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Our membership covenant, commitments, and philosophy of ministry define who we are as a local body of Christ.
Membership Covenant
Immanuel Bible Church Covenant
Having been justified by the grace of our Triune God producing a recognition of the infinite value and supreme lordship of Jesus Christ, we, through the enablement of the Spirit of God, by faith commit to pursue:
Spiritual Devotion
• by gathering for corporate worship services;
• by participating in the music and the instruction of the Word with physical and spiritual attentiveness;
• by pursuing holiness: applying the principles of Scripture thoughtfully, avoiding temptation deliberately, and confessing sin continually;
• by receiving correction from others gladly, desiring to bring all my actions into conformity to the will of God joyfully
Intentional Relationships
• by discipling and being discipled: investing in personal relationships of influence for the purpose of growth in Christ;
• by cultivating a loving community, inviting one another into friendship and fellowship through hospitality, meeting one another’s needs, bearing one another’s burdens, seeking to intensify one another’s joy, and living transparently with the members of Christ’s body;
• by pursuing wayward saints, praying for them unceasingly, seeking their restoration immediately, and engaging them tenderly;
• by encouraging the saints, avoiding harmful or ungracious speech, being loving in judgments and conclusions of others,
• by preserving peace together as those equally under the lordship of Christ, being slow to be offended, quick to forgive, and refusing to be embittered, always pursuing reconciliation
Sacrificial Service
• by volunteering and employing my gifts and talents regularly, being willing always to be inconvenienced to fulfill any task;
• by giving liberally, not grudgingly to support the expenses of the church, remembering Christ is honored by a joyful giver;
• by assessing the instruction of the church according to the Scriptures, knowing the preservation of doctrinal purity is a corporate responsibility
Purposeful Outreach
• by proclaiming the gospel of redemption to all people with no partiality;
• by instilling hope in those emotionally downcast;
• by showing compassion to all people: listening, sympathizing, and weeping with those who weep;
• by meeting the material needs of those physically destitute, providing selfless, generous assistance when biblically warranted.
We exist to exalt our great triune God by proclaiming Christ to every person, admonishing and teaching every person with all wisdom, so that we might present every person complete in Christ (Colossians 1:28).
IBC Commitments
Introduction
At Immanuel Bible Church, we are guided by eight non-negotiable commitments that we will always endeavor to live by. These commitments color all that we do as a local church:
1. An Exalted View of God
All things were made by and for the one true God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We exist for Him. His approval is the most important metric for all our ministry. Our chief aim is to love, glorify, and enjoy Him.
2. A High View of Scripture
God clearly reveals all that we need so we can love, glorify, and enjoy Him in His Word, the Holy Scriptures. The 66 books of the Bible are our highest authority. The Bible is the basis for all that we do.
3. A Dignified View of Mankind
Man is the special creation of God, made in His image. All people are thus equal in value and should be treated with dignity and impartiality. Man is the union of body and soul and therefore we will strive to love all people by caring for their physical needs while prioritizing their spiritual ones.
4. A Constant View of Sin
Every person without exception is born into the condemnation and corruption of sin. Sin has rendered all people “totally depraved,” that is, corrupted in body and soul. Because sin separates from God we must endeavor to expose and forsake it, both deed and desire, by the ministry of the Word of God to one another.
5. A God-Centered View of the Gospel
A complete redemption has been sovereignly planned by the Father, purchased by the doing and dying of the Son, and applied by the Holy Spirit. God saves sinners from the wrath of God, by the work of God, for the glory of God. The gospel is about God and the gospel is our joy to proclaim, sing, contemplate, and celebrate.
6. A Purposeful View of the Church
The church is to be the pillar and support of the truth in a world which rages against the truth. The church exists to glorify God by evangelizing the unbelieving world around us and discipling those whom the Lord saves.
7. A Servant View of Church Leadership
Leaders must reflect the character of Christ to be models for the flock as defined by 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. They must serve the church by equipping the saints to do the work of the ministry and labor for the spiritual good of all the sheep. IBC operates under the biblical mandate of leadership by qualified male elders.
8. An Enduring View of Worship
Worship is to be God-centered and gospel-focused. Worship is the supreme indispensable activity of the Christian Church. It alone will endure when the other activities of the church have ceased. Reverent and sincere worship is the right response to the revelation of God in Christ by the Holy Spirit.
Philosophy of Ministry
Immanuel Bible Church
Philosophy of Ministry
Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. (Col. 1:28)
We proclaim Him: the substance of our ministry, whether for evangelism or edification is the proclamation of Jesus Christ.
admonishing and teaching: the method of our ministry is to bring the proclamation of Christ to bear through:
1. Admonition: earnest warning, counseling, exhortation.
2. Teaching: instruction in biblical truth.
every man: the scope of our ministry is every person entrusted to our care by the Lord Jesus Christ. Our ministry is the ministry of every person joined to our assembly.
with all wisdom: the resource of our ministry is divine wisdom revealed in the Word of God.
so that we may present every man complete in Christ: the end of our ministry is the glory of Christ through the maturity and worship of each of His disciples in our body.
