What We Believe
WE BELIEVE God is the all powerful, all present, all knowing creator who made the universe including the earth and all living creatures. Creation displays God’s invisible qualities, divine nature and and eternal power. God is three persons in one; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He is holy and has no fault, His ways are beyond human ability to understand and He is worthy of all our praise. He alone is to be glorified.
(Genesis 1:1, 26-27, 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
WE BELIEVE people were made perfect, in God’s image, and to be in His full presence. When Adam and Eve chose to disobey God’s command, sin entered into the world. Sin is rebellion against God, it separates mankind from Him, and leads to both physical and spiritual death. All people sin and fall short of the glory of God.
Although people are sinful, God’s will is that we be restored to his presence. Because of God’s eternal love, He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ born of the Holy Spirit and woman, fully man, fully God to redeem those who believe. Jesus Christ lived a perfect life as a Man on earth and as God, He chose to sacrifice His life in order to fulfill God’s will and create an everlasting atonement for those who put their faith in Him. Death was defeated, once and for all whom will believe, upon Jesus Christ’s bodily resurrection in Glory.
(Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6; Isaiah 59:1-2; John 3:16; Romans 3:23; Hebrews 10:26; 1 Corinthians 9:17; 1 Corinthians 15:10; Proverbs 16:9; Matthew 1:22, 23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5, 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14, 15; 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4; Romans 1:3, 4; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Timothy 6:14, 15; Titus 2:13)
WE BELIEVE the Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son as God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. The Christian seeks to live under His control daily.
(John 16:7-13, 14:16-17; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13, 5:1; Galatians 5:25)
WE BELIEVE the Bible is God’s word. It is written in two parts; the Old and New Testament. It explains God’s character, will, and plan. The Bible was written by men, inspired by the Holy Spirit, it contains no error and is not subject to time or culture. It has the power to transform the lives of those who follow its teaching. Like God, it does not change. It is the final authority in all matters.
(Psalm 12:6, 119:160; Proverbs 30:5; Matthew 22:37-40; 2 Timothy 1:13, 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
WE BELIEVE the church is the community of Christ followers. Followers are dedicated to the knowledge, understanding and application of God’s word, to fellowship (relationships & unity), communion (deep thoughtful confession and communication to God) and prayer. The purpose of the Church is to bring glory to God by serving Him, one another, and personally going into the world to share the gospel message.
(Acts 2:42-47; 1 Peter 2:9-10; Matthew 28:19-20; Colossians 1:18; Hebrews 10:24; Philippians 1:9-11; 1 Corinthians 6:20)
WE BELIEVE that Heaven and Hell are real. People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence.
(John 3:16; John 14:17; Romans 6:23; Romans 8:17-18; Revelation 20:15; 1 Corinthians 2:7-9)
WE BELIEVE salvation (justification to God) comes by God’s grace, through faith, not by human works. We are called by God, hear the gospel and believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and savior. We repent and are baptized for the forgiveness of sins. The immediate result is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, a deposit of God’s presence into the believer, and eternal life after physical death in the full glory and majesty of God.
Upon salvation people are justified, but still struggle with sin. Followers (those who follow Christ after salvation) choose to obey God through the presence of the Holy Spirit and power of the word of God resulting in a transformed life. Sanctification is a lifelong process of choosing to follow God’s will over the selfish desires that come from living to please ourselves. It is the process of struggling against temptation and desire, before they become sin. Repentance (not simply sorrow or regret) is a change of mind and/or purpose. It is not a quick get well anecdote to sin, but an intentional act to avoid repeating sin. Avoiding and repenting from sin are essential to sanctification.
(Acts 15:11; John 14:6, 1:12; Romans 5:1, 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; Romans 6:3-4; Galatians 3:26).
WE BELIEVE baptism by immersion symbolizes and identifies us with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Baptism is the public declaration that one has accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Baptism was commanded by Jesus and practiced by the New Testament church. Biblically, whenever someone believed and repented, they were baptized.
(Matthew 3:16, 28:19-20; Mark 16:16; John 3:23; Colossians 2:12; Acts 8:36, 9:18, 16:13-15; Ephesians 4:4-6)
WE BELIEVE communion, or the Lord’s Supper, is an ordinance given to all believers by Jesus Christ who regularly remember His sacrifice for us and to symbolize the new covenant. The elements of bread and juice are symbols of Christ’s body and shed blood.
(Matthew 26:26-30; Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-29)
WE BELIEVE elders are leaders responsible to oversee the mission and activities of the local church. We believe the Bible teaches the equal value of men and women. We believe that both men and women are called to lead in many ways. Yet, God designed the world with order. The Bible teaches that He created men and women to complement each other, and so defines roles and responsibilities within marriage, the family, and the church. In the home, God makes men ultimately responsible and accountable. In harmony with this, God holds men ultimately responsible for the church, designating them to serve as elders. We believe an Elder, if married, must be the husband of one wife and he must be a devoted husband. We believe that God has designed the order of the church to complement – not to create chaos with – the order of the home. Women lead in many capacities in the church.
(1 Corinthians 11:1-12; 1 Timothy 3:2-7; Titus 1:6-9)
WE BELIEVE that God, the Creator, designed marriage for our good. As Creator, He, alone, is qualified to define marriage. Biblical marriage is defined as the uniting of one man and one woman in a covenant relationship for life. Marriage between a man and a woman provides the biblical framework for unique companionship, for sexual intimacy, and the means for procreation. All other sexual activityare outside of God’s will and therefore destructive. The Bible considers all destructive behavior sin.
(Genesis 2.24; Malachi 2:16; Matthew 19:4-6)
WE BELIEVE that the Bible teaches that homosexual activity is sin. Temptation is not sin; giving in to temptation is. We believe homosexual sin should be treated like other sexual sins: speak the truth (be honest about its destructiveness), and lovingly seek to help the individual find forgiveness, redemption, and hope. The good news is that when people admit their sin, God is faithful to forgive and to restore.
(Leviticus 18:22; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9; 1 John 1:9)
WE BELIEVE that church discipline is to be handled prayerfully, carefully, and justly, with individual (and escalating) attempts of restoration. The first attempt will include a private meeting with the offender. If repentance has not occurred, a second attempt with several others present will occur. If there is still no repentance, the church will seek to restore the offender. Finally, if the erring individual refuses to heed the warning and correction of the Elders, he/she will be removed from fellowship of the church.
(Matthew 18:15-17; Luke 17:3; Titus 3:10)
WE BELIEVE in the sanctity of human life, that life begins at conception, and that life continues until natural death. We believe the unborn child is a precious life created in God’s image and abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of this life. Many women who have had an abortion will come to regret their decision and feel that they have committed an unforgivable sin. The good news is that God’s love, grace and forgiveness heals and restores.
(Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Psalm 127:3, Psalm 139:13-16, Isaiah 44:24, Ephesians 2:10)