歷史
蒙神祝福『基督之家』於1969年1月23日在臺灣臺北成立,由當地信徒遵照聖經教訓建立教會,爰經同工推請創辦人寇世遠為監督負責牧養,直接向主負責。自1978年在舊金山灣區成立以來,先後發展成七個教會,就是
- 基督之家第一家(The Home of Christ Church in Menlo Park)
- 基督之家第二家(The Home of Christ Church in San Francisco)
- 基督之家第三家(The Home of Christ Church in Fremont)
- 基督之家第四家(The Home of Christ Church in West San Jose)
- 基督之家第五家 (The Home of Christ Church in Cupertino)
- 基督之家第六家(The Home of Christ Church in Newark)
- 基督之家第七家(The Home of Christ Church in Morgan Hill)
各家均按聖經啟示之地方教會原則,就地取財(經費)及就地取裁(行政),就地取才(人事),實行長老牧會,共同持守基督之家守則,榮神益人。主若許可,今後拓展新的福音據點,將依序發展成新的家。
《基督之家》守則
聖靈和我們一同定規的「基督之家守則」,一共十條,把教會內涵的實際,包括在:啟示、合一、事奉、獨立、傳道、敬神、愛人、輸財、和睦,和開放等十個重點中。』這守則如下:
These ten governing principles, as revealed to us by the Holy Spirit, carry out the church’s meaning and focus on the issues of revelation, unity, service, independence, evangelism, worship, charity (loving others), finances, harmony and openness.
- 啟示:我們相信聖經出於神的啟示,絕無錯誤,永不廢棄,為我們言行、思想、生活及工作的準繩。Revelation: We believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God, inerrant and eternal. It is the criterion for our words, deeds, thoughts, life and work.
- 合一:我們深知道這家是永生神的教會,必須永遠讓主作頭,顯出身體功能,凡是主用寶血買來的,都是一家人,凡是家中人,都當事奉主。Unity: We firmly believe that The Home of Christ is the church of the living God, that Christ is the Head of the Church, which is the body of Christ, that people are redeemed by Christ’s blood, belong to God’s family, and that every member in the family should serve the Lord.
- 事奉:我們衡量教會興衰,不只看聚會人數多寡,更要看事奉主者若干,我們帶領軟弱肢體,不只看望照顧,更要給予責任,人人參加聖工;同享主賜福樂。Service: We measure the prosperity of our Church, not only by the number of people attending our Sunday Services, but also by the number of people serving God. We should lead and guide our weak members, not only by looking after their needs, but also by giving them responsibility so that everyone will participate in ministry, and enjoy all the blessings bestowed upon us by our Lord.
- 獨立:我們堅持地方教會立場,基於自立,自傳,自養,原則,一切直接向神負責。Independence: We insist on maintaining our Local Church identity based on self-governing, self-propagating and self-providing principles, and being responsible directly to the Lord.
- 傳道:我們無論得時與否,務要傳揚福音,以基督神性 (生命)為經、人性(生活)為緯,交織天(神)人合一之道,使生命影響生活,生活反映生命,二者相互印證。Evangelism: We must preach the gospel in season and out of season. We are to live our lives based on human ethics and guided by the example set by Christ; thus obtaining unity of man and God. We will have our inner lives influence our daily, outer lives; and have our daily, outer lives reflect our inner lives, so that our inner lives and outer lives can be aligned to present a consistent testimony.
- 敬神:我們的心尊主為大,把神放在第一,每動一念,每發一言,每行一事,每到一處,不是想我能得到什麼,乃是怕主將失去什麼。Worship: We stand in awe of God and give Him first place in our lives. Instead of seeking our own gain, we think, speak, and act with the sole purpose of honoring God.
- 愛人:我們看人比自己強,總要欣賞其長處,包容其短處,紀念其好處,擔當其難處,使每一恩賜均被尊重,匯為主用。但絕不高舉人,免人跌倒,不論斷人,免我虧損。Charity (loving others): We see others as greater than ourselves, appreciating the strengths of others and accepting those who are weak. We respect the different gifts people have been given and allow the gifts to be used by God. We do not exalt people, giving them cause to stumble and fall, nor do we judge them lest we suffer harm.
- 輸財:我們確認施比受更有福,一切財物悉出神賜,應當與人分享,我越給人,結果神越給我,施惠於人,便是善待自己。Finances (Charity): We affirm that it is more blessed to give than to receive. All material wealth is given by God and should be shared with others. As I give, I also receive from God, benefiting others and being blessed myself.
- 和睦:我們必須拆毀人與人之間隔斷的牆,經常保持靈裡交通,互相接待,彼此服事,不給惡者留地步,個人是非恩怨可以不計,惟有真理異端不能妥協。Harmony: We must destroy the dividing wall between men, maintain spiritual communication, receive each other, serve one another, and refuse to give the Devil a foothold. We must hold on to the Truth in God’s Word, and never compromise in matters that resist or distort the Truth.
- 開放:我們這家對外門戶開放,不爭取亦不拒絕任何人,凡願以基督之心為心,天父之事為念者,都有權和我們一同敬拜,配搭事奉,榮神益人。Openness: Our church doors are open to all. People who have a heart for Jesus and are concerned with the Father’s work are welcome to worship and serve with us in order to honor God and build up people.
我們主要的禮儀
一。洗禮﹕我們採用浸禮方式,如遇特殊情況可用點水禮。受洗者年齡須滿十二歲。沒有嬰兒洗禮。
二。聖餐﹕凡清楚得救,並已接受洗禮者均可同心領受聖餐紀念主。
使徒信經
- 我信神,全能的父,創造天地的主.
- 我信我主耶穌基督,神獨生之子,因聖靈感孕,由童貞女馬利亞所生,在本丟彼拉多手下受難,被釘於十字架上,死了,葬了,降在陰間,第三天從死裏復活,升天,坐在全能父神的右邊,將來必從那裏降臨,審判活人,死人.
- 我信聖靈.我信聖而公之教會.
- 我信聖徒相通.我信罪得赦免.
- 我信身體復活.我信永生.