I have been a member of Community Bible Church for 25 years. Like every church, ours is made up of forgiven sinners who were dead, lost in their sin and hostile to God their Creator. As such, we are an imperfect people, a needy people, a people of little strength...we are sinners.
As such, like in every local church, people might get their feelings hurt, or might feel offended. And, so like in any healthy family, the intent is to acknowledge our sin and grow in unity, encouraging, challenging and even to admonishing one another at times. To that end, we are in process, being schooled by the tribune God. He provides his people with wisdom, strength, grace that we might fulfill his purpose which is to glorify Jesus Christ.
In this imperfect local body we call the church, our leadership strives to shepherd God's people by pointing them to Christ, in whom is our salvation and sanctification. We are a people bought by the blood of Christ, his bride, and his church. Christ is preached and taught as completely sufficient and glorious. He is the head of the Sovereign Head of the church, the King.
Every local church is comprised with genuine believers who have been born again by God himself, a people of faith and repentance, in contrast with those that walk through the doors who are unregenerate, still hardened against God, some are hypocrites, some self-deceived, some that grow up to become atheists. Every church is comprised of true and false converts, wheat and tares, regenerate and unregenerate, believing and unbelieving in the God revealed in the Bible.
CBC engages in training leaders, equipping the saints for service and ministry (discipleship), instructing people in sound theology, Biblical teaching (doctrine) and what local church body life looks like. CBC also practices church discipline.
I have noticed that people that have been disciplined by churches loving enough to confront their scandalous sin, often leave distasteful reviews online. Jesus MANDATED church discipline (Matthew 18), the apostle Paul strongly affirmed church discipline in I Corinthians 5.
When professing Christians are confronted with their scandalous sin, some of them resort to slandering the very church that sought to restore them in love, and have no intentions of coming back, while others have not only repented, but come back and and have been lovingly restored and received. It's beautiful.
At times, on-line reviews must be taken with a grin of salt. There are always at least two sides of a story, emotions and bias, or different perspectives on what makes a healthy church. The New Testament epistles define and describe what a healthy, Christ-centered church looks like and how it conducts itself. Let God's Word (not style, pop culture, not cool worship music) direct you on which local church is best for you. read more
