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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is a Bible church? Are you part of a denomination?

We are an independent church seeking to teach and follow God’s Word in the Bible. We are not affiliated with any denomination, and therefore do not have outside control or interference from any head organization. Our congregation is elder led, and our leadership is accountable both to one another and directly to the Lord.

Chatham is a community of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ from all walks of life, uniting together to worship God, encourage each other as His disciples, enjoy fellowship together and join our efforts to reach out to others. We invite you to join us.

Our church is a member of IFCA International, a support organization for similar independent churches.

What do you believe?

The Bible is God's revelation to us, inspired, without error in the original manuscripts, and therefore the final authority for faith and life.

The living, eternal and true God is One, made known in the Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, was born of a virgin, died for sinful humanity, was physically resurrected, and will come again.

Man, though created in the image of God, through Adam's willful sin became spiritually dead. Unable to save himself through his own efforts, man's only hope for salvation rests in the finished work of Jesus Christ, and placing one's personal faith in Jesus Christ.

Our mission statement is, "To be a family of believers in Jesus Christ who worship and proclaim God and are built up to serve one another and the world."

You can view our complete doctrinal statement in our Constitution (PDF) (HTML).

How frequently do you practice communion?

We generally partake of the Lord’s Supper together once a month, usually on the first Sunday of the month. Our elders and deacons distribute the elements of grape juice, representative of our Lord’s blood shed for us, and small wafers or bread, representative of His body broken for us.

We practice open communion, meaning one does not need to be a member of Chatham to participate. However, in keeping with 1 Corinthians 11:20-34, we emphasize that communion is only to be taken by those who have placed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, and who are not harboring any sin in their life for which they have not repented.

What are your views on baptism?

Chatham practices believer’s baptism by immersion under water as an act of obedience to the Lord’s command in Matthew 28:19. The recipient should be old enough to understand this act so they may choose to be baptized of their own free will.

Baptism is not a means unto salvation, but a one-time public and symbolic act of obedience and submission to the Lord's will for those who have accepted Christ as Savior. The symbolism shows our identification with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection, as well as our death to sin (going down into the water) and rebirth in Him (coming up again).

Which version of the Bible do you use?

Pastor Dave preaches from the New American Standard version.

What is your style of music? Do you have a choir?

We worship with a mix of traditional and contemporary music. During morning worship, we typically have a full band and three vocalists on stage to lead our singing. We occasionally organize choirs for special events.

Do you have ministries for children and youth? Do you have a nursery?

Nursery care is available on Sunday mornings and most Wednesday evenings, as well as for many special events. We also have several ministries for children and youth. Details on all these can be found on our Ministries page.

Is your building handicap accessible?

Yes. We have flat entries to both the Learning Center and Worship Center. We also have a lift accessible in the gym enabling those who cannot use stairs to reach the Learning Center’s second level.

What is the size of your congregation?

We currently average around 300 people in attendance during Sunday worship. Monthly attendance averages can be found in our Connections Newsletter.

How many people can your Worship Center accommodate?

The Worship Center seats 140 in the balconies and approximately 250 comfortably on the floor.