At Fellowship Bible Church we concentrate our teaching in three areas. Whether we are teaching children or parents, seniors in high school or seniors in life, it is our hope that the teaching would be Biblical, practical, and understandable. 

Biblical

Believing that the Bible is God’s written Word should have a significant impact on one’s  teaching. It certainly does on ours. We are keenly interested in knowing what the Bible has to say because we want to know what God has to say. Our opinions and experiences are quite limited. God’s opinions (as recorded in the Bible) are rich with wisdom and life-changing principles.

Practical

God’s answers for our generation are relevant. They minister to us in the “here and now”. For that reason we attempt to keep the teaching practical. We assure you that the meaningful applications of God’s Word will make a difference in your life today.

Understandable

The Apostle Paul was careful in his writings to be sure that the deep truths of the Scriptures be communicated in such a way that people could understand them. Likewise, we attempt to keep the teaching easy to understand. Because we are committed to the principle that people live these truths, we work hard to make sure they comprehend these truths. 

We believe in the authority and accuracy of the Bible  (2 Timothy 3:16).
We believe in one God who reveals Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit  (Matthew 28:19).
We believe that Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man - and is, therefore, the only sufficient mediator between God and man             (1 Timothy 2:5).
We believe that the person of the Holy Spirit lives within all believers (John 16:8-11).
We believe that man was created in the image of God, but because man sinned he incurred both physical and spiritual death          (Genesis 1:26; Romans 3:23 and 6:23).
We believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins, and that all who put their trust in Him will have eternal life; but those who do not will not see life  (1 Corinthians 15:3,4).
We believe that salvation is by grace through faith - it is not by works  (Ephesians 2:8,9).
We believe that the Church is the living spiritual body of Christ and that, as such, we should gather together for the purpose of teaching, worship, fellowship, and prayer       (1 Corinthians 12; Acts 2:42).

In our accelerating technological society, teaching the Bible may seem a bit archaic.  “After all,” one might propose, “The Bible’s been around for thousands of years; shouldn’t we be learning from something more current?”

 Yet, the Bible itself claims to be the vehicle through which God has spoken to man.  Although the information available to the mind of man has changed significantly in the last few thousand years, we believe that the heart of man is still the same.  The struggles and fears that we face today are essentially faced by those of Bible times.  Therefore, the Word of God provides the answers to our dilemmas today in meaningful and powerful ways.

Furthermore, the Bible transcends all barriers of time and culture.  God’s Word is eternal, and therefore ministers in our lives every day in a fresh and living way.

“Why teach the Bible?”  Because no other book will provide us with the answers we need for survival today.       

The words of the Lord Jesus Christ remind us of the PRINCIPLES that we are called to live by and explain the reason why we exist as a church. We are commanded to “make disciples” of all who are in our world.

That which is quoted above (again, the words of the Lord Jesus), sets the PATTERN for the direction that we take as a church (and reveal the power that we have from God).

Both of these concepts are incorporated in the FBC Mission Statement: 

Our desire as a church family is to be faithful to the commission given to us and to show and       proclaim the love of the Lord Jesus Christ in our “Jerusalem ... Judea and Samaria” (the communities of Mantua and Mullica Hill; Harrison Township; Gloucester County; and South Jersey).

We want to devote ourselves — both in active church ministry and in everyday living — to telling others that there is life and meaning in Jesus Christ. 

 FBC has ministries that are designed (and are being designed) to nurture individual believers in their ever-growing experience of knowing the Lord Jesus and living for Him; and to help them become equipped for the task of serving Him in the world in which they live.

We emphasize the need for believers to be using their lives and gifts in ministry — because of the grace of God and for His glory (1 Peter 4:10) — and seek to provide opportunities for service that will truly impact the lives of others.   

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8

You may ask, “What about that last part of Jesus’ statement? What are you doing about ‘the end of the earth’?”

That’s a great question — and answered in the understanding that God has been pleased to make Fellowship Bible Church, from its inception, a church that desires to see the gospel communicated around the world. We see this accomplished through the financial support of a growing missionary family. And we see it through the opportunity of actually sending our own people into short-term and long-term missions environments. The issue we’re most concerned with is not: What is our seating capacity; but what is our sending capacity?    

