Statement of Faith

We believe that the Bible reveals God to be the self-existent Creator of all things. We believe the Scriptures reveal God to be triune (three in one); Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.  (Genesis 1:1, Exodus 3:14, Psalm 83:18 )

We believe that the Bible reveals that Christ is truly God and truly Man. He was active in creation and is eternal; He is the Son of God who became flesh by the power of the Holy Ghost moving upon a virgin named Mary. This made Him both fully human and fully divine.  He is the complete revelation of God.  We also believe that in obedience to the will of God the Father, He was crucified for the sins of humanity.  He died for the sins of humanity. We believe that God raised Jesus from the dead and that Jesus ascended into heaven. Christ will return to raise the dead, destroy death, gather the believers, complete the banishment of the wicked, issue the final judgment, and glorify and reward believers.

We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person in the Trinity. He is God with us in the present tense, empowering the Christian disciple through continuous filling, energizing the church, and encouraging the Body of Christ that God is still with us. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, points us to truth, and leads us into righteousness.

We believe that God created humanity male and female in the image of God. With the image of God, humanity receives the capacity for self (understanding, definition, determination), creativity, and community.  We believe that humanity fell into a condition of sin through an act of disobedience. The state of innocence was lost and placed humanity under the judgment of God. This made us subject to the miseries of life, the certainty of death, and the threat of permanent separation from God. (Genesis 1:26-31, 2:4-25,3) We believe all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We are all in need of God and of salvation.

We believe that the Bible reveals salvation to be by grace and through faith in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that through the acceptance and confession of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, one are pardoned of sin and given a new nature, made one with God, set apart by God and for God, and guaranteed life eternal. We further believe that evidence of salvation is repentance and faith. Finally, we believe that the finished work of Christ on the cross and the indwelling and sealing ministries of the Holy Spirit establishes the eternal security of the believer. (Romans 3:23-24)

The Church consists of all who have received Christ as their personal Savior. We believe that the visible church is the visible expression of Christ within the world. It is the body of baptized believers, who are associated by the covenant in the faith and the fellowship of the gospel.

The Church exists within the world to serve as the instrument for the reconciliation of humanity to God.  Its activity includes the proclamation of the gospel and the fleshing out of the gospel through practical ministry. The church exists to edify believers in Christ through the five main areas of ministry—corporate worship, discipleship, fellowship, stewardship, and service. To prepare the church for works of service, we believe that the Holy Spirit has given the five-fold ministry offices— Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers—, who are anointed to equip and serve. The church is empowered to do so by the Holy Spirit and the gifts given to the members to perform the work of the ministry and to edify the Body of Christ.

We believe that Marriage is a biblical union established by God as described in the Scriptures. We believe that it is the uniting of one man, born a man, and one woman, born a woman, in a lifetime commitment. The Bible teaches that sexual relations are to be exercised solely within marriage, and that the unmarried are to live a life of celibacy. We believe in the biblical ethics of compassion, love, and ministry to any who are sexually hurt. We believe in the availability of God’s grace to all who repent. (Luke 5:30- 32, John 8:1-11, 1 Cor. 6:11)

All alternative sexual unions outside of heterosexual marriage, including homosexual/bisexual practices, polygamy, adultery, and fornication, are sins. Such conduct calls for repentance and openness to the transforming power of God (Lev. 18:22; 20:13; Rom. 1:18-32; 1 Cor. 6:9-10)

We believe that baptism and the Lord’s Supper are actions that symbolize important biblical truths and are to be observed out of obedience to the words of Jesus Christ. We believe that through water baptism by immersion one expresses identification with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. The believer is making the testimony that they have died to a sinful way of life and will now live anew, in submission to Christ. We believe that the Lord’s Supper (Communion) symbolizes the price that Christ paid for our salvation, being the breaking of his body and the shedding of his blood. We observe this in obedience and remembrance of the Risen Lord.