In all matters of truth, faith, and theology, the Locust Grove Mennonite Church accepts the inspired Word of God, the Bible, as the final authority. We understand the Bible to be a supernatural revelation from God to mankind, verbally inspired by the Holy Spirit through human instrumentality, and without error in the original writings in all that they affirm.

Our interpretation of the Bible is guided by the Mennonite Confession of Faith, adopted in 1963 and by the Conservative Mennonite Statement of Theology which was adopted by the Conservative Mennonite Conference in 1991. In matters of faith and practice, our pastors and congregation are accountable to the Conservative Mennonite Conference, of which we are a member congregation.

Persons are considered members of the Locust Grove Mennonite Church who have demonstrated their repentance from a life of sin, personal faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, submission to the Lordship of Christ, assurance of personal salvation, baptism on the basis of their confession of faith in Christ, and are willing to abide by the Word of God and honor the Statement of Faith and Practice of the Locust Grove Mennonite Church.
Reception of Members

1. A person will be baptized on the basis of his/her confession of faith in Christ as Saviour and Lord. We recommend that those who have been baptized as infants be rebaptized on the basis of confession of faith in Christ as Saviour and Lord. The pastors and elders shall discern the spiritual qualifications for membership of each applicant before baptism or reception into membership of the church.
2. Periodically a new member's class will be offered for new believers and for those transferring their membership to Locust Grove and needing the instruction of the new member's class. Following completion of the new member's class those who have attended will be given opportunity to become members of the Locust Grove Congregation.
3. Persons will be eligible to transfer their membership into the congregation who have confessed Christ as Saviour and Lord, have been baptized, and are willing to abide by the Word of God and honor the Statement of Faith and Practice of the Locust Grove Congregation. The transfer of their membership into the congregation will be granted upon the approval of the Board of Elders.

1. Give general agreement and submission to the teachings and faith of this church.
2. Accept the fellowship and discipline of this body of believers for assistance in a lifestyle of Christian discipleship.
3. Extend Christian love to all others within the congregation.
4. Be open both to give and to receive counsel from others in the fellowship.
5. Support and respect the recognized leaders of the church.
6. Work and serve diligently for the good of this fellowship of believers.

1. Transfer. A member who wishes to become a member of another congregation should contact the pastor of Locust Grove. The pastor will present the request for transferral of membership to the elders for approval. Upon approval, the pastor will inform the congregation of the request and will send an official letter of membership transfer to the designated congregation.
   
2. Withdrawal. A member may request the termination of his or her membership without becoming a member of another congregation by contacting the pastor or elders. Withdrawal of membership becomes official when the elders approval such a request, inform the congregation, and remove that person's name from the membership list.
   
3. Deletion. A member who is absent from this congregation's worship services for an extended period of time shall have his or her membership terminated except for special circumstances. Exceptions for absence shall include missionary or voluntary service and schooling outside the immediate area as long as occasional contact through letter or visit is maintained with the congregation. The absent or inactive member will be contacted by the pastor or elders to discuss the reasons for the absence or inactivity. If that member does not provide an adequate rationale to maintain membership, the pastor and elders may terminate that membership by removing the person's name from the membership list, informing the congregation, and mailing a letter of termination to the terminated member.
   
4. Excommunication. A member faces the possibility of excommunication upon the following conditions: (1) Denying faith in Christ as Saviour and Lord or (2) showing an unrepentant attitude, living in sin, and refusing to abide by the Word of God and honor the Statement of Faith and Practice of the Locust Grove Mennonite Congregation. Gal. 5:19-21

   When a person rejects the counsel of individuals as well as the counsel of the congregation, that person will be excommunicated. The elders shall provide leadership in discerning the member's spiritual condition, processing it with the congregation, and informing that member of the action of the congregation. Matt. 18:15-17; I Cor. 5:4,5; Gal. 6:1.

   The purpose of excommunication is that the individual will see the sinfulness of his or her actions and will understand the need for repentance, confession, and forgiveness in order to be restored as a brother or sister in the family of God.

