Bible church
Bible church is a type of Christian church which emphasizes the Bible as its standard, and focuses on the original inerrancy of scripture. It is typically a sort of non-denominational, evangelical Protestant church.[1] Because Bible Churches are typically non-denominational, there is no unifying doctrine among these churches. Each Bible Church is independent and is therefore not committed to any particular catechism or Statement of Faith aside from their own. Nevertheless, many Bible Churches hold to a few commonalities.
Most Bible Churches are elder rule, or under a type of presbyterian polity (not to be confused with Presbyterianism) as opposed to episcopal polity or congregationalist polity. This means that a board of elders, either elected by the congregation or appointed by the church staff, governs the local body rather than the congregation ruling itself, or a single pastor/bishop governing the body.
In general, Bible Churches are committed to expository preaching, often by teaching verse-by-verse through an entire book of the Bible. This practice, fueled by the belief that the Bible is inerrant, God-breathed, and sufficient (born from the Reformation teaching of Sola Scriptura), is central to the essence of most Bible Churches, and is the source of their name.
Bible Churches almost universally hold to the doctrine of Justification by Faith Alone in Christ Alone, which is also born out of the Reformation (Sola fide). See also: Five solae
In addition, many, though not all, Bible Churches are premillennial dispensationalists, as the Bible Church movement has largely been attributed to Dallas Theological Seminary, which is a leading dispensationalist institution.
References
- "Definition of BIBLE CHURCH". www.merriam-webster.com.