Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you… ~ Matthew 28:19-20
Our Mission
Liberty Hills Bible Church exists to make mature followers of Christ to the glory of God.
We accomplish this through expositional teaching of Scripture, fellowship as a community of believers in the Bible’s account of the person and work of Christ, and service to the world around us that reflects the character and purposes of God.
Our Beliefs
Spacer
The Bible
We believe that the Bible is God’s written revelation to man; that God guided His chosen writers to inerrantly write the words that He wanted to communicate in the original manuscripts of the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament (II Peter 1:20,21);that both every word of Scripture is inspired by God “verbal inspiration” (Proverbs 30:5; Matthew 4:4; I Corinthians 2:13); and that as a whole and in every part the Bible is inspired by God—”plenary inspiration” (II Timothy 3:16). We believe that the Scriptures in the original manuscripts are absolutely trustworthy,harmonize without contradiction, and are without error regarding doctrinal, moral, practical, scientific or historical teaching (Psalm119:140, 160; John 10:35; John 17:17). We believe that the illumination of the Scriptures is given to man by the ministry of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 2:6-16), but that no Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation (II Peter 1:20).We believe that the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament and the twenty- seven books of the New Testament comprise the completed Canon of Scripture. They are the only absolute authority for Christian faith and practical Christian living and are timelessly relevant to all people of all ages (Proverbs 30:6; Revelation 22:18-19).
God the Father
We believe that God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, is the Heavenly Father of all who have come to a saving knowledge of His only begotten Son (John 1:14; 20:17; Romans 4:11; I Peter 1:3-5); that He is a Spirit (John 4:24)and the supreme Sovereign over all creation (I Chronicles29:11-12); that He is fundamentally holy (Leviticus 20:7; IPeter 1:16), loving (I John 4:7-10), and just (Genesis 18:25;Deuteronomy 32:4); that He is immortal, invisible (I Timothy1:17; 6:16), infinite (I Kings 8:27; Isaiah 66:1), eternal (Psalm90:2; Romans 1:20), unchanging (Malachi 3:6; James 1:17),transcendent (Acts 17:24-25, 29), and immanent (Acts17:27-28) in essence; that He is omniscient (Psalm 139:2-04; Isaiah 46:9- 10), omnipresent (Psalm 139:7-10; Hebrews4:13), and omnipotent (Daniel 4:34, 35, 37; Ephesians 1:11) in power.
God the Son
We believe in the eternal pre-existence of Jesus Christ as the second Person of the Godhead (John 1:1,14; Colossians1:15-17); that without any change in His divine Person He became fully man by miracle of the virgin birth (Matthew1:25; Philippians 2:6-8); that He lived a sinless life (Hebrews4:15), was crucified, died, was buried, and rose bodily from the dead the third day (I Corinthians 15:3-4); that He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of the Father (Acts 1:9; Hebrews 9:24); that He is presently preparing a place for (John 14:1-3), continually interceding for (Hebrews 7:25), and will both bodily and visibly return in the clouds for (Acts 1:11; I Thessalonians 4:16-17) His own.
God the Holy Spirit
We believe in the deity and personality of the Holy Spirit(John 14:16, 26). We believe that the Holy Spirit convinces the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8-11)and is the agent of the new birth (II Thessalonians 2:13; IPeter 1:2). We believe that every believer receives the HolySpirit at the moment of conversion, by Him is baptized into the Body of Christ, sealed unto the day of redemption, and is given spiritual gift(s) for ministry (I Corinthians 6:19; 12:13;Ephesians 1:13; Romans 12:6-8). We believe that the HolySpirit ministers to believers by leading (Romans 8:14), teaching (I John 2:20, 27), illuminating (I Corinthians 2:9-16), empowering (Acts 1:8), interceding (Romans 8:26), producing fruit (Galatians 5:22), and filling those who yield toHis influence (Ephesians 5:18).We believe that the gift of tongues was supernaturally given foreign languages for the confirmation of the apostolic message, and ceased with the completion of the NewTestament Canon in the first century (Mark 16:17-20; Acts 2;10:44-48; I Corinthians 13:8-13; Hebrews 2:3-4). We believe that the gift of tongues is not normative today.