Since sin breaks fellowship with God and the Church, any transgression against God and the Church will be dealt with by the church. Offenders may be restored when there is humility, repentance, confession, and restitution. All offenders shall be dealt with in love and with the purpose of bringing about restoration of fellowship with God and the Church. Gal 6:1; I Thess. 5:14,15: II Thess. 3:14

Members of the Church are taught by the Word of God collectively for mutual instruction (Heb. 10:25) so that their witness to the gospel might be more effective to the world through personal and corporate testimonies and that the bonds of brotherhood might be strengthened (Phil.1:3-7). We recognize the need for fellowship both in the local congregation and in the universal body of believers (I Cor. 1:2,3) and believe it is the responsibility of our members to attend collective worship for their spiritual growth.
Brotherhood Relations

It is both the privilege and the responsibility of the members to accept each other and to encourage and admonish one another in the walk of discipleship. Eph. 5:18-21 Col. 3:14-17; Heb. 10:20-25 In the life of the local congregation as in the larger fellowship it is the duty of each member to serve the Lord without envy, strife or vain glory (Phil. 2:1-16) and to respect the call of the brotherhood when he or she may be asked to serve in specific responsibilities. Acts 13:1-4

Personal offenses between fellow Christians or rumors against a member are not to become the subject of gossip nor are to be carried immediately to the church. If more than Christian forbearance be necessary, disagreements must be dealt with in the order of Matt. 18:15-18. In this passage Jesus explains the obligation of the brotherhood. When someone trespasses against us, we are to go tell him individually, then we are to take two or three others and then we are to bring the matter to the church. The entire church is to be involved in helping the member realize his trespass, experience repentance and forgiveness, and seek reconciliation within the family of God.

While Jesus was on earth He left ordinances or symbols of faith for us as His followers to use in affirming our faith. The apostles also, by their teaching and example gave additional symbols for us to practice as reminders of Biblical truth and principles. We understand that these ordinances do not confer salvation, but are our way of remembering the truth of scripture and pledging our lives of obedience to Christ.

1. Baptism. Baptism with water shall be administered to those applicants who have repented of sin, made a profession of faith, experienced the new birth and are committed to a life of discipleship. Baptism is the answer of a good conscience toward God. I Peter 3:21
   
2. Communion. The bread and the cup are emblems which symbolize the broken body and shed blood of our Lord. Those who partake of these emblems in communion witness to their union with Christ and demonstrate the fellowship of the body of Christ proclaiming His death until He comes. Before sharing in communion, each person should have a time of self-examination to make sure that he or she can partake with honesty, sincerity, and a clear conscience towards God. I Cor. 11:23-34
   
3. Feetwashing. Our Lord, by washing the feet of His disciples, left us an example to symbolize cleansing, love, and humility. John 13:1-13. We practice feetwashing in connection with the communion service or at other appropriate times in obedience to His command to wash one another's feet and to love one another as He loved us.
   
4. Christian Greeting. The Christian greeting of a kiss, embrace, or handshake of love is a symbol of love within the family of God. It shall therefore be observed as often as prompted in the spirit of Christian love. Rom. 16:16; I Cor. 16:20
   
5. Veiling for Christian Women. The veiling of the Christian woman's head symbolizes the principle of divine order in headship. I Cor. 11:3. God created both man and woman in His image, equal before Him as persons, but distinct in masculine and feminine roles. These distinct roles include the loving and humble leadership of the men in the home and church and the respectful, trusting, yet involved submission of women. This distinction of roles is further explained in the "Danvers Statement," a statement on Biblical manhood and womanhood adopted by the Conservative Mennonite Conference in 1991.

   An appropriate symbol of the distinct roles are the veiled head for women and the bared head for the men. Therefore our sisters are encouraged to wear a veiling in time of prayer, Bible study, worship, witnessing, teaching and exhorting. I Cor.11:3-10.
   

