First Irving es una iglesia bautista del Sur: dirigida por ancianos y gobernada por la congregación. Estamos dedicados a hacer discipulos, localmente y globalmente, para la gloria de Dios. Aspiramos en lograr esta mision al enfocarnos en 4 prioridades ministeriales: Worship Gatherings, haciendo discipulos localmente, haciendo discipulos globalmente, y un ministerio centrado en el evangelio.
First Irving es, y siempre se esforzara en ser, una comundad de creyentes multi-generacional y multietnica. Estamos localizados en Irving, Texas en el Dallas/ Fort Worth area metropolitana. Estamos miembros afiliados con la Convención Bautista del Sur y nuestro compromiso de conocer a Dios y que lo conozcan comenzando en alcanzar a nuestros vecinos, y que se extiende de manera nacional y global.
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Convicciones Esenciales
Pluralidad de Pastores/Ancianos
As stated above, the church of First Irving is Elder-led and congregationally governed. In the New Testament, the apostles established a structure where Pastors/Elders were appointed to oversee the spiritual care of local churches (Acts 14:23), and we believe the office of Pastor/Elder remains God's provisional care for his people today. They are to lead the church by teaching God’s Word (1 Tim 3:2; Titus 1:9), serving as faithful examples to the flock (1 Pet 5:3), and by being willing to shepherd the local congregation toward spiritual maturity that God has entrusted to them (Eph 4:13; I Pet 5:2). The Scriptures also teach that each local church should be led by a plurality of Pastors/Elders, both for the benefit and protection of the congregation (Acts 20:17; Phil 1:1; Titus 1:5). Thus, as men aspire to the office and meet the qualifications for the office of overseer provided in the Scriptures (1 Tim 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9), the church sets them aside as Pastors/Elders to care for and lead the church.
Predicación Expositiva
We preach the Word of God through the hermeneutical lens of Christ-centered expository preaching. We use the term Christ-centered because we believe all Scripture is a testimony to Jesus Christ and His finished redemptive work on the cross as all of the promises of God find their "yes" in Christ (2 Cor 1:20). The term expository preaching simply means that we look to explain what the living Word of God says (Heb 4:12), and then we seek to apply the word to the hearts of our people (Phil 4:9). At our church we desire to preach and teach the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27), because we understand that the Scriptures are profitable to us for our correction, reproof and for the training of righteousness (2 Tim 3:16). We believe that it’s the power of the Spirit, through the preached Word of God that our minds are transformed (Rom 12:2) and that we are conformed into the image of Jesus Christ (I Cor 3:18).
Membresía Significativa
At First Irving we place an emphasis on membership at our church because we believe the Bible teaches us that it is important to the spiritual life of a believer. Membership places us under the God-ordained authority of the church, gives us a shared identity, and unites us with a common purpose. We see that the New Testament teaches us that as Christians, we should commit to a local church and even formalize that commitment in membership with the local church. The New Testament also teaches what level of commitment we should have among the church when we consider that we should love one another (Jn. 15:12; I Jn 3:23), bear with one another (Eph 4:2), encourage and build one another up (I Thes 5:11) among several other ‘one another’ commands. These commands within the local church demonstrate how we are dependent on one another in our spiritual walk to grow in the image of Christ.
Adoración guiada por las Escrituras
At First Irving, our Sunday services are guided by the Word of God. It is our deep conviction that God’s word is relevant, transformative, authoritative, and sufficient for every generation and for every age of the church. We also believe the central message of the Bible to be the gospel of Jesus Christ. So when we gather together each week, we gather around God’s word and the gospel. This is what we desire to shape us each time we meet together on the Lord’s Day (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 1 Cor. 15:1-4). Each Sunday we gather to read the word, pray the word, sing the word, preach the word, and to see the word through the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Not only do we plan for the content of our service to be biblical and Christ-centered, but we also desire the service itself (the structure) to be shaped around biblical patterns and ultimately shaped by the glorious gospel Jesus Christ. We believe the Scriptures should govern our time together. Our earnest prayer is that First Irving might be a people marked by delighting in and meditating on God’s Word (Ps. 1:2) because we believe it is what transforms us at the deepest level spiritually, sanctifying us into greater Christlikeness (Rom. 12:2; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Isa. 55:10-11).