What does it
mean to be...
Non-Denominational?
Rustic Hills Community Church is a non-denominational church that fellowships with a worldwide group of non-denominational churches known as the Church of God (with headquarters in Anderson, Indiana.)
We believe that God desires the Church to be as one people. Jesus prayed for this unity, "I pray also for those who will believe through [the disciples'] message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in me and I am in You. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you sent me." (John 17:20-21. NIV)
We also believe that denominational labels, rules and distinctives serve only to divide and separate Christians rather than unite them.
We will be most effective in our witness to the world of the Good News of Jesus Christ, if we concentrate on the things we have in common as believers, rather than the things which may separate us.
Over and over the New Testament uses the phrase "church of God" to denote Christians. e.g. "To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name than be associated with any particular denominational tradition or heritage because we choose to be a movement toward the unity of all believers as a witness to the world. The Church of God (Anderson) has a heritage of this kind of unity.
We also choose to associate with this voluntary group of non-denominational
churches for the sake of accountability. We believe it is healthy for us to be in
a relationship with other believers. It keeps us honest and on-track in our
ministry. It keeps us from drifting into excesses or unbalanced doctrine. We are
thankful for these brothers and sisters that make up the Church of God. Together
we are able to provide ministry opportunities, missions and colleges that a single
congregation could not sustain.