Leadership
Terry Devitt
Elder
Terry serves as an elder, Sunday school teacher and counselor at IBC. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting in 1976 and moved to Oklahoma in 1980. God’s grace of salvation reached him in late 1990 through the ministry of Tulsa Bible Church. He retired from the oil and gas business in 2001 and served as counseling director and deacon. During that time, he earned a Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling at The Master’s University. In 2007 he was part of The Bible Church of Owasso church plant and served as elder and Sunday school teacher until 2023.
In God’s kindness, Terry has been married to Kay since 2023, each having had spouses received into Christ’s presence a few years earlier. Terry has 2 stepdaughters, 4 grandchildren and 2 great granddaughters.
Andrew Ramos
Elder
Andrew is our pastor of preaching. He was born again as an undergraduate student in Seattle, Washington. Upon completing his studies, he joined the United States Army and served as an infantry officer for five years. During his time in the Army, Andrew grew in his love for the local church and served as a Sunday school teacher at Faith Baptist Church of Fairbanks, AK. It was during this season that Andrew developed a passion for teaching the Bible and sensed a need for ministry training.
Andrew then moved to Los Angeles, California where he completed his Master of Divinity at the Master’s Seminary. He had the privilege of serving in the GraceLife fellowship group and local outreach ministries at Grace Community Church for five years. He served as an associate pastor at the Bible Church of Owasso from 2021 to 2024. Andrew loves to preach Christ and help others to marvel at the glory of God in Him. He and his wife Stephanie have two sons Haddon and Rutherford, and a daughter Anastasia, and love that they get to serve the Lord and His body at Immanuel.
Steve Weir
Elder
Steve serves our church as an Elder, with a special giftedness at teaching God’s truth and a heart to see people grow in their knowledge of His Word. Steve served faithfully as an elder at Tulsa Bible Church for 15 years prior to becoming one of the initial elders of The Bible Church of Owasso when that church was planted on 2007, and now one of the initial elders of Immanuel Bible Church.
Steve is a local veterinarian and is married to his wonderful wife, Pam. The Weirs make their home in Claremore, OK and have three grown sons.
Bryan Dick
Deacon
Bryan and his wife Angie have been married since 1998. They have 2 children: Hudson and Brady. Bryan has been working as a Tennis Professional since 1996 and is currently employed at Philcrest Hills Tennis & Pickleball Club. Although Bryan is not sure of the exact time of his salvation, he knows that it was only possible by God’s grace! Bryan enjoys serving others and sees it as an honor and a privilege to serve as a deacon at IBC.
Chris Duncan
Deacon
Chris Duncan is a civil engineer with WSB. He is married to his wife Deanna, and together they have been blessed with five children and ten grandchildren. He was saved by God’s grace in 1981. In addition to his professional work, he is actively engaged in serving his church, particularly in the role of a deacon. He values the opportunity to support the practical and day-to-day needs of the church body, helping ensure that church operations run smoothly so that the elders can remain focused on teaching, shepherding, and meeting the spiritual needs of the congregation.
Dan Edwards
Deacon
Born in Oklahoma and raised in Kansas and Texas, Dan Edwards was baptized in Hays, Kansas, in 1967 at age 9. He began flying at 15 in Texas and went on to spend 38 years as an airline pilot, retiring after serving his final eight years as an international 787 Dreamliner captain. He now works part-time as a contract pilot on CitationJets. Dan met Debbie Haile at Eastwood Baptist Church in Tulsa in 1980, and they married later that year. They now have three married adult children—Danielle Kirkland, Derek Edwards, and Danae Faaiu—and 11 grandchildren. With a deep love for the church and sound theology, Dan is passionate about serving and ministering to the congregation, especially by hosting their home group and welcoming newcomers into the fellowship. He serves as the missions deacon and works with the elders to coordinate mission projects and giving.
Ben Fletcher
Deacon
Ben was graciously called as one of our Lord’s children in 2009. He finds joy in serving the body of Immanuel Bible Church and continues to grow in Christ-likeness under the diligent leadership and teaching of IBC’s elders. Ben and his beautiful bride JaLynn have been married since 2003. They have four daughters and two sons and live in Sapulpa. He enjoys spending time with his family, hunting, outdoors and soccer. Ben works as a Civil Engineer in Tulsa.
Darren Parsons
Deacon
Darren serves as a deacon and IBC’s Treasurer. He is married to Emilie, and they have 3 married children: Chandler, Cooper, and Olivia Dahnke. They have one grandchild. Darren works as Administrator for Conner & Winters law firm and really enjoys spending time with family and friends. God has been so incredibly gracious to Darren, and thus he is grateful for every opportunity to serve Christ and His church.
Beau Rotramel
Deacon
Shaun Self
Deacon
Shaun has been a truck driver for 25 years. He and his wife, Sarah, have been married for 25 years. They have 3 children: Riley, Fisher, and Neena. He was saved by grace in August 2001. He wants to serve the Lord and others. Shaun would like to see his elders have more time to dedicate to shepherding and spiritual leadership. So, any serving that he can do to allow that to happen is how he wants to serve. 1 Corinthians 4:1-2 sums it all up.