The Church at Alden Bridge - The Woodlands, TX

Mission & Vision Statements

The Mission of TCAAB:

Our mission is to be disciples and make disciples of Jesus Christ.

The Vision of TCAAB:
We seek to be a congregation where…

The Truth Rises Up
(preaching and teaching verse by verse through the whole counsel of God’s Word)

The Barriers Come Down
(welcoming people of all ages, races, backgrounds, and experiences)

The People Go Out
(intentionally investing the truth and love of the gospel into our community)

Statement of Faith

Section 1: The Word of God.
We believe the Bible to be the Word of God, inerrant in the original manuscripts, and our authority for faith and practice. We believe in the plenary, verbal inspiration of the Scriptures.
(2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21)

Section 2: The Trinity.
We believe in one God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each person is fully God, sharing the same nature and attributes.
(Genesis 1:26; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 3:16-17; 28:19)

Section 3: God the Father.
We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal Spirit; perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. We believe He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, hears and answers prayer, and saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.
(John 16:23-27; Galatians 4:4-6; Ephesians 1:3, 17-23)

Section 4: God the Son.
We believe in Jesus Christ, one of three in the Godhead, co-equal and co-eternal with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, God's unique Son, as the God-man born of a virgin, sinless in His life, that He died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, as a substitutionary sacrifice for us that all who believe in Him are justified on the grounds of His shed blood and reconciled by His death that He not only died on the cross for our sins, but that He resurrected bodily for our justification; that He is now at the right hand of God the Father acting as our High Priest and our Advocate before the Father; that He is coming again in power to rapture His church by raising the dead and translating the living believers. He will establish His millennial kingdom on the earth to judge the world with commensurate rewards for the believers and punishment for the unbelievers
(John 1:1, 8:58; John 1:14; 3:16; Matthew 1:18-25; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; John 11:49-51; 18:14; 2 Corinthians 5:14-15; Romans 5:6-8; 1 Thessalonians 5:10; 1 Peter 3:18; Romans 3:21-30; 5:9-11; Romans 4:25; 1 Peter 3:22; Hebrews 10:12; Hebrews 3:1, 14-16; 5:6, 10; 8:1-2; 9:11-27; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 John 2:1-2; Revelation 20:4-6; Revelation 21:1-27;22:1-5; 1 Corinthians 3:12-15; John 5:28-29).

Section 5: God The Holy Spirit
We believe in the person of the Holy Spirit, one of three in the Godhead, co-equal and co-eternal with God the Father and God the Son and who exists in the world today to reveal the fullness of Christ, convicting the world of sin, of righteousness and judgment, regenerating, sanctifying and sealing forever those who have been born again through faith in Jesus Christ. We believe that no one can be saved from sin or be born again without a supernatural activity of the Holy Spirit in his life. We believe that no one can attach himself to the Body of Christ unless the Holy Spirit energizes that attachment.
(John 14:16-17; 15:26; Acts 2:32-33; 2 Corinthians 13:14; John 15:26; John 15:8-11; John 3:3-8; Titus 3:5-7; 1 Peter 1:2; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 5:21-26; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 1:13; 4:30).

Section 6: Man
We believe God created man, male and female, in the image of God and free from sin. We further believe that man, because of his fall in Adam, is a sinner by nature and choice and is therefore spiritually dead, in need of salvation.
(Genesis 1:26-27, 2:7, 3:19; Romans 3:23, 5:12-21, 6:23; Ephesians 2:1-9)

Section 7: Salvation
We believe that man is brought into a relationship with God by grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ. We further believe that this salvation is based upon the sovereign grace of God, was purchased by Christ on the cross, and is received by man through faith. Salvation results in righteous living, good works, and proper social concern.
(John 1:1-12; 3:3-7, 5:24; Romans 3:21-24, 5:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 Timothy 2:5)

Section 8: The Church
A. The Universal Church of Jesus Christ consists of those who have personally believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who are born again, and baptized into His Body by the Holy Spirit. These believers constitute the Body or the Bride of Christ. This universal church consists of individual believers meeting and worshipping as groups of believers anywhere in the world. No one belongs to the church of Jesus Christ universal simply by virtue of belonging to a local Bible believing and Bible-preaching church. In spite of minor doctrinal differences and practices existing among local churches, members of the Body of Christ are to love, appreciate and bear the burdens of other Christians.
(Ephesians 1:13-14; 1 Corinthians 12:13; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 5:25-32; Revelation 19:7-10; 21:2; Hebrews 10:25; Revelation 5:9-10; John 15:12; 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10; Romans 15:1-7).

B.The Local Church. In the New Testament there were churches made up of individual believers who lived in certain areas, which constituted the church at Corinth, at Berea, at Philippi, etc. It is in this sense that The Church at Alden Bridge exists and is known as such. The local church is composed of born-again believers who have voluntarily united together for the purposes of worshipping God, ministering to the saints (fellow believers), evangelizing the world, and discipling new believers. It provides an opportunity for those who are of the same mind in Christ to meet together for the study of God's Word, common prayer, social contact and mutual uplifting. The Church at Alden Bridge will never seek to exclude from its more general fellowship other believers who may belong to other churches or denominations or who may differ from us in minor matters but nevertheless belong to the Body of Christ. We hereby declare that the criteria of receiving individuals into the membership of this church are only fallible and human. Every endeavor, however, shall be made in order that no one transferring from another church or by statement of faith, may be accepted into the membership of the church unless evidence is given that such a person honors the Lord Jesus Christ by voluntarily and circumspectly walking in the way of the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, everyone indicating a desire to join this church shall be instructed accordingly that becoming a member of this church witnesses to the character of the whole body of believers known as The Church at Alden Bridge. Such a person should be thoroughly examined as to his or her profession of faith and holiness of character.
(Acts 2:42; 1 Thessalonians 1:2-10; Hebrews 10:25; Acts 9:2).

