About Our Church
Our church in Colorado Springs belongs to the Apostolic Christian Church (Nazarean) denomination. Our denomination is an evangelical Anabaptist group believing in biblical fundamentalism (accepting the teachings of the Bible without reservation.)
The History of The Apostolic Christian Church (Nazarean)
Our church is one of many belonging to the Apostolic Christian Church (Nazarean) conference of believers. Our roots go back to the Anabaptist movement in the 1830’s, specifically to the teachings of Samuel Froelich who spoke out against state-church sanctioned doctrines in Switzerland.
A spiritual awakening began in Switzerland by a man named Samuel Froelich who began a movement seeking to return to the truths taught in the Gospel. His simple but radical teachings that centered on the gospel message spread like wildfire. His teachings emphasized the need for repentance from sin, righteousness through belief in Jesus Christ, and of the need to receive the Holy Spirit and its sanctifying work in the life of a believer. The movement spread rapidly throughout Europe, and then to the United States in the late 1800’s. In Europe, members of the movement were called the ‘Nazarenes’ after the city of Nazareth where Jesus Christ was raised. In the United States, our fellowship is known as the Apostolic Christian Church (Nazarean). For more about the history of the Apostolic Christian Church and the Nazarene Anabaptist faith, please visit our denomination’s official website: History of the ACCN (Official site) →
Doctrine
The following is a short and incomplete list of some our doctrinal beliefs. A more complete list is found in our We Believe document.
- Repentance – One must truly repent of his sins in order to gain salvation.
- Discipleship and selfless service.
- Adult baptism – Fellowship of baptized believers – (baptism by immersion).
- Life consuming sanctification and separation from the world.
- Accountability – Accountability to church authority with church discipline.
- Closed communion – Communion is only to be shared with like-minded brethren, members of our fellowship.
- Non-resistance – As Christ showed to love our enemies, so we must also do.
To learn more, please read our Statement of Faith → or you may listen to these sermons[1][2] by our former elder brother Robert Freund about how our beliefs may differ from other Christians around us.
Our Practices
- Formal attire during church events.
- Modesty in appearance, in speech, and in daily living.
- Separated seating for men and women during church service.
- Female members wear a headcovering during public prayer and worship, and often during everyday life.
- Leadership consists of an elder body with a local elder assisted by one or more ministers.
- Women are not ordained into elder or minister leadership positions.
- Concerning other denominations – We do not judge the sincerity of other Christians. However, we strongly discourage our own members from attending services conducted in churches belonging to other denominations. This practice encourages unity of mind and a cohesive bond amongst our own churches.
- Use of our own Zion’s Harp hymnal during worship services. This hymnal contains traditional, classical spiritual hymns composed by many different hymn writers.
- Hospitality – We welcome travelling brethren into our homes.
To locate a church, visit the Find a Church Near You → page.