6. Marriage. Marriage in the creation plan of God is the life long union of one man and one woman. By a total giving and accepting of each other they become one flesh. Gen. 2:24 This relationship symbolizes the union of Christ and the Church. Eph. 5:22,23 Therefore Christians should only marry another person who is also a Christian. Because of the seriousness of the marriage commitment, couples planning to be married at Locust Grove or by the pastor of Locust Grove must contact him to arrange for premarital counseling and for assistance in planning a wedding ceremony that illustrates the beauty and meaning of this ordinance.

   According to I Cor. 11:2-16 and Eph. 5:22-33 the husband is to love his wife as his own body and as Christ loved the Church and to provide leadership in the home. Couples experiencing marital difficulty should contact their pastor and/or seek other Christian counseling.

   Married couples should regard parenthood as a divine endowment which should be planned with prayer and a deep sense of responsibility. Children should be wanted, loved, disciplined and guided into an experience of salvation and an understanding of the truth of the Word of God. Every home should maintain a warm spiritual atmosphere by having time for daily Bible reading, meditation, singing and prayer at the initiative of the parents.
   

7. Anointing with Oil. During His ministry Jesus healed the sick and when he sent forth His disciples, He commanded them to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Matt. 10:8. The apostles carried out that command by the laying on of hands, anointing with oil and prayer. The Scriptures teach that when anyone is weak or sick, either spiritually or physically, he may call for the church leaders to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. James 5:13-16. The oil symbolizes the grace of God to heal the body and through confession of sin to cleanse the soul. It is the prayer of faith that effects the healing.
   

We believe that the Lord Jesus has given authority to His church to exercise discipline. The purposes of discipleship are to lead each member to full stature in Christ, to restore to full fellowship the members who fall into sin, to clarify for all members the meaning of Christian discipleship, to promote the purity of the Church, to warn everyone of the serious character of sin and disobedience to God's Word and to maintain the good name of the Church before the world. In this work the Church employs public teaching, private counseling, accountability, intercessory prayer, earnest warning and rebuke and sympathetic encouragement. The Church must, with a deep sense of love, recognize that the one who goes apostate has severed his relationship with Christ and the body. Appropriate action will then be taken by the brotherhood. The standard in Church discipline is the Word of God. The entire congregation should share in the work of discipline and seek earnestly to win a fallen member. Gal. 6:1 In bearing one another's burden we are able to fulfill the law of Christ.

1. Stewardship. We, as a congregation, desire to maintain the simplicity of the apostolic church. We affirm our desire to be a body of redeemed and regenerated pilgrims whose houses of worship, service, preaching, and singing are all made to conform to the spirit and teaching of the New Testament. We, therefore, call upon God's Holy Spirit to guide as a church and to give us grace and wisdom to resist every tendency toward worldliness and/or legalism.

   We recognize that all our time belongs to the Lord whether at worship, work or leisure. We believe that on the Lord's Day all unnecessary business should be suspended for the day and our minds and energy should be employed in worship, fellowship and services of spiritual nature. We should abstain from all unnecessary work, travel, buying and selling.

   We understand the Scripture teaches that the purpose of life for the Christian is not the accumulation of material things but to glorify God. We believe that whatever may come to us through honest toil and effort is not ours, but is God's and we are His stewards. Therefore, we invoke His sanctifying power to direct us in the materialistic age in which we are living and to enable us to give ourselves to the Lord. We call upon all members of the congregation to practice lives of self-denial, to live simply rather than in luxury and to use the things of this world in the full realization that we do not really belong to this world, but are strangers and pilgrims.

   We urge all members to practice graduate giving, that is, increasing the percentage returned to the Lord as the income becomes greater. Only thus can the Church carry on its ministry of evangelism and nurture; only thus can the Gospel be carried to all nations in obedience to the command of the Lord of the Church.

   Great care should be exercised in the use of excessive insurance. Whenever possible, we believe that assistance should be obtained from brotherhood plans. We also suggest that financial counsel be obtained from within the brotherhood.
   

