Frequently Asked Questions
Where is your meeting location?
Murrieta, CA 92562
CONTACT INFO:
Mailing Address
23811 Washington Ave.
Suite #C110-313
Murrieta, CA 92562
Contact
951.290.3222
mail@faith-bible.net
Do you offer childcare during service?
We offer Nursery through 5th grade during each worship service. Our junior high ministry (6th-8th) meets during first service, and our high school ministry (9th-12th) meets during second service.
Do you teach Calvinism at FBC?
No. We teach the Bible.
Seriously though, we are hesitant to align ourselves systemically with one school of thought. Instead, we strive to teach the Word of God, interpreting each passage according to its context. So we would not classify ourselves as Calvinists, but more as seeking to be ‘Biblicists.’ For those of you still looking for an answer to the question, we do have much more sympathy for Calvinistic doctrines than we do for Arminian teachings.
What's the background of your pastoral staff?
Our pastors were all trained at evangelical seminaries.
Chris graduated from Talbot Seminary in the 1982 and received his doctorate from The Master’s Seminary in 2018. John graduated from The Master’s Seminary in 1999 and received his doctorate from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2011. Nigel graduated from The Master’s Seminary in 2000 and received his doctorate from there in 2013.
Are FBC pastors ordained?
There is a clear pattern in the Bible that God sets aside certain men for a lifetime of ministry. This calling by God was always recognized and affirmed by other godly men around those individuals. In the New Testament, church elders began to physically lay hands on new leaders as a tangible proof of their affirmation of that individual for church leadership.
The cultural institution of ordination found in the States is descended from that early process. It is not biblical, but man-made. This does not make it inherently bad, but neither can it be argued as necessary.
After that disclaimer, you’re probably expecting to read that our pastoral staff are not ordained. To the contrary, our current pastoral staff members (Chris, John, and Nigel) have been examined and ordained by the churches that sent them out.
Do you belong to a denomination?
No. We believe the Bible teaches that the church is to be led by a plurality of elders who are directly responsible to God for that body of believers. For more on this topic, see our Doctrinal Statement on “The Church” and the “Church Government” section under Contemporary Issues.
Do you believe in creeds?
There are a number of creeds and confessions which we could affirm and align with. The Apostles Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Athanasian Creed, the London Baptist Confession of 1644, the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, the Danvers Statement, the Nashville Statement and still more each resonate with us for the biblical truths they seek to affirm. We also recognize that every creed and confession is written at a particular stage in history to address or correct an issue of that era. As the years go by, new heresies arise which must be defended against and new confessions and statements are written.
As we want to affirm the Bible as the authoritative and all-sufficient guide to life and ministry, we are compelled to have a doctrinal statement derived explicitly from the Word of God, rather than uniting our church membership under a collection of ever-expanding historical creed and confessions.
Do you have a youth group?
We do. In fact, we have a very active youth ministries to both junior highers and high schoolers. Know that it is not just a fun-and-games group — they dig heavily into the Word together. If you’d like more information about it, visit our youth page or contact Terrell Medina (JH), Jesse Bocanegra (HS).
Do you have midweek small groups?
We actually have a variety of groups that meet for all different purposes at various days and times. Throughout the week are Community Groups for adults that want to grow in Christ and in community with one another. On Sunday mornings, we offer various equipping classes for people who are looking to plug in and get grounded in the Word. And some believers in our church also casually gather together just to pray and study the Bible together.
So, yes, we’ve got LOTS of midweek small groups!
How should I dress on a Sunday?
Attire ranges from casual to business casual. You are welcome to wear a suit, but you will likely be the only one. In general, we all try to dress in a way that is undistracting to others around us.
How can I get plugged in and get to know people?
We’d recommend you follow this easy process…
- Come to church each week and linger afterwards during the fellowship time.
- Invite some people out to lunch or dinner, rather than waiting for someone to approach you.
