Who We Are
The church was founded in the 1930s and has occupied its present location since that time. It is situated within easy walking distance of the main city centre shopping complex and is surrounded by a mixture of commercial premises some of the very nearest being clubs, pubs and discos, which bring with them their attendant problems. The nearest housing is situated about ¼ of a mile from the church, (c.800 in total).
We are constitutionally Congregational, Doctrinally Calvinistic, practicing Believer’s Baptism. A copy of the Statement of Faith to which we subscribe is attached under “What We Believe”.
We have three Elders. There are also two Deacons at present, who have held their posts for several years, who are re-elected on a rotational basis in accordance with the Constitution.
The present membership is around 40 in number and the usual congregation varies between 35 and 50. Most members live at a distance from the church and consequently travel in by car to attend services. Sunday school children and Thursday Club children are, “bussed in,” but a few are member’s children. There is a great sense of unity between the membership, for which we give God the praise.
The building is modern, being over 25 years old and includes a bookshop, which is open for a few hours on three days per week and sells mainly second hand books. It has proved a useful point of contact with casual visitors.
The church provides financial support on a regular basis to 3 missionaries and seeks to maintain active contact with a number of missionary organizations. It also provides preaching support to a small village church situated some 15 miles away.
The pastor will have as his priority the provision of an expository bible ministry together with the pastoral care of the fellowship with a view to the building up of the fellowship at this place of worship. Particular importance should be given to the Lords Day morning and evening services as well as the mid-week bible study/prayer meeting; at present this meeting is well attended and all the services have been a source of great encouragement and blessing for which we are thankful to God.
As the Church of Christ meeting in Hanley, we are a group of people who just want to serve the Lord. Our desire is not to be another church denomination. There are already too many divisions among those who believe in Jesus. We want to be obedient to God's word and be Christians like the original Christians we read about in the New Testament. There are several things about which we feel very strongly. These strong feelings will also tell you a little more about us as a Church.
Independent
We are independent of any denominational structure. We are not bound by any denominational creeds, written traditions, or regional / national organization. We want to be undenominational! We are completely independent and autonomous in terms of our doctrine, practice, and church government. We do have a group of men who are our spiritual guides and leaders. These men are called elders or pastors. These men are all members of our congregation and have been chosen from among us as based upon the qualifications listed in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. They guide us as a church body and they are responsible to God for our spiritual lives.
Bible Based
We believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God which tells us how to live and also how to conduct our life as a Church (2 Timothy 3: 16 -17). We also believe there is only one way to unify all the many different divisions among those seeking to honour Jesus Christ as Lord: do away with all creeds written or compiled by men, and turn back to the Bible for our only guide for church life, doctrine, and personal salvation.
Lordship Focused
We believe the purpose of every human being in our world is to honour Jesus as their Lord and Saviour and to worship our Holy Father in Spirit and truth. We strive to honour him by assembling together to offer encouragement to our fellow Christians; and to share our blessings to accomplish the work of God in our world. Even more than wanting to honour him with just our words, we want to be fashioned and moulded to be like him. Our hope and prayer is that each day finds us a little more like him, and that in all we say and do we honour him who has so richly blessed us.
People Centred
For a church to belong to Jesus, it must care about people. His ministry was fashioned by Gods redemptive love to save the people of this world (John 3 :16) Jesus died on the cross to bring salvation to all kinds of people (1 John 2 2). The Holy Spirit is promised as a gift to all who responded obediently to the call of God (Acts 2 38‑39). Christians are to do good deeds for all people. Christians and non-Christians (Galatians 6:10). We try to practice these principles through the various ministries of the church and through our personal lives.
Mission Minded
The church family at Hanley has always been very actively involved in world missions. The purpose of the Church of Jesus has always been to reach the lost of every nation, language, and culture with the message of salvation. We want to do our part in this great task and believe that it is essential for God's people to mission‑minded.
How do I become a part of this church?
We hope this is the question you want to ask. In a city like Stoke on Trent, where there are so many opportunities and so many needs, we can use all the help we can get to do the Lord's work. If you are already a Christian, all you need to do to be a part of the Bethel Church Family is to let us know of your desire to work with this congregation and to serve the Lord in this place. By doing this, you also show your willingness to minister and to worship under the spiritual guidance of our Elders. You can do this in one of the following ways: during one of our Church assemblies, come and let us know of your desire to be a member at Bethel; speak to one of the Elders and let them know personally of your desire; We would love to have you as a part of our Church family!
But how does one really know if he or she is really a Christian?
This is the most important question that anyone could ever ask! Despite all the confusion in the religious world, God's teaching in the Bible is very clear. The only thing that truly saves a person and allows that person to become a Christian is the saving death of Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us there is nothing, no work or deed, that can bring us salvation. Salvation rests on the love and grace of God (Romans 5 :6-8; John 3 :16; Ephesians 2:8-9).
The real question is, "How do I come in contact with the grace of God and receive this salvation?"
The New Testament tells us over and over again that we come into contact with the grace of God and receive salvation through faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ (Romans 3:21-26). Remember it is the grace of God shown in the life of Christ which saves us. Our role is to accept this gift through saving faith.
True faith involves several specific actions. It involves confessing aloud that Jesus is Lord and believing in our hearts that God raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9-10). Faith involves repentance, the changing of our heart and life to do the things of God (Acts 2:38; 3: 19-20). Faith involves surrendering our lives in baptism to the will of God for the forgiveness of our sins (Galatians 3:26-27; Acts 2:38; 16:29-34; 22:16). Faith also involves living with commitment toward God and with compassion toward those around us (Galatians 5: 6; James 2: 14- 16). While we submit to God's will in these actions, God is at work bringing us into his kingdom, his Church, forgiving and cleansing us of all our past sins, and placing his Holy Spirit in us (Colossians1: 13-14;Acts2: 38-41; 1Corinthians 6: 9-11; Titus 3: 3-7;Romans 8:9-17, 26- 27). We become new people (2 Corinthians 5:17) born of God to begin a new spiritual life of service for him (John 1: 10-13; 3: 1-5).
It is important to remember there is not one thing we can do to earn our salvation. These several actions do not cause our salvation to happen, they are simply the ways that God has provided for us to receive the salvation given us in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This point is clearly shown in Romans 6 where Paul talks about baptism. Notice that the whole discussion on baptism is framed by the concept of grace (verses 3 & 14)! Notice also that baptism is not some arbitrary act that is done to be saved, but is actually a participation, a sharing, in the saving death of Jesus Christ so that we can share in his new life (verses 3-10). It is sharing in what Christ has done, through our faith, that allows us to receive the grace of God already provided for us in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We would love to have you be a part of our Bethel Church Family. If you are a Christian, please let us know you want to be a part of our Church family. If you are not a Christian, then we would encourage you to become one today so you can share in our hope and joy found only in the Lord. If you have further questions about any of these matters, we would be happy to visit with you. Let us know by telling one of us personally.
We are so glad you chose to spend time on our web site. God bless you as you seek to honour him with your life!