BELIEFS

STATEMENT OF FAITH

“Killead Presbyterian Church exists to glorify God and transform people into committed followers of Jesus Christ through His enabling power and to develop God’s Kingdom within the community.”

Killead Church is part of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. We organise ourselves and our practices in agreement with the Presbyterian model. Presbyterian means that our church is governed by a group of Elders (called a Kirk Session), made up of individuals who seek to oversee all the spiritual matters of the congregation. All of the Presbyterian churches in Ireland are members of a local grouping called a Presbytery, (of which we are part of the Templepatrick Presbytery). Each Presbytery is then represented on the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, which is situated in Belfast (Assembly Buildings on Fisherwick Place). Within the Assembly, the local churches can unite and agree on various matters and therefore present a united stand. The purpose of this church is to glorify God; both as individuals and as a Covenant family. Our church seeks to do this through the meeting of public worship, preaching and teaching from the Scriptures, discipling to encourage Christian living, and to reach out with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As every organisation has a standard or ‘code of conduct’, we too, as a Christian church, have a single authority in matters of faith and practice – the Word of God, the Bible. The Bible speaks to every aspect of our lives, but here is what we teach as the foundations of our faith:

OUR
FOUNDATIONS

  • The Scriptures of the Old and New Testament were inspired by God, and they are of supreme and final authority;

  • There is only one true God, who is eternal and of one essence; yet co-equal persons – we call this the Trinity: Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.
  • The second person of the Trinity (the Son), is Jesus Christ, who was from God, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.
  • The third person of the Trinity is the Holy Spirit, who convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgement. He is in the life of the believer and He empowers the Word of God when it is preached and read.
  • However, the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins to be a representative and substitute sacrifice, and that all who believe in Him as their Saviour are justified on the basis of His perfect blood being shed.

  • The Scriptures of the Old and New Testament were inspired by God, and they are of supreme and final authority;

  • Three days after His death, Jesus Christ rose again and then ascended into heaven, where He is sitting at the right hand of the Father as our High Priest and Advocate for us.
  • We have a hope in a personal, visible and imminent return of Jesus Christ as Lord and King. For all who believe by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, are born again by the Holy Spirit and become children of God and heirs of eternal life.
  • The Church is made up of the children of God, whose mission is to study the Scriptures, pray and to practice the ordinances of the Church (baptism and the Lord’s Supper). Our commission is to preach the Gospel to the world and make disciples.