BGCC Elder Board
(from left to right)
-Jim Barger
-Carl Probst
-Bill Janes
-Richard Richter
-David Barger
-Gary Otto
-Jim Barger
-Carl Probst
-Bill Janes
-Richard Richter
-David Barger
-Gary Otto
What We Believe
1. Inspiration of the Bible
We believe that the Holy Bible, both old and new testaments in the original writings, are inspired of God, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God, the only source of God’s plan of salvation, and the only guide for the Christian life.
2. Belief in God
We believe that there is one absolute Sovereign God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
A. God the Father: We believe in God the Father, creator and sustainer of all things, visible and invisible, who is true holiness, eternal power, infinite love, perfect justice, absolute truth, the Alpha and Omega, the “I AM THAT I AM”.
B. God the Son: We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles,in His vicarious and atoning death on the cross, in His bodily resurrection, in His bodily ascension to the right hand of the Father, where He ever lives to make intercession for His saints, in His premillennial coming for His Church and in His return to earth with His Church to reign in power and glory.
C. God the Holy Spirit: We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person who moved holy men of old to write the Scriptures, who convicts of sin, who gives life in the new birth, who seals that transaction and is the guarantee of our inheritance, and who dwells in the believer to supply power of holy living and service.
3. Man
We believe that man was created by God in His own image as given in the Genesis account; that through disobedience to God man lost his first estate or intimate fellowship with God, and thereby became a wholly depraved sinner in need of a Savior; and that since that fall all men are born sinners, spiritually dead, alienated from God, in need of personal redemption which is in Christ Jesus alone.
4. Blood Atonement for Sin
We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of God’s grace; that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, shedding His blood on the cross as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice; and that all who repent and receive Him by Faith as personal Savior are thereby justified on the ground of His shed blood.
5. Personal New Birth
We believe that in order to be saved, all men being depraved sinners must be born again. We believe that all who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ are born of God by the Holy Spirit, thus becoming saints. We believe that this regeneration is instantaneous, not a process and that it is brought about in a manner beyond our comprehension, solely by the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. However, we are not full grown at spiritual birth, but must grow in grace. We believe that in the new birth God justifies the believer and writes his name in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
6. Justification
We believe that justification is a judicial act of God by which He imparts to the true believer complete pardon of sins, the gift of eternal life, and imputes to the believer His own righteousness. We believe that justification is bestowed not in any consideration of any works of righteousness which the believer has done but solely because of his faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
7. The Eternal Destiny of All Mankind
We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked. We believe the righteous are those who have been born of the Spirit of God through faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The wicked are those who have never been born of the Spirit of God. We believe that the righteous are assured of eternal life with the Lord Jesus Christ whereas the wicked are destined to everlasting conscious suffering in a real and literal hell, eternally separated from God.
8. The Only True Church
We believe that the true church is both universal and local. The body of Christ is a living organism made up of born again believers including those who have gone to be with the Lord from Pentecost to the Rapture.
9. The Covenants of the Church
We believe that the church follows two practices:
A. Water Baptism. We believe that water baptism as taught in the Scriptures is not necessary for salvation, yet it is the privilege of every child of God to follow this practice as an open confession of his identification with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection.
B. Communion as a memorial. We believe that communion is to be observed by the saints in remembrance of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that its observance shows forth His death till He comes, and should always be preceded by self-examination.
10.The Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ
We believe in the bodily resurrection of our Lord, and in His bodily ascension into heaven where He is now at the right hand of God as our High Priest, Mediator, Intercessor, and Advocate.
11.The Lord’s Return
A. We believe that the Lord is now taking out of the world a people for His name and that those who receive Him as personal Savior constitute the Body of Christ which is His true Church.
B. We believe in the premillennial return of our Lord. The Lord Himself shall return for His Church and shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then the ‘living in Christ’ which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
C. We believe that the entire Church following the Rapture must appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to what he has done, whether it be good or bad.
D. We believe in the personal return of Christ to the Mount of Olives with His Church following the great tribulation for the purpose of setting His kingdom which is a thousand year reign.
E. We believe that the unsaved dead shall be resurrected and judged by God, according to their works, at the great White Throne and whoever is not found written in the Book of Life shall be cast into Hell, the Lake of Fire, forever.
