About Our Church
Our Vision
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age
Matthew 28:19 and 20
A Brief History
In 1982 brother Richmond Chiundiza was given the vision to start the ministry of Glad Tidings Fellowship. The church launched towards the end of 1982 at Highfield Secondary School in Harare, Zimbabwe. In 1984 the leading team of the ministry was established and was named Disciples in Action. The responsibility of the Disciples in Action team is to plant churches and oversee doctrinal issues in the Glad Tidings Fellowship. Since 1982 the Church has grown and established more than 60 congregations in Harare, and at least a congregation in every major city and town in Zimbabwe and some rural areas. We also have congregations in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Malawi, Zambia and Botswana. Our pastors are trained nationally and internationally at registered and accredited colleges or universities.
Governance
The Principle of Autonomy
We hold as Scriptural and fundamental the principle of local church government by men called elders, and in conjunction with the elders are qualified women called deaconesses and men called deacons, who serve both the eldership and the Congregation (Philippians 1.1). These men and women must qualify according to the qualifications laid down in the scriptures (1 Timothy 3; Titus 1:5-9).
The local Church is sovereign under Christ’s headship, and it is autonomous, but advice and counsel from qualified ministers of other bodies of like principles and faith may be sought.
Articles of Faith
The fundamental teachings of this Congregation are reflected in the
following clear statements of faith:
1.
We believe in the plenary-verbal inspiration of the accepted canon of Scriptures as originally given. The Scriptures are infallible, inerrant, and the sole and final authority for all matters of faith and conduct (11 Timothy 3:16; 1 Corinthians 2:13).
2.
We believe in the Eternal Godhead who has revealed Himself as One God existing in three Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, distinguishable but indivisible (Matthew 28:19; 11 Corinthians 13:14).
3.
We believe in the creation, test and fall of man as recorded in Genesis; his total spiritual depravity and inability to attain to Divine righteousness (Romans 5:12,18).
4.
We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of men, conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary ,very God and very Man (Luke 1: 26-35; John 1: 14-18; Isaiah 7:14; 9:6).
5.
We believe Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again the third day, and personally appeared unto His disciples ( 1 Corinthians 15: 1-4; Romans 4:25).
6.
We believe in the bodily ascension of Jesus to Heaven, His exaltation, and personal literal and body coming again the second time for his Church
(John 14: 2,3; and I Thessalonians 4: 13-18)
7.
We believe in the salvation of sinners, by grace through repentance and faith in the perfect and sufficient work of the cross of Calvary by which we obtain remission of sins
(Ephesians 2:8,9; Hebrews 9:12,22;Romans 5:11).
8.
We believe in the necessity of water baptism by immersion in the name of the Eternal Godhead in order to fulfill the command of theLord Jesus Christ
(Matthew 28:19, Acts 2:34-36, 19:1-6).
9.
We believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a real experience at or subsequent to salvation with the scriptural evidence, namely, speaking in other tongues as the spirit gives utterance
( Acts 2:1-4,8:14-17; 10:44-46; Galatians 3:14-15).
10.
We believe in the operation of the gifts of the spirit as enumerated in 1 Corinthians 12-14, as manifested in the Early Church.
11.
We believe in Spirit-filled life, a life of separation from the world and perfecting of holiness in the fear of God as expressing the true Christian faith (Ephesians 5:18; 11 Corinthians 6: 14; 7:1).
12.
We believe in the healing of the body and Divine power, or Divine healing in its varied aspects as practiced in the Early Church (Acts 4:30; Romans 8:11; 1 Corinthians 12:9; James 5:14).
13.
We believe in the table of the Lord, commonly called the Communion or the Lord’s Supper, for believers.
(1 Corinthians 11:28-32; Matthew 26:26-28).
14.
We believe in the reality and personality of the Devil and his angels
(Matthew 25:41: Revelation 20:14,15).
15.
We believe in eternal life for believers (John 5:24; 3:16). And eternal punishment for the unbelievers.
(Mark 9:43-48; 11 Thessalonians 1:9; Revelations 20:10-15).
17.
We believe that Government is ordained of God, and the powers that be are ordained as ministers of God to us for good. To resist the powers and the ordinances is to resist the ordinance of God.
We are subject not only for wrath sake but for conscience sake, rendering to all their dues, customs to whom custom, fear to whom fear, honour to whom honour. We declare our loyalty to our Government and its leaders and will assist in every waypossible consistent with our faith in the Scriptures as Christian
citizens (Romans 13).
16.
We believe that there is one true universal Church, made up of genuine believers, but this one universal Church is also composed of many churches in given localities. These Churches are under sovereign Headship of the Lord Jesus Christ, exercising autonomous government under Him, administering all its local affairs and ministry, as well as the propagation of the Gospel
(Acts 15:22; with Matthew 16:18: 15-20).