Creation
We believe that the entire universe was created out of nothing by the spoken Word of God in six literal, solar days (Genesis 1:1-31; Exodus 20:11; John 1:1-3). We are opposed to theistic evolution and other theoretical deviations (i.e. day-age theory, gap theory, deism, etc).
Angels & Demons
We believe angels are created beings (Colossians 1:16) who are immortal spirits with great, but limited, powers (II Kings 6:5-18;19:35; Matthew 22:29- 30). We believe good angels worship and serve God in heaven (Isaiah 6; Revelation 5:11), minister to mankind on earth (Matthew 28:5-7; Psalm 91:11), and will accompany Christ at His coming (Matthew 25:31). We believe God created all angels good (Genesis 1:31); however, Satan, the chief fallen angel, chose to rebel against God through pride (I Timothy3:6), became the author of sin, the god of this age, and the open and declared enemy of God and man (Isaiah 14:13,14; Ephesians6:16). Furthermore, he was defeated through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Romans 16:20), can be resisted by believers (Isaiah 14:12-15; II Corinthians 4:4; Hebrews 2:14; James4:7), and will be eternally punished in the lake of fire along with other fallen angels whom he presently leads (II Peter 2:4; Jude 6; Revelation 20:10).
Spacer
Man
We believe that Adam and Eve were created by the direct act of God and in the image of God with respect to intellect, emotion, and will (Genesis 1:26- 27). We believe that God created Adam andEve in a sinless and upright state but that they willfully committed sin and brought sin and death—physical, spiritual, and the sentence of eternal (Hebrews 9:27; Romans 5:12; 6:23; Revelation20:15)—upon the entire human race, descended from Adam. We believe all people inherit a sinful nature at the moment of conception, willfully sin individually as fallen creatures, and are separated from God (Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:10,23; 5:12). Man can do nothing in and of himself to establish a relationship with God.
Salvation
We believe in the single, substitutionary, sacrifice of the Lord JesusChrist on the cross on the behalf of sinners. We believe that salvation is wholly of divine grace, unattainable by any good works of the sinner on behalf of himself or another; that faith, repentance, and saving grace are gifts given by God (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans2:4); and that salvation is received by a sinner when he repents towards God and puts his faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Savior (I Thessalonians 1:9; Romans 10:9-10). We believe that all who receive Christ as their Savior are born from above, kept by God’s power, and are therefore eternally secure inChrist (John 1:12; Acts 16:31; John 10:28-29; Titus 3:5-7; I John5:11-13). We believe that the basis of salvation is the blood ofChrist (I Peter 1:18-19), and the scope of salvation includes forgiveness of sins (past, present, and future), righteous standing before God, and eternal life (John 3:16; Romans 6:23).
The Church
We believe that all who place their faith in Jesus Christ are immediately placed by the Holy Spirit into one united spiritual body,the Church (I Corinthians 12:12,13), the bride of Christ (IICorinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:23-32; Revelation 19:7,8), of whichChrist is the founder (Matthew 16:18) as well as the head(Ephesians 1:22; 4:15; Colossians 1:18). We believe that theChurch is manifested through local assemblies committed to making mature disciples of Christ for the glory of God (Acts 2:41-47; Ephesians 4:11-16).We believe that there are two ordinances committed to the Church; baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Acts 2:38-42). Baptism by immersion (Acts 8:36-39, Acts 10:44-48) is the solemn and beautiful testimony of a believer showing faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior; union with Him in death to sin, and resurrection to new life (Romans 6:1-11). The Lord’s Supper is the commemoration of His death until He comes, and should always be preceded by solemn self-examination (I Corinthians 11:23-32).We believe that the biblically designated officers serving underChrist and over the assembly are elders and deacons who must meet biblical qualifications (I Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; I Peter5:1-5). We believe that the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to every believer for the purpose of edifying both their local church body and the body of Christ at large (Ephesians 4:11-12; I Corinthians 12).
