The Vision
The heart of Pastors Larry Soles (and his late wife, Kathy) for Shield of Faith member is three fold:
To have a church that ministers to your family
To educate believers in the what Jesus made available to us through His death & resurrection
To equip us to reach those in our daily realm of influence
Pastors Larry & Kathy hope to see each member discover their talents and callings and to be fulfilled in life. Pastors live and teach the truth that “Life is gained in giving your life away.”
Shield of Faith History
After receiving a confirmation to their call into the ministry in 1980, Larry and Kathy Soles began to hold services in a meeting room at a Howard Johnson Hotel in Rock Hill, SC. God met their needs continually and soon two services were held weekly.
Mr. Thomas Wilson kindly offered his bookstore, Shepherd’s Fold as a new location for services to be held starting November 2, 1980. Shield of Faith was officially birthed and rapidly began to grow.
Beginning in March 1981, Pastor Larry purchased an old, run down pool hall on Annafrel Street in Rock Hill and after extensive renovation, four weekly services welcomed visitors and members alike. In April 1985 the congregation once again moved to a rented bingo building on Black Street. Using their former location as the children’s meeting place and for Shield of Faith Christian Academy. The time had come for Shield of Faith to find their permanent home – a place where Pastors Larry & Kathy’s vision could continue to grow and prosper.
Twenty two acres were purchased where the present facility is located in March of 1987. An additional twenty acres of land was purchased across the street. The Thomas Patterson Life Center was built in 2003 and has been a huge blessing to the church and community. We look forward to everything God has in store for our future!
Statement of Faith
1. Scripture
The Bible is the inspired Word of God, the product of holy men of old who spoke and wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
2. The Trinity
God in One, but manifested in three persons – the Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit.
3. Man
His Fall & Redemption – Man is a created being made in the likeness and image of God, but through Adam’s transgression and fall, sin came into the world. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was manifested to undo the work of the devil and gave His life and shed His blood to redeem and restore man back to God.
4. Eternal Life & New Birth
The new birth is necessary to all man, and when fulfilled produces eternal life.
5. Water Baptism
Baptism in water is by emersion and is a direct commandment of our Lord. The ordinance is a symbol of a Christian’s identification with Christ’s death, burial and resurrection.
6. Baptism in the Holy Spirit
The baptism in the Holy Spirit is a gift from God as promised by the Lord Jesus Christ to those who are believers and is received subsequent to the new birth. This experience is accompanied by the initial evidence of speaking in other tongues as the Holy Spirit gives utterance.
7. Sanctification
The Bible teaches that without holiness no man can see the Lord. We believe in the doctrine of sanctification as a definite, yet progressive work of grace, commencing at the time of regeneration and continuing until the consummation of salvation.
8. Divine Healing
Healing is wrought by the power of God through the prayer of faith and by laying on of hands.
9. Resurrection of the Just and the Return of Our Lord
When Christ returns, ‘the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive & remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.’ We shall then return to earth with the King of kings and the Lord of lords & together reign forever.
10. Hell & Eternal Retribution
The one who physically dies in his sin without Christ is hopelessly & eternally lost in the lake of fire, and, therefore, has no further opportunity of hearing the Gospel or for repentance.
11. Communion
The bread symbolizes the Lord’s broken body. The cup represents the new covenant in His blood which provides us forgiveness & relationship with God. It is up to each individual to judge themselves & not to receive Communion unworthy.
12. Laying on of Hands
A belief that power or anointing can be transmitted from one person touching another. In the Bible, (and today) laying on of hands was used to bestow a blessing, during baby dedications, during prayer for healing, to receive the Holy Spirit, and receive anointing.
13. Marriage and Sexuality
We believe that term “marriage” has only one meaning and that is marriage sanctioned by God which joins one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to only occur between a man and a woman who are married to each other. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.