2. Nonresistance. Since the Scriptures teach that the Christian should live peaceably with all men (Rom. 12:18), since vengeance belongs to God (Rom. 12:19), and since Jesus Himself went to the cross in forgiving, suffering love (I Peter 2:21-24), we believe that the Christian does not take revenge; rather he must show mercy and return good for evil. We suggest that members refrain from participation in military forces.

   We believe that the Kingdom of Christ is global and that it is made up of men from every tribe, kindred, and nation. We believe that Christians should not become involved with the conflict and hostilities between races, classes and nations. The Christian task is not to defend himself or his nation against a real or imagined enemy of the moment. Rather, realizing that history is moving toward the great consummation when Christ shall reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Rev.11:15) we believe the Christian's task now is to engage in the mission of faithfully and lovingly carrying the ministry of reconciliation (II Cor. 5:18,19) so that all men everywhere in neutral, friendly or hostile states may come to know the redemption which is in Christ. Thus we believe that the Christian should render civilian alternate service which builds rather than destroys through which may be channeled the redeeming love of Christ. Matt. 5:39; II Cor. 10:4; I Peter 2:21-24

   We recognize that the function of government is to punish offenders as well as to protect the innocent. Rom. 13:4. We admonish the members to avoid those public offices which force them to use methods or engage in practices which conflict with the nonresistant teachings of the Bible.

   In our highly complex society the decision concerning the use of litigation is becoming increasingly more difficult. The Scripture strongly urges brother not to bring suit against brother. (I Cor. 6) The Scriptures also emphasize the Christian virtue of willingness to suffer a wrong rather than to give offense. Furthermore, because we believe in the way of love we feel that the Christian should not become a party to a suit in law. We believe that when one is sued he should do good for evil, work for peace and endeavor to settle outside the court whenever possible. We encourage our members to counsel with the ministers and/or elders when difficulties arise. Matt. 5:40-45; I Cor. 6:1-8; Rom. 12:17-21

   We believe that the Gospel forbids Christians to take an oath under all circumstances. Matt. 5:33-37; James 5:12 Therefore, we encourage all members to affirm to their testimonies when appearing before magistrates or signing legal papers. Titus 3:8

   We believe that the way of love extends also to labor relations in our brotherhood to both employers and employees. We counsel employees to work diligently, to see that their jobs give opportunities to serve Christ, and to refrain from participation in violence which may be required of members in labor unions. Eph. 6:5-9
   

3. Social Relationships. Since speech is recognized in God's Word as being the index to the abundance of the heart, members should refrain from speaking and or sharing in foolish and foul talk and coarse jokes of all kinds. A Christian's conversational power should be used for the spiritual encouragement of those about him. We urge all Christian people to give earnest heed to the plain teaching of the Scriptures on the type of speech which ought to characterize the saints of God. Prov. 18:7; 25:11; Eph. 4:25,29; Col. 3:9; II Tim. 2:16; James 1:19; Rev. 22:14,15

   We believe that God created of one blood all nations, therefore, no economic, social, or racial discrimination should be made. All men are equal before God, all equally eligible to His grace and redemption and upon being redeemed are established in one kingdom, children of one Heavenly Father and brothers and sisters in the Lord.

   Membership in secret orders violates Biblical principles in three ways. (1) Being unequally yoked with unbelievers. (2) Swearing of oaths. (3) Being pledged to secrecy. II Cor. 6:14-18; Matt- 5:33-37
   

4. Social Purity. As children of God we are called to a life that reflects the holy and pure character of our Father in heaven. But we acknowledge that our world is becoming increasingly sexually permissive and admit that this brings many deceptive temptations and difficult moral challenges to Christians.

   We recognize that our bodies are dwelling places for the Holy Spirit and that we, as redeemed Christians, belong to Christ. Therefore we understand the need to give all parts of our lives, including our sexual capacity, to God to be used in a way that pleases and honors Him. I Cor. 6:18-20 One honorable use of our sexual capacity is to offer it to God as an expression of our commitment to Him through a life of joyful and celibate singleness. The only other legitimate expression of our sexual capacity is to share it with a person of the opposite sex within a lifelong committed marriage relationship.

