Who We Are . . . And Want To Be

A brief word to those thinking of joining us...

We live in a time when there is not as much uniformity in faith and practice from one Seventh-day Adventist congregation to another as we might wish there were. So in fairness to those thinking of joining us, we believe it appropriate to share what might be called our "church identity profile." This is not done so that we might judge whether or not you are "good enough" for us; it is done so that, if you do join us, it will be a well-informed decision.

First, we want to make it clear that we do not consider ourselves some kind of model church with no failings. Far from it! Some statements you will read below represent objectives more than achievements. Nor are they intended to be all-inclusive, covering every aspect of Christian faith and practice. They are simply an effort to clarify our position on some of the issues that are dividing Adventist congregations today.

We invite you to read through the following statements carefully. If you think we have left out something important, please let us know. And if you have questions, let us know that, too. We sincerely hope that what we want is what you want and that you will soon be a part of our church family.

• We are the Kettle Falls Seventh-day Adventist Church, and are privileged to be one of approximately 125 such churches that presently make up the Upper Columbia Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (Eastern Washington, Northeastern Oregon, and Northern Idaho).

• We accept the entire Bible as authoritative and trustworthy. We affirm our faith in all 28 of the fundamental beliefs of our church, believing them to be solidly Bible-based. We do not think of ourselves as conservatives, moderates, or liberals; we would rather be known as faithful Seventh-day Adventists.

• We believe that the gift of prophecy as manifest in the life and ministry of Ellen White has special significance for us in these last days and we accept her writings, along with the Bible, as an inspired, authoritative guide to our faith and practice.

• We believe the organized Seventh-day Adventist church exists in fulfillment of Bible prophecy and is God's chosen agency for carrying a special message of warning and hope to all the world. While we are not blind to its shortcomings, we are positive about the church, supportive of its chosen leadership, and confident in its ultimate triumph. We believe that when it comes to the spirituality of the church and the discipline of its members, our chief concern should be with our local church.

• We believe in supporting the world-wide work of the Seventh-day Adventist church by paying an honest tithe to the Upper Columbia Conference through our local church. We believe that all persons elected to any church office should set an example as faithful tithe-payers.

• We think that a desire to hold membership in our church ought also to reflect a desire to fellowship with the church as demonstrated by regular attendance at Sabbath services when physically able to do so.

• We believe our church ought to be a place of reverent, Christ-centered worship, not an entertainment center.

• We are guided by the Church Manual in the day-to-day operation of our church.

• We are committed to serving our members and our community through a wide variety of educational and outreach programs and endeavor to employ the gifts of each member in that work.

• We wish to be known as a happy, caring fellowship of Christians who love and accept each other in spite of our diversity and shortcomings and are quick to allow for different levels of spiritual maturity. But we also believe we should care enough to hold each other accountable to our mutual commitment to Christ and His Word.

• We want our church to be a place where all who come will find grace, forgiveness, healing, and victory through Christ, a place where every aspect of our Sabbath services is not only helpful to our members, but also understandable and appealing to those who have not yet come to faith in Him.

Your brothers and sisters in the
Kettle Falls Seventh-day Adventist Church