CORE BELIEFS

We adopt the 16 Statements of Fundamental Truths approved by the General Council of

the Assemblies of God. These tenants are listed below and described in the GraceValley

Constitution.

1. The scriptures are the inspired Word of God
2. There is one true God
3. The deity of the Lord Jesus Christ
4. The fall of man by sin
5. The salvation of man by Christ
6. The ordinances of the church (communion & water baptism)
7. The baptism in the Holy Spirit (filled, seeking, open)
8. Initial physical evidence of the baptism (tongues)
9. Sanctification (a journey of a lifetime)
10. The church & it’s mission to reach others
11. The ministry of believers
12. Divine healing
13. The blessed hope
14. The millennial reign of Christ
15. The final judgment
16. The new heavens & new earth

CORE VALUES (Important Ways To Be Involved)

GraceValley is a very healthy church. There are a few core values that are important for

each member to embrace in order to ensure that the health we enjoy is maintained.

1. Be an active participant in worship, prayer and the altar.
2. Be committed to a lifestyle of discipleship. (Personal growth through LifeClasses, Small Groups and Serve Teams)
3. Develop a heart for personal evangelism and world missions.
4. Be willing to discover, develop and serve in the area of your passion, gifts and callings.
5. Financially support GraceValley in a manner consistent with the Scriptures.
6. Actively pursue authentic relationships and connectedness with others. (Friendliness, unity, ministry)

8 Reasons to Join a Local Church

1. Membership promotes good organization

God is organized “for God is not a God of disorder but of peace.”-1 Corinthians 1 4:33.

This can be clearly seen through the great precision at which the universe is operating. Jesus himself organized crowds; David’s men in the Old Testament were highly organized. In the New Testament, believers are called “soldiers” in 2 Timothy 2:3-4, indicating authority and structure. Organization is necessary to the smooth functioning of any ministry or organization. 

2. Membership helps us keep an accurate count of the flock

Acts 1:15 (NIV) “In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) 2: 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. 4:4 But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.” It appeared that the early church has some form of membership and kept a count of the people. If this was not important, why would it have so much emphasis in both the Old and New Testaments?

3. Membership facilitates the building of God’s household

“ ... you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house… “ 1 Peter 2:5. Peter describes Christians as “living stones” being built into a “spiritual house.” Individual stones have to be formed and cemented together in order to be useful and strong. Membership provides the context for this and the opportunities to best serve. Individual gifts are combined maximizing the strength and effectiveness of the whole!

4. Membership is one way of committing to one another in love

Time and time again scriptures instruct us to “love the brethren.” Love is expressed in relationships through the demonstration of commitment. Scripture states that God “demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were sinners, Christ died for us” – Romans 5:8. Whether in marriages, families, friendships or local churches, love is expressed by being committed one to another. Love is God’s plan for success that is guaranteed to “never fail.” (1 John 3:16-18: 1 Corinthians 13:8)

5. Membership helps meet our need for belonging and support.

It is in the heart of every believer to have a feeling of belonging. Joining the church and becoming a recognized member will fulfill that basic, God-given need. In times of joy and times of great crisis, it is a comfort to know that you are an integral part of a body of believers. This is the clear sense of what the believers shared in Acts 2:42-47. 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.  They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

6. Membership provides a structure for accountability

Paul knew the dangers of believers falling into error. He intended that a local flock would be protected by qualified elders and biblical teaching. Concerning discipline, it is clear in scripture that there must be some accountable form of membership. You can’t “expel” a person from a fellowship to which he has never belonged. Yet the scriptures admonish us to do this very thing in the case of heretics, false teachers, and those in unrepentant, willful sin. (Titus 3:10; Romans 16:17-18; 1 Corinthians 5:1-2)

7. Membership provides a way to sustain a mission’s program

World evangelization is accomplished best when believers unite. This was an important reason the Assemblies of God was formed. In 1914, 300 people met in Chicago Illinois passing a resolution that said, “We commit ourselves and this movement to Him for the greatest evangelism that the world has ever seen.” Now, many years later the AG has grown from 300 to globally over 60 million! (2.8 million in the U.S.!) 

8. Membership fulfills legal requirements

For legal matters such as the sale or purchase of church property, there has to be a membership vote and details of that vote must appear on legal documents. If we had no membership role, then anybody could come in and vote on church matters. This would not be wisdom. Membership exercises legal responsibility and provides YOU a voice in many important decisions in the church.

NEXT STEPS FOR CHURCH MEMBERSHIP

Listed below are the 8 qualifications for church membership at GraceValley.

They are described in more detail in our Bylaws. At GraceValley our intention is

NOT to be legalistic, but to embrace the “spirit” of these scriptural principles.

God is always more concerned with your “direction” than he is your “perfection. ”

In other words, perfection is not required in order to become a member of

GraceValley, but a sincere desire to allow God to empower you to live by sound

Biblical principles IS a quality that EVERY member at GraceValley should strive for.

1. Show evidence of genuine salvation
2. Show evidence of a consistent Christian life
3. Resist activities that could offend or cause to stumble
4. Refrain from activities that can bring harm to the body
5. Strive to live by the Spirit, not the flesh
6. Subscribe to the Core Beliefs
7. Be 18 years of age or older
8. Be an active contributor of time, talents, and treasure

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

Relationships are very important in life, and in church life. We invite you to take

the next step in relationship through membership. We believe that being involved

relationally in both mission and ministry involvement will enrich your life and walk

with Christ. We are all able to experience the journey best, together through

relationships. Many prospective members complete the application process before

they leave today. If you desire to take this next step, each adult applying for

membership should fill out an application card(s) and turn them in.

1. Turn in the completed card.
2. The Church Board approves new members at their next regularly scheduled meeting.
3. You will receive notification of the commencement of your official membership following this meeting.
4. New members are publically received once annually in the spring of the year in a Sunday morning service.