   God has revealed to us in His Word that all sexual activity outside of the marriage commitment involving a man and a woman is sin. This includes pre-marital sexual activity involving unmarried persons, extra-marital sexual activity between persons not married to each other, and sexual activity involving members of the same sex.

   We further understand the scriptures to teach that the sinful act of adultery is committed when persons divorce (except for the cause of sexual sin), remarry, or when someone marries a divorced person whose former spouse is still living (Matt.19:9). Divorce violates the spiritual symbolism of marriage and thus is both morally and scripturally wrong.

   However, the good news of the Gospel is that Jesus Christ gave His life as an atonement for all sinners. Therefore all sins (except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit) can be forgiven, including adultery, divorce, remarriage, homosexual activity, and all other sexual sins. God's mercy and grace are available for all who repent and seek deliverance from sin. Matt. 12:31,32; Mark 3:28,29; Rom. 5:20,21

   We therefore joyfully receive as members of our church persons who have repented of and sought forgiveness for any sin, sexual or otherwise. We urge new members who have experienced the sin and pain of divorce and/or remarriage in their background to remain in the situation they were in when they found Christ, whether single or remarried. ICor. 7:17-24 We do not encourage the remarriage of a divorced person.
   
   

5. Personal Appearance. The Lord Jesus taught his followers not to be worried or anxious about food and clothing for God cares for His own. Matt. 6 In view of the fact that the Christian's body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Cor. 6:19,20), and in order to reflect the inner presence of Christ, it is important that appearance and conduct be consistent with the profession of Godliness and simplicity. Christians have been delivered from the world and its sin; therefore, we choose not to be ruled by the fashions and dictates of a sensual culture. Christians are to be trans formed by the renewing of their mind. Rom. 12:1,2 The apparel of the Christian should therefore be simple, modest, neat and becoming for those professing Godliness. The Bible teaches that the real beauty is that of the heart and the spirit, not in external conformity to the worldly forms of adornment. I Peter 3:1-7

   Therefore, we would like to suggest as Christian men and women we should always dress simply, seeking the beauty of the inner spirit. We believe that in public and in private we should all dress modestly, avoiding the unnecessary fashions of the world
   

6. Social and Recreation Activities. Because of the pressures of life it often becomes necessary to recreate body, mind and spirit. The Christian will endeavor to find recreational activities that build proper attitudes toward the whole of life and give a Christian testimony. In recreation, the Christian's love and devotion to Christ will lead him to such forms of recreation only as will be consistent with God's glory, Christian purity and modesty. Leisure time activities should promote physical health, personal growth and development, spiritual growth and helpful fellowship experiences. I Thes. 5:23 As we follow Christ, we believe that sensuous and lustful activities should have no place in our lives, including gambling, sexually explicit, violent, or sensuous movies, videos, music, radio and television shows, dancing, pornography, and other amusements that hinder spiritual growth and witness. I Cor. 10:12; I Peter 2:11; Rom. 14:21; I Cor. 6:12; 8:13. All members shall abstain from any participation in the liquor business or the use of alcoholic drinks as beverages. Prov. 20:1; Eph. 5:18. The use of narcotics or mind expanding drugs is not compatible with the Christian's profession and should never be indulged in.

   Temperance also applies to other areas of care of the body. Therefore, anxiety, worry, anger, covetousness, overwork, the use of strong drinks, the use of tobacco, gluttony and the like are forms of intemperance and sins against the body. Therefore, we encourage all persons to be careful in life and conduct, always remembering our weaker brother as well as our responsibility to God, our fellow men and ourselves.

This Statement of Faith and Practice was prepared by the Ministers and Elders of the Locust Grove Mennonite Church in 1977 and revised in 1985 and in 1993. This document should be reviewed periodically.