Gwydyr Rd, Crieff, UK, PH7 4BS

Friends,

The name ‘church’ is full of meaning. Many  people love it, and many people hate it. As Christians we want to preserve the identity of the church, but we may also want to change it. Some say that the church is where the saints worship, but those who attend know that it is also full of sinners like themselves. This is the paradox we have when we talk about the church.

Mike Lewis, a member of the Crieff church, recently conducted and analyzed a survey of members’ views on different issues relating to the church. The results showed that the members of our church have a broad range of beliefs and opinions about our teachings and practices. Never-the-less, there is a widespread consensus that our beliefs in Christ and the Bible unite us more than our different views on biblical interpretation divide us. The outcomes of the survey were fascinating and gave us a full colour snapshot of where we are as a church in all our glorious diversity!

The Bible says that God has given us the church for a purpose. According to Eph 4:12,13 one of the main reasons that the church exists is to help God’s children grow up into His love and design for their lives. If we don’t relate to each another within a church context, we deny ourselves God’s chosen method for helping us to become mature in Him.
God needs us to help Him grow the church into a relationally healthy place. Research and experience show there are physical, social, economic and spiritual benefits when we are closely connected with God’s people. If you’re isolated, and you want to make regular contact with the Body of Christ, please let me know. We want to help you find the best way for you to be connected to the rest of His body, so that we can all grow to become more like Him.

Pastor Bernie Holford