Committed to each other and to reach others by prayer, evangelism and discipleship through relationship
Living Waters is one of an international group of churches under DOVE Christian Fellowship International.
We believe that, as opposed to 'going to' church, or 'doing' church, WE are the church. Us, the body of Christ. As such, Sunday worship is not the be all and end all of Christian life. We meet each Sunday in Celebration, yes. But through the week we meet in Small Groups to mentor, encourage and help each other to grow in our Christian lives, as well as reaching out within our local community and beyond.
As we are a house based church, it is only appropriate that we meet at 'The House' each Sunday for Celebration.
What we Believe
Beliefs & Church Vision:
The apostle Peter predicted that everything the prophets had foretold would be fulfilled prior to the return of our Lord Jesus Christ to the earth. We believe we are living in the generation that God has chosen to complete His prophecies in preparation for His Second Coming.
We believe that the restoration of the Body of Christ (The Church) is very high on God’s agenda. This we believe is clear by what we hear and see all over the world, that Jesus is in the business of restoring His Church to its place of power and importance in these last days.
We believe that Small Group Church Ministry will play a major role in the restoration of the Church. In recent years we have experienced the decline of the “celebrity centred ministry” or a clergy centred ministry. We believe that Small Group Church ministry is a return to the priesthood of all believers as the five fold ministries, revealed in the New Testament, takes its proper role in the equipping of lay people to take their place in doing the work of ministering.
Church Government:
Psalm 127:1 “Unless the Lord builds the house he labours in vain that builds it”
We believe that JESUS CHRIST is the HEAD of the Church. In 1 Cor. 12:28 Paul speaks of God Appointing in the Church, first APOSTLES. Before our church was started, Apostolic (Governmental) cover was sought and granted from DOVE Christian Fellowship International (D.C.F.I) an international family of independent Churches. Without any government there will always be anarchy and lawlessness.
- Ogligarch:
- Monarchy:
- Democracy:
- Theocracy:
- - Presbyterian
- - Episcopal
- - Congregational
- - Governed by GOD through appointed men
- - by an elite few.
- - by one man or woman.
- - by party (large group).
- - Appointed leaders (Elders)
In a Theocracy, leaders were appointed by one of two ways, sovereignty by God and through human responsibility under God:
- Exodus 1:40: Sovereignty by God.
- Exodus 18 : by Word of Wisdom from Jethro.
We believe that with any church governmental leadership God places the mantle of leadership upon one elder (senior elder). This mantle does not give this elder any status above any other elder.
Evangelism:
Mark 16:15-18 - Go into ALL the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptised will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. . .
We believe that without evangelism the Church will not grow and we have been “Born Again” so that we might go out to show and tell others, in a respectful manner, about the Love of Christ and God’s goodness to all, and see them won for Christ.
Friendship evangelism accounts for approximately 90% of people that get saved and remain within the church. The truth is that there is no perfect system but the Bible teaches, “without a vision the people perish”. It is not enough just to attend Church, sing bumpy songs and have a chat over a cup of tea then go our separate ways until next Sunday.
To be part of a church that is going to make a difference, not just in a small town or village but also to our nation and the rest of the world we believe, that commitment goes beyond Sunday worship into our daily lives and our involvement in a Small Group, to see others come to know Christ and God’s love.
If we are going to experience the prophetic words which have been spoken over our nation and in particular the North East of Scotland we are going to have to have a vision that WILL change our lives and in turn change our Nation for the greater glory of God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer:
2 Chron.7:14 - “If My people who are called by My Name will humble themselves, pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Luke 11:1 - “And it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”
Like the disciples learned to pray from observing the prayer life of Jesus, we believe one of the most beneficial ways to really learn how to pray is by being around Christians who really know how to pray and have experienced answered prayer. Also that the Small Group is a safe place to start building relationships with older Christians. The younger Christians begin to observe the prayer life of the stronger Christians and soon discover the joy of a fulfilled prayer life.
Strong Fellowhip :
Matthew 9:35-38 - ”Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel, and healing every king of diseases.”
We believe one of the greatest advantages of the Small Group ministry is the provision of pastoral care. Jesus recognised the problems of a growing church. It was impossible for Him to take care of the thousands of hurting people He preached to. Jesus declared the answer by praying, “ the harvest is many but the labourers are few.” We see this prayer being answered in the early church in Jerusalem. The city was full of people meeting in their homes being led by lay people not the disciples. When we mention, “care” we must first consider that our first church is our family, especially our children. Children are the church of today and the leaders of tomorrow.
Body Ministry:
1 Corinthians 14:26 - “how is it brethren ? whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, a teaching, a tongue. a revelation, exhortation. Let all things be done for edification.”
In 1 Cor 14:26, Paul talks about every member being involved in meetings when we gather together for worship. However, in a large, growing church this is not practicable during corporate worship services. We believe that the Bible teaches us the importance of two types of meeting. There is a place where the whole body comes to meet together for worship and teaching from its leadership team. There is also the blessing of the small intimate group meetings (Small Groups) in the home where the individual gains confidence to be able to flow in their gifting, prior to ministering in public. Paul’s admonition can be understood and practiced. Some may prophecy, give a song, and share a testimony etc. to encourage, support and strengthen one another. The greatest meeting takes place when everybody plays his or her part, as God wants to meet with the whole body not just a part of it.
Raising Up of New Leaders:
2 Timothy 2:2 - “and things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”
We believe that one of the most important aspects of a local church is to train and release leaders. Often ministerial candidates who have gained theory of the Bible but lack in the practical training have difficulty in being an effective minister. The Small Group model provides the practical training for future ministers. Within the Small Group model we experience at first hand, real life problems and help find real solutions to meet people’s needs. The Small Group model is the place to nurture future pastors, teachers, evangelists, prophets and apostles. We believe that the model of the one-man ministry, where one individual is responsible for the ministry and care of all the flock, is not biblical and does not lead to a healthy church.