discussion or clarification if desired.

When a person has decided to make Westside their church home, they will be invited to express that decision by signing a Statement of Fellowship form. Those under age 18 will need a parent's signature approving their decision. It is important for the elders to have as accurate an understanding as possible concerning just who professes faith in Jesus Christ and considers themselves a committed part of the Westside fellowship. If the elders are to do an effective job of shepherding, they must clearly understand those for whom they are responsible. Each individual's decision can be reaffirmed periodically by signing a brief statement expressing the desire to continue functioning as a productive part of this local fellowship.

Only those who have made a sincere profession of personal faith in Jesus Christ and have expressed a commitment to make WBF their church home will be considered for ongoing ministry opportunities within the church.

Evangelism
We believe God has called our church to be an outwardly-focused agent for change in the world. An important part of our purpose is to be salt and light to both our own community and to other cultures around the world (Matthew 5:13-16). We believe God has compassion for all people in the world regardless of their race or culture. Christ died for all, and anyone who places their faith (trust) in Him will be saved and receive God's gift of eternal life (John 3:16).

World Missions
From Abraham's call in Genesis 12 to be a blessing to all nations to John's vision in Revelation of representatives from every tongue and tribe before God's throne, scripture teaches that God calls His people to seek to make eternal impact on every nation in the world. Christ has commanded us both individually and as a church to be missions-active by being involved in "making disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19-20).

As a missions-active church, we will consistently seek to grow in our knowledge of world missions. We will seek to become better informed about: 1) the Biblical basis for missions, 2) religious, cultural and political trends in the world and 3) ways our fellowship can become actively involved in evangelism, discipleship and church planting in other cultures. The elders will appoint a missions committee which will lead the body toward these goals. The committee will organize and implement our missions program and will serve as a catalyst for involving the WBF body in cross-cultural missions.

We will be a sending church (Acts 11:19-30, 13:1-3). We believe God will raise up from our fellowship those who will be effective cross-cultural missionaries for both short and long terms. We will help prepare them for missionary service by means of teaching, discipleship, fellowship, counsel and evaluation.

Missionaries commended by WBF for long term service will have been active participants of the church for a minimum of three years. This will enable prospective missionaries to know and be known by our church body. It will also help them to develop their spiritual gifts and missionary skills as they experience the challenges and successes of local church work. Only individuals the elders believe God has called and prepared spiritually to be effective in a specific area of cross-cultural missions will be commended. The church will support its commended missionaries with consistent prayer and with finances when possible. Those sent out as missionaries from WBF will continue to be accountable to the elders (Acts 13:1-4, 14:21-28).

Our efforts to stay informed will focus primarily on areas of missions where someone directly related to WBF is presently serving or preparing to serve. Each individual Care Group will be encouraged to adopt a missionary with whom they can consistently communicate and for whom they can pray. The Care Group will get involved in helping the missionary in practical ways where possible. Special missionary meetings will be scheduled periodically where missionaries with whom WBF has a relationship will report on their area of ministry.

Local Church Evangelism
Our primary purpose for the main weekly meetings of the church is to strengthen Christians in their personal relationship to Jesus Christ. However, we recognize that unbelievers often visit or even regularly attend these meetings. Therefore, we are also committed to a clear, consistent presentation of the gospel during these meetings. We see the general pattern of the New Testament to be that the church gathers to be built up and goes out into the world for evangelism. Jesus, the Apostle Peter and others preached the gospel to large crowds. However, there are many more examples of evangelism through a one-on-one friendship approach in scripture.

Care Groups will be a focal point for stimulating friendship evangelism. In the New Testament, after Andrew became a disciple of Jesus, the first thing he did was to seek out his brother Peter and encourage him to meet Christ (John 1:35-42). Like Andrew, we should all have people we love and are prayerfully trying to introduce to the Lord. Everyone involved in a Care Group will be encouraged to develop an ongoing "Operation Andrew" list. Each week several people can report and ask for prayer in anticipation of time they will be spending with an unsaved friend. Small group activities combining our pre-Christian friends and some believers from our Care Group can also be planned and prayed for.

We believe it is appropriate for individual Christians and for us as a church to use a variety of creative and socially relevant methods to communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). The elders will appoint an ongoing evangelistic outreach team which will be responsible to provide a quality evangelistic outreach event for the entire body at least once each quarter throughout the year. We believe the effectiveness of these events will be directly proportional to our prayer and the seeds we plant and water prior to the event through our "Operation Andrew" efforts.

Discipling of New Believers
The elders will seek out and equip with both training and resources a pool of people who are willing and able to provide a period of one-on-one discipleship for any young or new believer who is willing. In addition, a new believers class will be offered on a periodic basis. Recent converts or anyone who could benefit from a study of the foundational truths of the Christian faith will be strongly encouraged to participate.

Our Plan for Growth
Our first priority is to continue using the beautiful facility God has provided for us here in Hillsboro as far as God's leading and supply will permit. Our intent is that each time God has blessed and our body begins to outgrow this facility, we will ask God to raise up a sufficient number of families, including enough spiritually mature and prepared people, to go out and successfully plant another perpetually growing church. We believe an optimal number of people for a viable church plant may be 100 or more (Psalm 127:1).