12. Satan
We believe in the reality of Satan, a living person who is the unholy prince of this world, the author of all the powers of darkness, and is destined to the judgment of God, in the Lake of Fire.
1. Inspiration of the Bible
We believe that the Holy Bible, both old and new testaments in the original writings, are inspired of God, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God, the only source of God’s plan of salvation, and the only guide for the Christian life.
2. Belief in God
We believe that there is one absolute Sovereign God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
A. God the Father: We believe in God the Father, creator and sustainer of all things, visible and invisible, who is true holiness, eternal power, infinite love, perfect justice, absolute truth, the Alpha and Omega, the “I AM THAT I AM”.
B. God the Son: We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles,in His vicarious and atoning death on the cross, in His bodily resurrection, in His bodily ascension to the right hand of the Father, where He ever lives to make intercession for His saints, in His premillennial coming for His Church and in His return to earth with His Church to reign in power and glory.
C. God the Holy Spirit: We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person who moved holy men of old to write the Scriptures, who convicts of sin, who gives life in the new birth, who seals that transaction and is the guarantee of our inheritance, and who dwells in the believer to supply power of holy living and service.
3. Man
We believe that man was created by God in His own image as given in the Genesis account; that through disobedience to God man lost his first estate or intimate fellowship with God, and thereby became a wholly depraved sinner in need of a Savior; and that since that fall all men are born sinners, spiritually dead, alienated from God, in need of personal redemption which is in Christ Jesus alone.
4. Blood Atonement for Sin
We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of God’s grace; that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, shedding His blood on the cross as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice; and that all who repent and receive Him by Faith as personal Savior are thereby justified on the ground of His shed blood.
5. Personal New Birth
We believe that in order to be saved, all men being depraved sinners must be born again. We believe that all who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ are born of God by the Holy Spirit, thus becoming saints. We believe that this regeneration is instantaneous, not a process and that it is brought about in a manner beyond our comprehension, solely by the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. However, we are not full grown at spiritual birth, but must grow in grace. We believe that in the new birth God justifies the believer and writes his name in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
6. Justification
We believe that justification is a judicial act of God by which He imparts to the true believer complete pardon of sins, the gift of eternal life, and imputes to the believer His own righteousness. We believe that justification is bestowed not in any consideration of any works of righteousness which the believer has done but solely because of his faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
7. The Eternal Destiny of All Mankind
We believe that there is a radical and essential difference between the righteous and the wicked. We believe the righteous are those who have been born of the Spirit of God through faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The wicked are those who have never been born of the Spirit of God. We believe that the righteous are assured of eternal life with the Lord Jesus Christ whereas the wicked are destined to everlasting conscious suffering in a real and literal hell, eternally separated from God.
8. The Only True Church
We believe that the true church is both universal and local. The body of Christ is a living organism made up of born again believers including those who have gone to be with the Lord from Pentecost to the Rapture.
9. The Covenants of the Church
We believe that the church follows two practices:
A. Water Baptism. We believe that water baptism as taught in the Scriptures is not necessary for salvation, yet it is the privilege of every child of God to follow this practice as an open confession of his identification with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection.
B. Communion as a memorial. We believe that communion is to be observed by the saints in remembrance of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that its observance shows forth His death till He comes, and should always be preceded by self-examination.
10.The Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ
We believe in the bodily resurrection of our Lord, and in His bodily ascension into heaven where He is now at the right hand of God as our High Priest, Mediator, Intercessor, and Advocate.
11.The Lord’s Return
A. We believe that the Lord is now taking out of the world a people for His name and that those who receive Him as personal Savior constitute the Body of Christ which is His true Church.
B. We believe in the premillennial return of our Lord. The Lord Himself shall return for His Church and shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then the ‘living in Christ’ which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
C. We believe that the entire Church following the Rapture must appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to what he has done, whether it be good or bad.
D. We believe in the personal return of Christ to the Mount of Olives with His Church following the great tribulation for the purpose of setting His kingdom which is a thousand year reign.
E. We believe that the unsaved dead shall be resurrected and judged by God, according to their works, at the great White Throne and whoever is not found written in the Book of Life shall be cast into Hell, the Lake of Fire, forever.
12. Satan
We believe in the reality of Satan, a living person who is the unholy prince of this world, the author of all the powers of darkness, and is destined to the judgment of God, in the Lake of Fire.