Who we are
With head quarters in Cleveland, Tennessee (Church of God International Offices) , we are a part of a global movement birthed in 1886 now consisting of almost 7 million members worldwide. We are founded on the principles of Christ as they are revealed in the Bible. Our foundation of faith and practice is Scripturally oriented. We are confident God placed us where we are and raised us up specifically to reach the lost, heal the hurts and to be a light to the New River Valley.
Christian
First and foremost we are a determinedly Christian church, built upon the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The doctrines and practices of our church are based upon His teachings.
Protestant
We are founded on the principles of Protestantism, although we are not a traditional follower of any specific leader of the Protestant Reformation. We believe firmly in justification by faith, a priesthood of believers, the authority of the Bible, religious freedom, and the separation of church and state.
foundational
We subscribe to the following five foundational Christian doctrines:
- The inerrancy and infallibility of the Bible
- The Virgin Birth and complete deity of Christ.
- The atoning sacrifice of Christ’s death for the sins of the world.
- The literal resurrection of the body.
- Christ’s second coming in bodily form to earth.
Evangelical
We are evangelical in the sense that we affirm the primary doctrines revealed in Scriptures. Those doctrines include the inspiration and authority of the Word of God, the Trinity, the deity and virgin birth of Jesus Christ, salvation by faith in the atoning death of Christ, His bodily resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Father, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the second coming of Christ, and the spiritual unity of believers in Christ.
Pentecostal
We believe what the early disciples experienced in Acts chapter two is still available for believers today. This enrichment of the Christian life through the power of the Holy Spirit is that divine enablement that empowers believers to be effective witnesses for Christ. A principal distinctive of the Fairlawn Church of God is its belief in speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives the utterance and that this is the initial evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
Charismatic
We believe the Holy Spirit bestows the gifts of the Spirit (charismata), which can be divided into three categories: the gifts of revelation, the gifts of power, and the gifts of inspiration. The gifts of revelation are the word of wisdom, word of knowledge and the discerning of spirits. The gifts of power are faith, miracles and healing. The gifts of utterance and inspiration are prophecy, tongues and interpretation. We believe these are not gifts used at will by the believer. Rather the Holy Spirit bestows these gifts as He wills and for the benefit of the entire body of Christ.
Evangelistic
From our beginning we have been a revival movement. Evangelism has been in the forefront of all our activities. We have endeavored to maintain an aggressive effort to take the message of Christ throughout the world by all means and methods. Every program and activity of our church reflects an evangelistic attitude: revivals, conferences, worship services, teaching, preaching, and our missionary efforts, etc.