WHAT WE BELIEVE

EXTRACTS FROM THE CCAP BLANTYRE SYNOD CONSTITUTION.
Source: worldscriptures.org

Jesus Christ is Head of The Church.

The Church, as part of the Universal Church, wherein the Lord Jesus Christ has appointed a Government in the hands of Church office-bearers, receives from Him, its divine King and Head, and from Him alone, the right and power subject to no civil authority to legislate, and to adjudicate finally, in all matters of doctrine, worship, government, and discipline in the Church, including the right to determine all questions concerning membership of its Courts, and the mode of election of its office bearers.

All power in heaven and earth is given to Jesus Christ by Almighty God, who raised Christ from the dead and set Him above all rule and authority, all power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. God has put all things under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and has made Christ Head of the Church, which is his body.

Books of Confession

The Confessions of Faith upon which the Church is founded and built are contained in the following books of confessions: 1. The Nicene Creed
2. The Apostles Creed
3. The Westminster Confession of Faith
4. The Larger Catechism
5. The Shorter Catechism
6. The Church's Confession of Faith of 1924

Principles of Church Government.

The basic and fundamental principles of the Church Government and discipline are that the several different Congregations of believers taken collectively constitute one Church; that a larger part of the Church or a representative group of the Church should govern, or determine matters of controversy which arise therin a majority shall govern and always in agreement with the word of God. For these principles and the procedure, the example of the Apostles is considered as authority.

The Church and its Holistic Ministry

We believe in the open fellowship. We believe that the church exists for others, not for its members alone; that it is entrusted with a divine ministry to all people in body, mind and spirit. We believe it to be a basic part of our ministry to promote the physical, moral and spiritual welfare of the whole community.

The Courts of The Church

The rule of the Church shall be exercised through its courts: Sessions, Presbyteries, Synods and General Assemblies. Each congregation has a Session (lowest and private Court of the Church). The Presbytery is the Court of the Church which has generall oversight of all Congregations within its bounds.
The Synod is the highest court of the Church. Its decisions are final and binding and are not subject to review by any other court or body except for the right of appeal to the General Assembly. The Synod has jurisdiction over all Presbyteries and through Presbyteries to Congregations.
The trustees of the Synod are the Moderator, Vice Moderator, the General Secretary, the Deputy GS and the Treasurer as appointed by the Synod, and two Church Elders.

Our Objectives.

Consistent with its Mission Statement and the foundations of reformed Christian Faith, the Church shall have the following as its principal objectives: 5.2.1. To present the claims of Jesus Christ leading mankind to repentance and the acceptance of Jesus as Saviour and Lord.
5.2.2. to be Christ's faithful evangelists by going into the world, making disciples if all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to observe all that God has commanded.
5.2.3. to demonstrate by the love of its members for one another and by the quality of its common life the new reality in Christ through worship, fellowship and the practicing of a deepened life of prayer and service under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
5.2.4. to participate in God's activity in the world through its love for others, by ministering to the needs of the poor, the sick, the lonely and the powerless.
5.2.5. to engage in the struggle against evil forces so as to free people from sin, fear, oppression, hunger and injustice. The Church shall thus give itself totally, and its substance to the service of those who suffer.
5.2.6. to participate in the development of the youth and the total integration of the youth into the Ministry of the Church in accordance with Christ's ordinance. As such the Church shall ensure that there are programs deliberately put in place for youth to develop leadership skills within the Church. The youth shall be involved at all levels of the Church including the establishment of a youth desk at the level of the Blantyre Synod Secretariat.
5.2.7. to intensify its mission in the proclamation of God's Gospel both at home and abroad. The Church shall ensure that this is done in a coordinated and properly planned manner, and accordingly the Church shall put in place programmes and institutions including appropriate resources in support of the mission work. This will include establishing a mission desk at the Blantyre Synod Secretariat.
5.2.8. to develop and put in place programmes, policies and infrastructure for the general and skills training and education of the people of the Church in order to adequately equip them to fully utilise the "Open Book" Principle as one of the Church's fundamental principles of faith, and/or to participate fully in the development of the holistic Ministry.
5.2.9. to undertake any work promoting the physical, moral and spiritual welfare of the whole community. This is in full recognition that in carrying out its mission work, the Church cannot confine itself solely to the preaching of the Word and the administration of religious ordinances and sacraments. The Church believes that it is entrusted with a ministry not only to the souls of men, but also to their bodies and minds following the example of its Master Jesus Christ in the way He went about doing his work. The Church shall remain willing to cooperate in the promotion of the physical, moral, spiritual and educational welfare of the people.
5.2.10. to coordinate its activities so as to ensure that as a Church, it speaks with one voice on issues of national interest.

The Church is Presbyterian.

By "Presbyterian" we refer primarily to our form of Church government, which is by democratic Courts composed of ordained Ministers and elders. These Courts are so formed that Ministers (or "Teaching Elders") are never in a majority.....we recognise no hierarchy of priests or bishops. The Moderator of the Synod is the "first amoung equals", being for that time, recognised as the Chairman.

The Church is Presbyterian.

By "Presbyterian" we refer primarily to our form of Church government, which is by democratic Courts composed of ordained Ministers and elders. These Courts are so formed that Ministers (or "Teaching Elders") are never in a majority.....we recognise no hierarchy of priests or bishops. The Moderator of the Synod is the "first amoung equals", being for that time, recognised as the Chairman.

Belief in 'The Open Book'

We believe that God speaks directly to us through the words of Scripture which must, therefore, be made available to the people in a language they understand; and must be regularly read; and must be reverently expounded and "opened up" in preaching so that God's word for our time may be heard.
It is the privilege, right and duty of everyone to examine the Scriptures personally, and each individual is bound to submit to their authority.

The Church and Other Churches:

The Church believing it to be the will of Christ that His disciples should be all one in the Father and in Him, that the world may believe that the Father has sent Him, recognises the obligation to seek and promote unity with other Churches in which it finds the Word to be accurately preached, the Sacraments administered according to Christ's ordinance, and discipline properly exercised. It has the right to unite with any such Church without loss of its identity on terms, which it finds to be consistent with these Articles and always in agreement with the word of God.

We believe that our Lord means us to be one; that we must promote unity and co-operation between all Christians with the same compassionate love that was shown in Jesus. This does not mean that we must all be exactly the same (the body has many organs); it does mean that we must all love one another.

Open Table of The Holy Communion

We believe that the Table of the Lord in Holy Communion is open to all believers and therefore we welcome to the table with us members of any branch of Christ's Church


This page is from our Constitution

The above are only very small extracts from the CCAP Blantyre Synod CONSTITUTION. To read the full document please contact the Synod Offices at Blantyre Mission, Blantyre, Malawi.

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