We believe that the key roles of the church are delineated in Section VI (The Church).

     We believe that God has ordained families (i.e., parents and children) to be the normative social unit for executing particular functions. Some of these functions include Christian parents having the primary authority over and being commanded to raise their children in the nurture, discipline, and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:1-4); parents providing the general education (e.g., reading, writing, morals, values) of children; parents having the duty and authority to provide for the physical needs of their children; and men learning to manage their households well (I Timothy 3:1-7). God designated the parents, not the state and not the church, to be the primary caregivers and decision makers for their family unit. All the aforementioned are to be done with the instruction and support of the church. We believe that the church and the family were designed by God to be complementary, compatible, and harmonious.

     We believe that God, the supreme Lord and King of all the world, has ordained civil magistrates to be under Him, over the people, for his own glory and the public good; and to this end has armed them with the power of the sword, for defense and encouragement of them that do good, and for the punishment of evil doers. (1 Romans 13:1-4). Civil magistrates being set up by God for the ends aforesaid; subjection, in all lawful things commanded by them, ought to be yielded by us in the Lord, not only for wrath, but for conscience’ sake; and we ought to make supplications and prayers for kings (e.g., governors, presidents, prime ministers) and all that are in authority, that under them we may live a quiet and peaceable life, in all godliness and honesty (Romans 13:5-7; 1 Peter 2:17; 1 Timothy 2:1,2).[6]

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[6] This paragraph is derived from chapter 24 of the 1689 London Baptist Confession.