Holiness
We believe that the purpose of the Church is to make mature followers of Christ for His glory. This requires maintaining personal and organizational purity of doctrine and intent. At times, this may also require a separation from people, ministries, and organizations whose actions, attitudes and purposes contradict the clear teaching of Scripture (I Thessalonians 4:7-8, II Corinthians 6:11-7:1; Ephesians 5:7).We believe in personal holiness (I Corinthians 15:33; I Peter 1:14-16; I John 2:11-13) and ecclesiastical holiness (II Corinthians 11:4; Galatians 1:8-9; II Timothy 2:16-18; Titus 3:10-11; II John 9- 11).Further, we affirm that believers should be set apart for service unto the Lord Jesus Christ (II Thessalonians 1:11, 12; Hebrews 12:1, 2)and that the Christian life demands a continuous pursuit of holiness(Romans 12:1, 2; Titus 2:11-14; I Peter 1:13-15; I John 3:1-10). We believe that every believer, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, should walk in a way that glorifies God (I Corinthians 10:31), does not harm their testimony as a believer (Romans 13:14), and does not cause a brother to sin (Romans 14:13; I Corinthians 8:9, 13;Philippians 1:10).We believe the Church bears ultimate responsibility for church discipline. We believe that Scripture provides the purpose and pattern for this pursuit of holiness (Titus 3:9-19, Matthew 18:17-18,1 Corinthians 5:6-8, 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15, 1 Timothy 5:20, Galatians 6:1, Romans 16:17).
Last Things (End Times)
We believe that the end of the age is approaching in fulfillment of prophetic Scriptures (I Peter 4:7; I Corinthians 7:29-31; Hebrews1:10-12; Matthew 13:39-40; 24:35; 28:20; I John 1:27; II Peter 3:3-13) and that “last days” events will center around the sudden, visible, personal and bodily return of the Lord Jesus Christ to the earth (Acts 1:11; Revelation 1:7; Hebrews 9:28; Acts 3:21; IThessalonians 4:13-18; 5:1- 11; Titus 2:11-14; I John 2:28; 3:2-3).We believe the time of His coming is unknown and unknowable but will indeed be in fulfillment of the prophetic Scriptures; We believe in the rapture of living believers and the resurrection of dead believers when the Lord returns in the clouds—at which time both companies will meet the Lord in the air to be with Him forever (IThessalonians 4:13-18); that Christ’s kingdom will conquer all earthly kingdoms and that He will continue to reign on His throne forever (Psalm 8:6; 110:1-2,5-7; Daniel 2:31-44; Matthew 22:44; Acts 2:33-36; I Corinthians 15:24-25; II Thessalonians 1:5-10; Hebrews 10:12-13; Revelation 21:24,26); that Christ will raise the saved to everlasting life and the lost to everlasting damnation(Daniel 12:2; John 5:28-29; 6:39,40,44,54; 11:24; Acts 24:14-15; ICorinthians 15:20-26; Philippians 3:10-11,20-21; II Timothy 2:16-18); that every individual will stand before Christ in judgment and give an account of their life (Matthew 12:36-37; 25:31-34,41,46; John 12:48; Romans 14:12; II Corinthians 5:10; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 20:11-15); and that every individual will dwell forever either in heaven or hell after their physical death and/or resurrection(Matthew 10:28; 25:46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-31; II Corinthians5:6-8; Revelation 21:1-8).
