Church at Three Rivers
We are a faith family gathering in downtown Hinton, West Virginia and multiplying to the nations.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why the name "Church at Three Rivers?"
We like the simple nomenclature of “The Church at _________.” However, even though we are located in Hinton, we thought it would be presumptuous to name ourselves the “Church at Hinton,” considering many other churches already exist in Hinton. Therefore, because our town uniquely is the meeting place of three rivers (the New, the Greenbrier, and the Bluestone) we determined to incorporate that into our name. Often times we use the @ symbol as shorthand for the word “at.”
Are you "non-denominational?"
In one sense yes. Our church is completely autonomous and self-governing. No external entities have any decision-making influence. At the same time, we have chosen to cooperate with other like-minded churches for the purposes of local (NAMB) and global mission (IMB), theological training (SBC Seminaries), and cultural engagement (ERLC). We do this by participating in the Southern Baptist Convention and giving to the Corporative Program.
So...you're Baptist?
Yes, we have adopted the descriptor “A Great Commission Baptist Church” because it best captures who we are and what we do. Our mission is: To glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by submitting to His authority to make disciples of all nations by going, baptizing, and teaching through the presence of the Holy Spirit. This statement comes directly from the Great Commission found at the end of Matthew’s Gospel. This is the commission we are striving to obey and therefore an appropriate description of what we are about.
Great Commission
Given to the Apostles then passed on to the Church this commission is the driving force that marches the church towards an everlasting identity of being a people from every nation, tribe, people, and language crying out, “Salvation belongs to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
Baptist
Our beliefs can be clearly traced back to a Baptist heritage. We firmly hold to the Baptist distinctives of biblical authority, local church autonomy, regenerate church membership, and religious liberty.
Church
We are a local assembly with the Lord Jesus Christ as our Head, His Word as our word, the Gospel as our center, the Great Commission as our mission, and the ordinances as our practice.
What is "Ethnê House?"
The concept for Ethnê House is that it serves as a center for learning, for engagement, and for outreach. The building is also the current residence of several of our members. For more info visit the Ethnê House website.
Are you a church "for young people," or "for street people?"
No, we are "for everyone." In fact, we believe the best display of the gospel is seen in a multi-cultural, multi-generational church. Therefore, we have made it a priority to cross barriers. We believe that we best communicate the Gospel when we cross barriers to proclaim it, because Jesus crossed barriers to redeem His church. Our mission is rooted in and is a reflection of His mission. The message of Christianity is about a barrier crossing God, who was willing to cross the great divide caused by sin and wrap Himself in human flesh. He became one of us and dwelt among us. He died the death we deserved and graciously grant resurrected life to those who would forsake the world and follow Him.
The barriers in our world today are many. They include the ethnic, linguistic, and geographical barriers that must be crossed to reach the nations but it also includes social, economic, racial and generational barriers that must be crossed to reach our neighborhoods.
We must identify barriers to the Gospel and intentionally think of ways to break through those barriers for Gospel witness.
Why start a new church in Hinton? Isn't there already enough churches?
We believe healthy churches plant new churches. Even if God allows us to fulfill our vision of becoming a vibrant and healthy church in downtown Hinton we do not believe that it will solve all problems or meet all needs. Instead, we are committed to intentionally training up new leaders who we will send out to make disciples of all nations, planting churches in West Virginia and even to the ends of the earth. Discipleship and church planting are in our DNA, so not only will we be doing it ourselves but we will also make disciple makers and plant multiplying churches.
The situation is dire, but still hope remains. God is at work in Hinton. There are good churches and faithful Christians praying for gospel renewal. We want to be a part of what God is doing in our city. So the answer is yes. There is a need for a new church in Hinton. The need is for a new church centered on the Gospel, engaged in the community and sent out on mission.
Why start a new church in Hinton? Why not choose a strategic larger city?
We recognize that Hinton is not the most strategic location to start a new church. It is not a metropolitan hub and the population of the town used to be triple what it is now. However, Hinton is our town. There are people here and we believe God has a plan for Hinton.
What translation of Scripture do you use?
We agree with Martin Luther who said the church is a “creature of the Word.” Meaning that the church is generated by Scripture. God’s Word spoke the church into existence and continues to maintain, guide and regulate it. The Bible is central to everything we do as the Church at Three Rivers. In fact, when we gather we are guided by the following principle. We seek to:
“Read the Word. Teach the Word. Pray the Word. Sing the Word. See the Word.”
Our confession states, “(Scripture) reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried.” Therefore, we take very seriously the task of researching and selecting the best English translation for regular congregational use. The 1689 London Confession of Faith states that:
"Because…Hebrew…and…Greek…are not known to all the people of God who have a right to, and an interest in the Scriptures, and who are commanded to read and search them in the fear of God, the Scriptures are therefore to be translated into the ordinary language of every nation into which they come, so that, with the Word of God living richly in all, people may worship God in an acceptable manner, and through patience and comfort of the Scriptures may have hope."
Therefore, we, after diligent research, have determined that a handful of English translations of the Bible meet the standards of Bible translation we believe are most important.
These translations include, but are not limited to, the ESV, HCSB, NASB, and NET.
Currently, our practice is to use the ESV in our public worship gatherings.