Church GOVERNANCE
Our church is an independent church that governs itself according to the laws of the state of Arizona for nonprofit corporations. Working in partnership with Transformation Ministries with whom we are affiliated with.
Our form of government leadership is based upon Hebrews 13:17 (NIV) “Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.”
God calls leadership to lead with humility, teachability, and submission to Christ as Lord. Yet, we also believe it is important for the congregation to have a voice in the direction and decisions of the church. Therefore, the congregation votes to affirm church leaders. We also ask for a congregational vote on major decisions such as building projects, pastoral staff, etc.
We have three main leadership groups:
The Vision Leadership Team: inaugurated in 2015, the VLT is to oversee and strengthen the vision and mission of the church through a process of discernment of the Scriptures and prayer. The VLT is the overarching authority for PWCC. The VLT reminds the church of God’s call on us and our accountability to Him and to each other as servants of Christ.
The Staff: Paid employees of the church who dedicate themselves to serving God and the needs of our congregation. We have pastoral staff who are commissioned as ministers. We also have employees who are not pastoral in nature, but rather serve specific areas of need in running the church. These include but are not limited to office work, property, musicians, bookkeeping, etc.
Ministry Teams that carry out specific functions within the church through lay leaders. The number and variety of ministry teams can fluctuate based on available leaders, need, and opportunity.
Our form of government leadership is based upon Hebrews 13:17 (NIV) “Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.”
God calls leadership to lead with humility, teachability, and submission to Christ as Lord. Yet, we also believe it is important for the congregation to have a voice in the direction and decisions of the church. Therefore, the congregation votes to affirm church leaders. We also ask for a congregational vote on major decisions such as building projects, pastoral staff, etc.
We have three main leadership groups:
The Vision Leadership Team: inaugurated in 2015, the VLT is to oversee and strengthen the vision and mission of the church through a process of discernment of the Scriptures and prayer. The VLT is the overarching authority for PWCC. The VLT reminds the church of God’s call on us and our accountability to Him and to each other as servants of Christ.
The Staff: Paid employees of the church who dedicate themselves to serving God and the needs of our congregation. We have pastoral staff who are commissioned as ministers. We also have employees who are not pastoral in nature, but rather serve specific areas of need in running the church. These include but are not limited to office work, property, musicians, bookkeeping, etc.
Ministry Teams that carry out specific functions within the church through lay leaders. The number and variety of ministry teams can fluctuate based on available leaders, need, and opportunity.
Basic Beliefs
The following are the core beliefs of Palm West Community Church based on the foundational truths taught in the bible. All of our teaching and ministry is rooted in and flows out of these biblical doctrines.
Trinity
We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; John 1-18).
Jesus
We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, truly God and truly man, born of the Virgin Mary, crucified for our sins, raised from the dead for our salvation, who will return to complete God’s loving purpose. (Hebrews 1:1-3; 4:14-15; John 1:1-3, 14).
Scriptures
We believe in the Scripture, the faithful and sufficient witness to God’s work and the supreme authority for Christian faith and life (Deuteronomy 4:1-2; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21).
Gospel
We believe in the gospel, the Good News that God has not left us alone in our sin and weakness, but has come in love through His Son to offer us reconciliation and complete forgiveness (Acts 1:8; Galatians 3:26-28; James 2:8).
Creation
We believe that God is the Creator of the heavens and earth. Mankind is no accident but was created according to the purpose, plan, and pleasure of God (Genesis 1; Colossians 1:15-17).
Salvation
We believe that God offers forgiveness of sin and justification through faith in Jesus Christ. This is a gift of God’s grace apart from our works and is to be received. By accepting Jesus can have peace with God and the confidence of eternal life with Him (John 3:16; Romans 5:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-9).
The Church
We believe that the Church is the body of Christ called by God to be His people. We are to live a life of obedience, freedom, and love, as we proclaim the hope of the Gospel to all people (Romans 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Hebrews 10:23-25).
