what we practice

We practice baptism by immersion for all believers–the way Jesus was baptized and the way the New Testament teaches.
(Matthew 28:19; John 3:23; Acts 2:38, 8:38, 22:16; Romans 6:1-14; Galatians 3:27; Colossians 2:12)

The New Testament Church observed the Lord’s Supper each time they met together. In like fashion, we celebrate the Lord’s Supper or Communion at each weekly worship service. It consists of unleavened bread and grape juice and is open to all believers. The purpose of the Lord's Supper is three-fold: To remind the church of the New Covenant, to proclaim Christ’s death until He comes, and to promote honest self-examination within the church.
(Acts 2:46; 1 Corinthians 11:23-34)

All believers are a part of Christ’s church. However, a person seeking membership in the local body of believers should be
(or have been) baptized by immersion and willing to serve in the local church.
(1 Corinthians 6:15-20; Ephesians 5:18-21; 1 Peter 2:1-6)

Christ is the head of church, and the Bible is the basis for all we believe and do. Although we believe that we should cooperate with other groups of Christians, our church is self-governing and independent from any denominational control.
(2 Timothy 3:15-17; Colossians 1:18; Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 12:12)

We recognize that the Old Testament standard for giving was 10% of our income. The New Testament goes beyond the Old Testament standard and teaches that everything we have–our financial resources, our talents, and our time–belong to God; we are to be good stewards of all that He gives us. We practice obedience to God and encourage sacrificial giving from all that we have to support the church as God commands.
(Malachi 3:10; 1 Corinthians 9:6-12)

We, the elders and ministry staff at Greentree Christian Church, stand firmly on the belief that the Biblical concept of marriage is between one man and one woman in a committed, lifelong relationship. All expressions of sexual intimacy (including but not limited to premarital sex, homosexual behavior, pornography, and marital unfaithfulness) that fall outside this Biblical design of the marriage relationship are sinful and as such are not condoned by the church. That being said, we recognize that each of us is broken, and we are committed to creating a worshipful learning environment in which sinners come to be cleansed and healed rather than judged. As each of us personally battle the elements of sin that would entangle our lives, we pray for the strength of God’s Holy Spirit to withstand temptation and testing.
(Genesis 2:20b-25; Genesis 19; Job 31:1; Romans 1:18-32; Proverbs 1:10; 1 Corinthians 6:18-20; Ephesians 5:3-4; Revelation 22:12-16)