What We Believe
These are the core of what we believe
On this we stand
Statement of Belief
ByLaws (PDF)
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We believe the Bible is the word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
(I Cor. 2:13; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
From these convictions flow the following articles of faith.
We believe there is one God, infinitely perfect, without change, creator of all yet not created, distinct from His creation yet everywhere present, perfectly balanced in all His attributes, omniscient over all time, wholly sovereign. He alone is the sole object of worship. God exists eternally in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—equal in essence and divine perfection, all three uncreated, executing distinct but harmonious offices.
(Gen. 1:1-2; Deut. 6:4; Mt. 28:19; I John 1:1-2, 5:7)
We believe God the Father is an infinite, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of His creation, hearing and answering prayers, saving from sin all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. All life is to be lived ultimately for His glory.
(Ps. 103:8, 104:24, 147:5; Mt. 5:48; John 14:6, 13-14)
We believe God the Son eternally existed with the Father, is fully God and fully human, without confusion or mixture, the unique and only Son. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, died on the cross as the sacrifice for our sins, was physically raised from the dead as prophesied, ascended into heaven, and is now sits at the right hand of God the Father, interceding for the saints as the sole mediator. He will return to earth, and ultimately every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
(Mark 16:19; Luke 1:34-35; John 1:1, 3:16, 12:37; Acts 1:11, 12:31; Rom 8:34; 2 Cor. 5:21)
We believe God the Spirit is sent to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He fully indwells every true believer as a guarantee of his inheritance, guides and empowers them, gifts them for ministry, interceding in accordance with the will of God.
(Gen. 1:2; John 16:7-13, 14:26; Acts 1:8, 15:16; I Thes. 2:13; Titus 3:5)
(Doctrine of Man)
We believe Adam and Eve were both created in the image of God, Adam from the dust of the ground and Eve from his side. They disobeyed God and died, spiritually and physically. Therefore, all people are objects of wrath, sinners by nature and by choice. They are dead in their sins and incapable of pleasing God. Without the direct intervention of God, they will live separated from God, die in their sins, and receive the condemnation that their sin deserves.
(Gen. 2:7, 21-22; Rom. 5:17-19, 6:23)
(Doctrine of Salvation)
We believe salvation from sin and access to God is available only through the work of Christ on the cross, given by God's grace, mercy, and love, received solely by faith in Jesus Christ. In conversion, the believer is drawn by God to Himself, repents, is redeemed, declared wholly righteous, born again, made alive in Christ as a new creature. He is therefore reconciled to God, becomes a child of God, and is filled with the fullness of the Holy Spirit through whom he is empowered for a life of obedience.
(John 3:5; Rom. 5:8, 11-21, 8:1; I John 1:8-9)
(Doctrine of Holiness)
We believe God's will for every believer is to be sanctified. It is the necessary and certain fruit of salvation, yet not meritorious; it is God alone who saves. Through the work of the Spirit, saints are called and enabled to live lives of holiness, "in" but not "of" the world, fully dedicated disciples of Jesus Christ, persevering to the end. Disciples are declared sanctified through the work of Christ. We are also called to become sanctified in the experiences of life.
One of the many results of sanctification is the desire to share the gospel with sinners. Evangelism grows out of an awareness of what Christ has accomplished.
(Rom. 6:3-11; Eph. 4:1-7; I Thess. 5:23; Col. 5:22-25)
(Doctrine of the Church)
We believe the church consists of all true disciples of Jesus Christ. All things exist under the supremacy of Christ; and, therefore, Christ and Christ alone is the head of the church. The local expression of the church is comprised of disciples gifted for the work of building up the body of Christ, living in unity, bound together by love. While different local expressions may have different emphases, all are commanded to make disciples, which includes both evangelism and teaching obedience to all that Jesus taught. The church is to be committed to worshp, prayer, the reading of Scripture, the exhortation to obedience, and teaching of the doctrinal truths of Scripture, all to the glory of God.
(Mark 16:15-16; I Cor. 12:12-14; Eph. 1:22-23)
(Doctrine of Last Things)
We believe in the future, personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal joy of the righteous, and the endless suffering of the wicked.
(Matt. 24:30-31, 25:31-46; John 5:28-29; Acts 1:11; I Cor. 15; I Thess. 4:13-18; Rev. 19:11-22:21)
We believe baptism and the Lord's Supper are ordinances to be valued and observed. They are visible signs representing spiritual truths; they do not accomplish salvation. Baptism is immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Triune God, signifying that in conversion he has died to his old life and has been raised with Christ into a newness of life in which the power of sin is broken. The Lord's Supper is the present proclamation of Christ's atoning death, and is to be observed and administered until his return.
(Matt. 26:26-29, 28:18-20; Acts 8:36-39; I Cor. 11:23-28)
We believe the local church is part of the church universal – all who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. We believe local churches can promote the cause of Jesus Christ by cooperating with one another. Such cooperation, whether a denominational association, regional or district conference, exists and functions by the will of the churches and may be terminated at any time. Churches may likewise cooperate with interdenominational fellowship on a voluntary independent basis.
(I Cor. 12:12-27; Eph. 5:30-32)
We believe as Christians our faith is in and our allegiance is to God and His Word. Some will be offended by the moral absolutes of Scripture and our adherence to God's instructions. However, we maintain our right of religious freedom and conscience to speak freely of our beliefs and what we believe Scripture teaches. These cannot be dictated by any civil authority.
(Rom. 13:1-8; I Cor. 12:27; I Tim. 2:5)
We believe marriage is a sacred institution ordained by God and consists solely of a relationship between one man and one woman. We believe God disapproves of and hates divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. Sexual relationships outside of marriage, whether heterosexual or homosexual, are against the clear teaching of Scripture. Faithfulness within marriage and abstinence outside of marriage are the only alternatives faithful to Scripture.
(Gen. 2:18, 24; Matt. 19:3-9; Rom. 7:2; Mal. 2:16)
We believe all human life is a gift from God and as such is a sacred trust. We believe life begins at conception and the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion and euthanasia constitute an unjustified and unexcused taking of human life. As a Christian community we must respond with sympathy and understanding to those who have been touched by these decisions and not hold these acts more egregious than other sins.
(Ps. 139:3; Ex. 21:22; I Sam. 2:6)
We believe Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the church to resolve personal disputes. We believe the church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. We believe a Christian may seek compensation for injuries from another Christian's insurance company as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander.
(I Cor. 6:1-8; Eph. 4:31-32)