 We believe that our teaching should come from the Bible. For the Scripture says, All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Tim. 3:16-17).  The Bible is the instrument the Holy Spirit uses to mature the child of God and prepare him for the challenges of this world. We encourage you to have a
Bible, read the Bible, and bring your Bible to church. When we gather as believers we will open the Bible, study the Bible, and learn from the Bible. We acknowledge there are many helpful books written by Godly men and women, but only the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb. 4:12). At FBC we love God’s Word. It is our commitment to always teach the Bible.

 We believe that our teaching should exalt the Lord Jesus Christ.  For the Scripture says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God...And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:1,2 14). Although the story of Jesus is most clearly expressed in the early portions of the New Testament, humanity’s need for a Savior/Redeemer is expressed throughout the entire Bible (Job 19:25, Isa. 9:6; 53:1-12). We exalt the Lord Jesus Christ best when we retell His story. For the Scripture says, For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty…so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts (2 Pet. 1:16-19). We will never grow weary of sharing the good news of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection as found in the Bible (1 Cor. 15:3-4).

 We believe that our teaching should embrace biblical doctrine.  We understand that the Bible can be misinterpreted and misapplied. For the Scripture says, our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. (2 Pet. 3:15-16) We want our members to be firmly grounded in a belief system that finds its foundation in the Scriptures. For that reason 25% of our core curriculum taught in our Adult Bible Fellowships is doctrinal. We are concerned that many in the 21^st century are uncertain regarding what they believe. Even many Christians are unable to show you what they believe from the Bible. It is our desire at FBC to reverse this trend. Our desire is that every member would know when someone is twisting the Scriptures and that they would be able to interpret the Scriptures for themselves.  We affirm that error is seen more clearly against a backdrop of biblical truth.

 We believe that our teaching should address the practical
challenges of life. We want our members to apply the Scriptures with wisdom to their daily life. The Scripture says, How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your Word.  I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.  I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you (Psalm 119:9-11). The Bible is a tremendous resource for daily living. A full 25% of our core curriculum in our Adult Bible Fellowship hour is
dedicated to using the Scriptures in the practical matters of the faith.

 We believe that our teaching should bring about real growth and change in one’s personal life. For the Scripture says, Be doers of the Word, not hearers only deceiving yourself (Jam. 1:22). We affirm D.L. Moody’s words, “The Scriptures were not given for your information, but for your transformation.” We want to be Christians that are growing and changing as God conforms us to the image of His Son. (Rom. 8:28-29). We believe that this is most effectively done as the Word of God is taught and as we become not simply those who hear, but those who obey.

Maintaining Biblically Balanced Teaching

At FBC we are committed to giving our members a well-rounded understanding of the Bible. During our Morning Worship Hour we accomplish
this by teaching through various books of the Bible, and drawing insights for daily living from the truths we discover. On the first Sunday of the month we prepare our hearts for the Lord’s table by reviewing doctrinal truths like the person of Christ or salvation. Various seminars are added throughout the year to bring additional opportunities for applying the Scriptures in our day to day relationships.

The Adult Bible Fellowship Hour is central to this biblically-balanced instruction. Starting March 9, 2008 these classes will be divided around ages and lifecycles. The classes will begin at 9:30 and end at 10:45.  The first 25 minutes will be for the
expressed purpose of fellowship (sharing of needs, praises, and prayer requests).  While the classes remain in the same locations in order to develop long-lasting relationships; gifted teachers move from class
to class instructing for a 6 week or 12 week increment. This curriculum is intentionally divided into three areas of study: (1) biblical exposition—teaching through a book of the Bible, (2) biblical doctrine—teaching foundational truths of our faith, and (3) biblical living—teaching how we practically apply the truth of God’s Word to daily living. During the course of a 1 year cycle you will have been instructed in 1-2 Old Testament books, 1-2 New Testament books, 2 areas of doctrine, and 2 areas of biblical living. Over the course of
the entire 6 year cycle – our members will have received 84 hours in the Old Testament, 72 hours in the New Testament, 72 hours of Bible doctrine, and 72 hours of biblical living. We believe that the Adult Bible Fellowship hour is at the heart of equipping our people.

The Sunday Evening Hour is often used to further the teaching of the morning service, as an opportunity for missionaries to report on their ministry, and for the intention of further equipping our members for service
in the body of Christ.