Marriage, Gender & Sexuality
We believe that God created human beings distinctly as male and female (Gen 1:27). The distinctness, complementarity, and relational nature of the human race as “male and female” is based on the created order given by God when He created humanity “inHis image” (Gen 1:26-27; 5:1-3; 9:6; 1 Cor 11:7; Jam 3:9; 2 Cor3:18; Eph 4:23-24; Col 3:10), and these establish a normative connection between biological sex and gender. The created distinctness, complementarity and relational nature also establish the basis for the marital relationship as being between one man and one woman (Gen 2:23-24; Eph 5:21-33).The Bible affirms two options or giftings for sexual expression:monogamous marital relations between one man and one woman(Gen 1:27-28; 2:18, 21-24; Mt 19:4-6; Mk 10:5-8; 1 Cor 7:7; Heb13:4; Eph 5:22), or sexual celibacy, if one is not in a monogamous marital relationship between one man and one woman (1 Cor 7:7; Mt 19:12). Within these two Biblical designs, there can be found sexual fulfillment, whereas outside these two designs sexual expression is improper.The Bible affirms that human sexuality is a gift to be treasured and enjoyed (Gen 2:24; Prov 5:19, 31:10; 1 Cor 7:4), as is sexual celibacy (1 Cor 7:7). The fall of humanity (Gen 3) corrupted human sexuality in both spiritual and physical ways (Rom 1:18-32, Eph2:1-10), and one result is confusion and pain in the lives of those who struggle with brokenness regarding gender, and who struggle with the guilt of desiring sinful expressions of sexuality (Gen 3:1-7; Rom 3:9-18; 5:12-17). The Bible prescribes faith in Jesus Christ (1Cor 15:2-3) as the remedy for guilt and as the provision for life(Rom 3:23, 6:23; Jn 3:16), and the Bible prescribes an ongoing relationship with Him as the means for a whole and fulfilling life (Jn15:1-11, 17:3; Col 3:16; Gal 5:16-25; Rom 8:28-38).
Our Leadership
Elders
While in many settings we’d be known by the title “Pastor,” here at LHBC we’ve chosen to use “Elder.” This may seem like a small distinction, but it is one of many examples in which we seek to apply Biblical instruction and example as closely as possible. The New Testament uses the terms Elder, Pastor, Bishop and Overseer as synonymous and interchangeable, with “Elder” being used most often.
Another pattern we see is that the New Testament always refers to Elders in the plural, that’s why we have several here at LHBC. Each of us recognize and accept equal responsibility and accountability for spiritual oversight, teaching and maintaining doctrinal purity, preparing believers for ministry and overall “shepherding” within this local body of Christ. 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9 discuss elements unique to this role in the Church that apply to our character and qualifications to serve as Elders.
Deacons
The second formal role within the Church the New Testament identifies is that of the Deacon. Acts 6:1-6 lays the foundation for this vital category of service overseeing physical ministries and resources through which the Elders are freed to focus on their ministry. 1 Timothy 3:8-11 discuss elements unique to this role that applies to the Deacon’s character and qualifications for ministry in this capacity.
Current Elders
Andy Hermann
Andy came to a saving knowledge of Christ while in college at Clemson University. He has been actively involved in the local church ever since. He met his wife Lisa through the local church and they have five sons and a growing flock of grandchildren. Andy enjoys rooting for his alma mater.
Andy and Lisa have been covenant members of LHBC since 2010. He was appointed as an Elder in October of 2016. He is passionate about pursuing discipleship within the local church, helping build healthy, Biblical marriages, and helping parents learn to raise their children for the Lord.
Colossians 1:28–29, “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.” (ESV)
Eric Stanley
Eric became a follower of Christ at the age of 13 and was called to preach as a teenager and has pursued that calling since then. He met his wife Christina while at Bible college. They have three daughters and one son. Eric can usually be found outside working on the lawn, hunting, golfing, or just enjoying a Royals game.
Eric and Christina have been covenant members of LHBC since 2009. He was appointed as an Elder that same year. He is passionate about encouraging gospel-centered, relationships in covenant membership to live our mission to evangelize the lost for the glory of God.
Philippians 1:27, “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel” (ESV)
David Welch
David was born again at the age of 12 after a youth rally held at his church. He was called to pursue ministry training later in high school. He met his wife Sarah at Bible college and they have two sons and two daughters. David enjoys technology and board games and rooting for the Chiefs.
David and Sarah have been covenant members of LHBC since 2007. He was appointed as an Elder in October of 2016. He is passionate about understanding, teaching, and defending the God of the Bible as He is revealed in Scripture as well as helping others learn to rightly divide the word for themselves.
Jeremiah 9:23–24, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”’ (ESV)