Member Churches
We believe that God gives life through his written Word, the Bible. Therefore, we believe that the main diet of weekly teaching in the local church must consist of the live exposition of God’s Word to God’s people—that is, the main preaching event in the life of the church should each week consist of reading, explaining, and applying a portion of the Bible.
We are Baptist in our understanding of baptism and polity. This means that we stand with Baptists throughout history in affirming that the Bible teaches that baptism is a personal and public declaration of one’s faith in the Lord Jesus, and therefore its only proper subjects are those who personally and credibly profess faith in him. Likewise, the only proper candidates for membership in a local church are those who have been baptized as believers.
We are Reformed in our understanding of salvation. That is, we stand with Christians in the Reformed tradition in affirming that the Bible teaches that God is entirely sovereign in salvation, and at the same time that we as human beings make real choices for which we are morally responsible. We understand that throughout history those who affirm God’s sovereignty in salvation have been accused of neglecting the Bible’s command to make disciples of all nations. However, we are convinced by Scripture and history that far from undermining missionary zeal, a conviction of God’s sovereignty in salvation is the fuel which drives us to proclaim the gospel to the world with unshakable confidence—knowing beyond doubt that God will open doors for gospel proclamation and then open hearts to repent and believe.
We believe that local church membership is a biblical imperative—meaning that it is incumbent upon every Christian to be engaged in a formal, mutually-recognized relationship of accountability and responsibility with a local church. Further, we believe that it is incumbent upon local churches to be clear about precisely who are members of their bodies, and to both shepherd and disciple those members in the faith of the Lord Jesus. We also believe that church discipline includes the correction of sin–it begins privately and sometimes culminates in excommunication, or removal from the Lord’s Table and church membership.
We believe that the Bible teaches that the assembled local congregation must hold final earthly authority in church matters. Details and specifics of polity will vary among ACME Churches, but this means at least that the assembled congregation must have formal authority to countermand an unbiblical decision of an elder board. We also believe that a local church should be led by a plurality of male elders/pastors/overseers—recognizing that each is a different name for the same office. We deny that the Bible differentiates between the “gift of pastoring” and the “office of pastoring.” We also deny that women should in any instance take the title "pastor," and (following 1 Timothy 2:12) that women should carry out any obviously pastoral role with regard to the whole church.
We believe that a local church is a singular assembly that meets together weekly in one place at one time. While budgetary or building constraints or other extenuating circumstances might temporarily mean a church has multiple services or sites, we deny this to be a biblically-prescribed model of ministry. Rather, we believe that strides should be taken to align with the biblical model of a single church meeting at a single site at a single time. Furthermore, we believe that gathering as the unified assembly is the primary means for Christian discipleship. Practices will vary, but this means at least that we lead church members to prioritize the main gatherings over and above small groups or auxiliary ministries.
We believe that God alone has the right to determine how his people will worship him. Thus, we include in our public worship services only those elements which are commanded by God in Scripture, whether by precept or by right and proper inference from the example of the early church. We preach the Bible, pray the Bible, read the Bible, sing the Bible, and see the Bible (in the ordinances) to show that the Scriptures are sufficient to nourish and sustain the people of God.
We believe that the Lord has given good, specific, and sufficient instruction to his church about how the local church is to be organized and how it is to carry out its mission. We believe that faithfulness requires us, as churches, to adhere as closely as we are able those instructions, regardless of what we may think of their effectiveness or relevance. We deny that any ecclesiological or missiological practice is to be favored “because it works” or “because it produces results” or “because it reverse-engineers a movement.” We seek to follow the King’s commands as given in the Bible.
The only statement of faith ACME requires churches to affirm is our Member Church Affirmations. However, the faith and practice of all ACME churches is consistent with the following, evangelical statements.
No, not at all. ACME is a fellowship of churches who share a number of theological and ecclesiological commitments and have organized themselves together for funding and fellowship. ACME churches come from a variety of denominations and other networks. ACME has no intention of building its own missions agencies, seminaries, or other entities. Rather simply, we are happy if ACME churches continue working gladly within their own denominations while also joining arms with other ACME churches.
No. ACME will not seek to expand its membership to congregations overseas. Given various cultural and language differences, it seems wiser for ACME to encourage churches overseas to lean into indigenous fellowships.
However, one reason ACME exists is to mobilize churches to support international missionaries (workers from America going to the nations) and international works (local churches overseas, internship programs, translation projects, etc.). We are hoping ACME churches will be a financial blessing and a spiritual encouragement to our brothers and sisters overseas.
While ACME is being slowly built, it will be led by a governing board of directors. This body will set up the policies and processes necessary to receive member churches, organize into multi-state regions, plan conferences, collect funds, and hire staff.
As ACME matures, we intend for regions to have their own duly-elected leadership and budget. Similarly, national leadership will be chosen by representatives from each region. Though we haven’t yet finalized every detail, the goal is for leadership to be left ultimately in the hands of ACME churches themselves.
This is a great question. We would love there to be a way for a pastor who sympathizes with the heartbeat of ACME to be involved, even if his church isn’t ready to commit. However, since ACME is a fellowship of churches and not individuals, a pastor’s church must formally be a part of ACME to be an official member.
While we’re still working out details, pastors whose churches are not members of ACME may be able to attend ACME’s National Conferences as guests.
We are asking churches to give 2–4% of their budget. Some churches may want to give more and others may need to give less. That’s fine. We also understand it may take time for churches to give at this level. In other words, 2–4% is expected eventually, but certainly not required when you join.
We expect gifts will go directly to ACME national and be disbursed in block grants for regional fellowships to steward. Each region will have the responsibility of budgeting those funds. We expect that the lion’s share of the funding will go toward grants that plant and revitalize churches, send missionaries, and support excellent projects.
These funds will also support a small staff that will manage the day-to-day, plan the national strategy conference, and assist regional churches in planning their events.
Only ACME member churches are eligible to apply for ACME grants on behalf of like-minded gospel projects around the world.