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Els, I am not a Protestant (who subscribes to the Apostles creed that includes an earthly catholic church). I am not of the Orthodoxen, that believes an orthodox church polity is an episcopacy. I am not even a Baptist, in the sense of asservating that each local assembly must have an ordained "Pastor" as the only Scripture-certified teacher-officer of the flock, and deacons as his ordained ministers. That is, I do not believe in any kind of churchianity that places the denomination above and between the participant and his God.

It would be good to keep that in mind. My belief in organization of Scripture-authorized mutually supporting consituents is that of an independent autonomous New Testament assembly of spirit-born believer-disciple-priests and Friends of the Lord and Christ Jesus; whose government is by a plurality of spiritually mature elders; whose ordinances are:

(1) Remembering the Lord Jesus according to partaking of his pre-crucifixion Supper by assembling every Lord's Day for it,

(2) entering into the fellowship by publicly professing Jesus as Savior and Lord in the induction ritual of water immersion as the external symbol of commitment,

(3) preaching and teaching the Gospel of Jesus for the purpose of recruiting and maintaining true disciples, and

(4) sovereignly preferring one another over self and the world, as Jesus did with His disciples, so that the world may recognize them (us) as such.

The vision I have is that entry into this state is by faith alone in the Person, Work, and Lordship of Jesus alone, with the True Written Word of God as its singular and definitive authority. Its works will be for each individual to be a faithful and accountable steward of such portion of the Father's earthly estate as has been committed to his/her care.

I'm willing to participate in any discussion that shows effective results in rejecting any antichristian antiscriptural endeavor to undercut the making and maintaining of the Lord and His militant forces, furball or not. But I'm not particularly desirous of getting one started by scratching and hissing, either, nor by venturing out as some kind of Providentially supplied comedian.