- Start attending a Community Group
- Get involved in serving the church (e.g., set-up crew, hospitality, childrens)
Do you practice church discipline?
Because we believe that God has called the church to be pure (not filled with people who live for themselves) and has commanded us to pursue those who wander into sin (Matt 18:15-17, Gal 6:1-2, Titus 3:9-10, et al), Faith Bible Church does believe in and practice church discipline.
If you’re wondering what church discipline is — “Church Discipline” is a term that has been used to describe the corporate body’s loving involvement in the personal lives of professing believers who are struggling with sin. Church discipline is always to be done with an attitude of deep humility and gentleness with the express goal of repentance and restoration.
For more on what this process is and looks like, read the “Church Discipline” section found in Contemporary Issues on the Beliefs page.
Do you believe in the gifts?
Yes. Absolutely! But the question is not do we believe that believers are spiritually gifted by God, for the Bible is extremely clear on that (e.g., 1 Cor 12:4-7, 11; Eph 4:7-8).
The question is “Are all the spiritual gifts mentioned in the New Testament still operative and normative today?” To that, we’d emphatically answer “No.”
For the reasons we’ve come to this conclusion, check out the “Spiritual Gifts” section of Contemporary Issues.
Why is there so much emphasis on men in leadership?
God designed men to be leaders in their home, in the community, and within the church. This principle traces all the way back to Genesis 1-2 and is reaffirmed repeatedly throughout the rest of the Bible. We believe that women are equal to men in every way, simply designed for different roles in the various spheres. That is not to say that women cannot be gifted leaders, only that men are called by God to serve as leaders in various spheres, regardless of their gifting.
How is FBC involved in mission's work?
The Bible is clear that we are to be so in love with God that we naturally, joyfully and regularly tell others about Him. It is our expectation that every Christian within our church will be declaring God’s greatness to others, telling of our lost, sinful condition and the reconciliation available through the blood of Jesus Christ.
The job of outreach is not for the pastor or the evangelist — it is the responsibility and privilege of the whole church. To that end, we are striving to be strategic in the local and international missions work that we participate in. As a church, we have chosen to invest a lot into a few, pouring our energy, finances and relationships heavily into a few very gifted missionaries. Our current focus includes our own valley, Albania, Uganda and the Czech Republic.
What kind of music do you sing?
This is a pretty common question…
The answer is that we like “biblical” music — and, no, we don’t mean lyres and harps. We like “biblical” worship in the sense of John 4:24, “those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” Our great passion is not about music style, which changes with time, but with truth that is ageless.
So then, our foremost concern is for the content of the songs, rather than the style in which they’re embodied. Whether it’s a hymn or a contemporary praise song (and we do sing both), we want to make sure that it’s “of substance” in content, rather than being merely catchy or singable. This is because the elders of the church are accountable to God (Heb 13:17) for how & what the church body learns to sing as praises to our great and mighty God.
What Bible do people at FBC use?
Among people in the body, there is quite a variety–most prevalent being NASB, ESV, LSB, NKJV and NIV. On Sunday mornings, the New American Standard Bible (NASB) is used on Sunday mornings.
Why? The textual basis and formal equivalence of the NASB is preferable to the NKJV and NIV, though admittedly not quite as readable. The more recently published ESV and LSB are very good translations, but since only a small percentage of the church currently uses those translations and most of the leadership of FBC has grown up using the NASB, we have not yet chosen to switch over.
Do you offer counseling services?
We do not provide formal, licensed counseling services. We do offer biblically-based guidance to anyone in the community who desires help with a crisis, trial or trouble in their life, marriage or career. In the past, this has been called biblical counseling.
We are people with different kinds of problems, but the most common are struggles related to marriage, parenting, sexual sin, and emotions (e.g. depression, anger, fear, or anxiety). In all those cases and many more, the Bible is sufficient to answer the problems of life. In matters related to physiological issues, we encourage medical attention. In legal matters, we encourage consulting with an attorney. In matters of abuse, we are a mandated reporter.