Our Five Theological distinctives
These five theological distinctives are central in shaping our teaching, singing, and gathering here at Southwest:
1) Expository Preaching
We believe that God's Word is the only true, inerrant, and ultimate authority. And therefore, we are committed to preaching verse by verse through the Scriptures so that the point of the text is the point of the sermon (Nehemiah 8:4-12; 2 Timothy 4:1-2).
2) God's Sovereignty
The Triune God is fully ruling all things in the universe by his holy, immutable will both for our good and for his glory. We believe that maintaining the Bible's high view of God is the basis of our salvation, peace, and hope in life (Isaiah 46:8-11; Acts 4:27-28).
3) Elder Led
The church is to be led by a plurality of qualified men to shepherd the people of God. In the Bible, an elder (pastor) is called to be one who is able to teach the whole counsel of God, both at home and to the local church (1 Timothy 3:1-7; 1 Peter 5:1-5; Titus 1:5-9).
4) Church Membership
A consistent theme throughout biblical history is that God has always identified with his covenant people. God's plan for the church is that we would identify with him by belonging to a local community of believers (1 Corinthians 12:1-31; Hebrews 13:17).
5) Biblical Worship
The central focus of worship is beholding the glory of God. Thus, our song choices and order of service is designed to point us to the greatness of God and the work of Christ, rather than creating a performance for us to watch (Psalm 96:1-6; Colossians 3:16-17).
1) Expository Preaching
We believe that God's Word is the only true, inerrant, and ultimate authority. And therefore, we are committed to preaching verse by verse through the Scriptures so that the point of the text is the point of the sermon (Nehemiah 8:4-12; 2 Timothy 4:1-2).
2) God's Sovereignty
The Triune God is fully ruling all things in the universe by his holy, immutable will both for our good and for his glory. We believe that maintaining the Bible's high view of God is the basis of our salvation, peace, and hope in life (Isaiah 46:8-11; Acts 4:27-28).
3) Elder Led
The church is to be led by a plurality of qualified men to shepherd the people of God. In the Bible, an elder (pastor) is called to be one who is able to teach the whole counsel of God, both at home and to the local church (1 Timothy 3:1-7; 1 Peter 5:1-5; Titus 1:5-9).
4) Church Membership
A consistent theme throughout biblical history is that God has always identified with his covenant people. God's plan for the church is that we would identify with him by belonging to a local community of believers (1 Corinthians 12:1-31; Hebrews 13:17).
5) Biblical Worship
The central focus of worship is beholding the glory of God. Thus, our song choices and order of service is designed to point us to the greatness of God and the work of Christ, rather than creating a performance for us to watch (Psalm 96:1-6; Colossians 3:16-17).