The Return
We believe that Jesus will return visibly, at which time He will raise the dead and judge all people. Believers will enjoy eternal fellowship with God as they participate in the fullness of His eternal reign, while unbelievers will face separation from God (Matthew 24:29-31; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; Revelation 20:4-15).
Baptism
We believe that baptism is an act of obedience of an individual who has received the forgiveness and love of Christ. Baptism symbolizes our death to self and our intention to live a new life in following Jesus. It is not optional and it should be done by immersion which is the biblical practice (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38).
Sexuality
We believe God’s creational intent for our sexuality is good and that there are two appropriate lifestyles that express God’s intention. One is fidelity in marriage between a man and woman. The second is chastity in singleness. Any restriction God places on the expression of human sexuality is to protect us and to reflect His glory in and through our lives (Genesis 2:24; Deuteronomy 10:13; 1 Corinthians 7:7).
Our AFFILIATION
We covenant with a movement of mission-empowering churches that envisions: every pastor growing, every church healthy, and every community transformed for Christ. With roots that go back to 1869, Transformation Ministries is dedicated to building a strong association of churches committed to Biblical authority, and who join together as partners to accomplish God’s mission-objective of transforming unbelievers through personal encounter with Jesus Christ.
Currently numbering close to 200 churches and in 13 states and Mexico, Transition Ministries’ (TM) covenanting churches are located mostly in Southern California, Arizona, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Nevada, and Utah which include Asian-American (Chinese, Vietnamese, Kachin, Indonesian), African-American, Euro-American, Hispanic-American, Native-American, and Multi-racial congregations.
TM is a member of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) founded in 1942. The NAE extends the Kingdom of God through a fellowship of member denominations, churches, organizations and individuals, demonstrating the unity of the body of Christ by standing for biblical truth, speaking with representative voice, and serving the evangelical community through united action, cooperative ministry and strategic planning.
TM is a member of Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) which is committed to helping Christ-centered organizations earn the public’s trust through developing and maintaining standards of accountability that convey God-honoring ethical principles.TM is led by a staff of 5 Ministerial, 4 Administrative, 5 Church Ministry Coaches, 4 Camp Executive staff, and partners with Missionwell for accounting, auditing and financial oversight. TM’s CFO and Mission Lead is Rev. Dr. William C. Nolte. TM is governed by a board of 20, including an ordination standards committee of 15, and a camp advisory board of 10. They also have 17 Pastor Mentor Groups, and 19 new church plants begin in the past few years. They maintain three camps: San Marcos and Thousand Pines in CA and Tonto Rim in Arizona. Our senior pastor, Bruce Schipul, served with TM for ten years as Church Resource Minister and, for seven years as our pastor, also served as part-time Church Coach, Liaison to Arizona Indian Ministries, and leader of a Pastor Mentor Group in Arizona.
TM is a member of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) founded in 1942. The NAE extends the Kingdom of God through a fellowship of member denominations, churches, organizations and individuals, demonstrating the unity of the body of Christ by standing for biblical truth, speaking with representative voice, and serving the evangelical community through united action, cooperative ministry and strategic planning.
TM is a member of Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) which is committed to helping Christ-centered organizations earn the public’s trust through developing and maintaining standards of accountability that convey God-honoring ethical principles.TM is led by a staff of 5 Ministerial, 4 Administrative, 5 Church Ministry Coaches, 4 Camp Executive staff, and partners with Missionwell for accounting, auditing and financial oversight. TM’s CFO and Mission Lead is Rev. Dr. William C. Nolte. TM is governed by a board of 20, including an ordination standards committee of 15, and a camp advisory board of 10. They also have 17 Pastor Mentor Groups, and 19 new church plants begin in the past few years. They maintain three camps: San Marcos and Thousand Pines in CA and Tonto Rim in Arizona. Our senior pastor, Bruce Schipul, served with TM for ten years as Church Resource Minister and, for seven years as our pastor, also served as part-time Church Coach, Liaison to Arizona Indian Ministries, and leader of a Pastor Mentor Group in Arizona.