Section 9: Separation of Church and State
We believe that each local church is self-governing in function and must be free from interference by an ecclesiastical or political authority. We further believe that every human being is directly responsible to God in matters of faith and life, and that each should be free to worship God according to the dictates of his conscience.
(Matthew 22:21; Romans 13:1, 1 Timothy 2:1-6; 1 Peter 2:17).

Section 10: Christian Conduct
We believe that the supreme task of every believer is to glorify God in his life. The believer should live blamelessly before the world, be a faithful steward of his possessions, and seek to realize for himself the full stature of maturity in Christ.
(Romans 8:29; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 1:28; 1 Timothy 6:6-9; 1 Peter 2:15-16).

Section 11: Last Things
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the saved and lost, the eternal conscious existence of all men either in heaven or hell, and in divine judgments, rewards, and punishments. (John 5:29; 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, 15:51-58; 2 Corinthians 5:6-10; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; Revelation 19:20)

12 Core Values

A uthentic Worship:
We believe that worship is the ultimate priority for every believer (Matthew 22:37). It is from our worship that everything else flows. Worship that is authentic begins with humility on our part (Revelation 4:10), acknowledging the “worth” of God and our sinful condition (Isaiah 6:1-5). We believe neither in sensationalism nor stoicism in our worship. We believe corporate worship should involve both spirit and truth (John 4:23-24). We strive to maintain relevance in our worship by utilizing a variety of “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” (Colossians 3:16). We will incorporate the use of musical instruments (Psalm 150:3-6) while engaging in both celebration and intimacy. We believe authentic worship is powerfully evangelistic.

L ifestyle Evangelism:
We believe that evangelism, the sharing of the Good News of Christ, is best demonstrated through our lifestyles (Matthew 5:13-16). Therefore, we encourage the members of this church to establish meaningful relationships with those with whom they work, live and play in order to share this Good News (John 17:18). We realize that God has gifted each believer with a distinct style through which the Gospel of Christ is to be communicated. Our goal is to assist each member in discovering and developing their unique style of personal lifestyle evangelism.

D isciple Development:
While we believe that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone, Jesus has commissioned us to live the life of a “disciple” (Matthew 16:24; Luke 14:26-33; John 8:31-32). A disciple is one who follows closely after his teacher or master. Our goal is to “discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7). We will have a process whereby we develop believers in their relationship with Christ and with each other.

E
ffective Prayer:
We believe that effective prayer can accomplish much (James 5:16). We endeavor to let the Lord lead us and give us direction as we seek Him and wait on Him in prayer (Acts 1:14). Corporate, and individual, prayer will serve as the catalyst for the ministries of this church.

N etwork of Purposeful Relationships:
We believe that the majority of true ministry takes place within the setting of small groups (Acts 2:42-47). We strive to place each member of the church in a small group where they can practice the “one anothers” in Scripture (i.e. Romans 14:19; Galatians 5:13; James 5:16) and encounter real community.

B iblical Authority:
We believe in the authority of the Bible for our faith and practice (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Everything we do will be measured against the word of God (Acts 17:11).

R esponsible Stewardship:
We believe all we possess comes to us solely by the grace of God. Rather than mere "owners", we have received the higher calling to be "stewards and managers" of what God has entrusted to us (Matthew 25:14-30). We will assist our members in discovering the joy of giving out of the abundance of our time, talent and treasure (2 Corinthians 9:6-7).

I ntentional Ministry:
We believe that ministry just doesn’t “happen.” It requires effort, planning, and determination. We will be spirit-led and strategic in ministries that take place locally, nationally, and globally (Acts 1:8)

D iscover One’s Place in the Body:
We believe that God has so designed the body of Christ where each member has a place to serve (1 Corinthians 12). Through our personality, abilities, passions, spiritual gifts and life experiences God has crafted us uniquely for ministry. Our goal is to help each member discover his or her place by offering a class specifically designed for this. We believe every member should be serving in some capacity.

G od-honoring Lifestyles:
We believe that every member of this church should exhibit character consistent with that of a follower of Christ (Ephesians 5:27). While we shun legalism, we will embrace holiness (1 Peter 1:13-16). This will involve accountability as well as admonition (Matthew 18:15-20; Galatians 6:1-2)

E xcellence in All Things:
We believe God deserves our very best (Malachi 1:6-14). Therefore, we strive to glorify God in everything we do (1 Corinthians 10:31), thus working diligently at every ministry we are called to undertake (Colossians 1:29). Let us not mistake this for perfection. We are a fallible church made up of imperfect people. However, we will endeavor to evaluate and improve each ministry to the glory of God.