Statement of Faith

We believe the Bible is the written Word of God, revealed by the Holy Spirit through human authors, and is without error in the original documents. We believe the events and people are part of actual history. The Bible is absolute truth and the sole standard by which to determine our beliefs, conduct, and knowledge of right and wrong. It is the truth by which God brings people into a saving relationship with Himself and leads them to Christian maturity. (Word of God: Matthew 4:4; Truth: John 8:31-32; Life: John 20:31; Inspired by God: II Timothy 3:16-17; Given by Holy Spirit: II Peter 1:20-21)

Triune God

There is only one living and true God. He is the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. God is all-powerful and all-knowing. We owe Him the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being. (One God: Deuteronomy 6:4; Trinity: Matthew 28:19; Worthy: I Timothy 1:17)

Father

We believe the Father absolutely reigns over all life and history in the universe. We rejoice that He concerns Himself in the affairs of people, and that He hears and answers prayer. He is Father to those who, by faith, accept the payment for the penalty of their sins made on the cross by His Son, Jesus Christ. (Answers prayer: Matthew 7:11; Sovereign: Psalm 103:19; Adopts us: Ephesians 1:5; Answers prayer: Philippians 4:6-7; Calls us children: I John 3:1; Knows all: I John 3:20; Reigns: Revelation 19:6)

Son

We believe the only Son of God took on a human nature, being made in the flesh, was born of the virgin Mary, and lived as the man Jesus Christ. Being truly God and truly man, He revealed God through His teachings, His miracles, and His sinless life. As a man, He perfectly kept God’s Law. His death on the cross was sufficient to pay the penalty for the sins of the whole world and is effective for all who repent and believe. His body was resurrected on the third day according to the Scriptures. After 40 days, He ascended to the right hand of the Father, where, as High Priest, He continually represents and intercedes for His people. We believe in His imminent return, as He promised. All who have placed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will meet Him in the air to be with Him forever. (Virgin birth: Matthew 1:18; Miracles: Matthew 4:23-24; Only Son: John 3:16; Return: Acts 1:11; Intercession: Romans 8:34; Burial, Resurrection: I Corinthians 15:3-4; Return: I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Mediator: I Timothy 2:5; High Priest, Sinless: Hebrews 4:14-15; Advocate: I John 2:1-2)

Holy Spirit

We believe the Holy Spirit is the giver of life. He inspired the writing of the Scriptures, illuminates, and teaches God’s people through them. He convicts the world of sin, and those who believe in Christ are sealed with Him. He intercedes and is the guarantor of our future inheritance. He gives us spiritual life, spiritual gifts, teaching, guidance, correction, and the power to live a godly life. (Genesis 1:2; Psalm 51:11; Convicts: John 16:8; Indwelling: Romans 8:9-11; Seals: Eph 1:13-14; Teaches: I Corinthians 2:10-13; Gifts: I Corinthians 12:1-4; Fruit: Galatians 5:22-23)

Humanity

We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female. These two distinct, complementary sexes together reflect the image and nature of God. Therefore, any rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God. Adam and Eve were created without sin and innocent. Adam’s disobedience of God’s command caused all of humanity to be born with a sin nature, separated from God, and all of creation to be cursed. (God's image: Genesis 1:26-31; Sinned: Genesis 3; All sin: Romans 3:9-12, 23; Adam representative: Romans 5:19; Death: Romans 6:23)

Salvation

God promised Adam that He would send a Savior to conquer sin. It is for this reason that the Lord Jesus Christ came to Earth and entered humanity as our representative. He lived a perfect life and obeyed all of God’s laws completely. While on the cross, God the Father made God the Son, Jesus Christ, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. We are saved by grace through faith, not of our own doing; it is the gift of God. All are called to repentance and faith. Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire person to Him as Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ is the only mediator through whom God may be approached. (Promise: Genesis 3:15; All sin: Romans 3:23-26; Love: Romans 5:8; Life: I Corinthians 15:22; Knew no sin: II Corinthians 5:21, Galatians 2:20; By Grace through Faith: Ephesians 2:1-10; Mediator: I Timothy 2:5)

Church

We believe that all who have repented and placed their faith in Jesus Christ are members of the one body of Jesus Christ, the Church. We believe that the members of the body of Jesus Christ are to meet together in local congregations for the purpose of glorifying God in worship, prayer, instruction from Scripture for spiritual growth and development, and fellowship. By means of the Holy Spirit and this instruction, our members will know how to and will seek to live godly lives. They will seek to be Christlike to those around them and will be ready to answer those who ask the reason for their faith in Jesus Christ. They will take the message of Jesus Christ to the community in which they live and work and support those who take the message of Jesus Christ to other parts of the world. Under the authority of Jesus Christ and His Word, our church governs itself congregationally. (Witness: Matthew 5:16; Share message: Matthew 28: 19-20; Purpose: Acts 2:40-47; Body of Christ: I Corinthians 12:12; Support: Philippians 4:10-19; Assembly: Hebrews 10:25; Testimony: I Peter 3:15)

Ordinances

We believe that water baptism and the Lord’s Supper are the only ordinances of the church, and that they are a Scriptural means of testimony for the church in this age. Neither baptism nor the Lord’s Supper are a means of salvation but are acts of obedience. (Baptism: Acts 10:48; Lord’s Supper: I Corinthians 11:23-26)

Baptism

Baptism is the immersion of the believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Baptism is a church’s act of affirming and portraying a believer’s union with Christ by immersing him or her in water, and a believer’s act of publicly committing him or herself to Christ and his people, thereby marking him or her off from the world. It is an outward sign of an inward change where we identify ourselves with His death, burial, and resurrection, and commit ourselves to walk in newness of life. (Commanded: Matthew 28:19; For believers, In name of the Lord: Acts 10:47-48; Sign of inward: Romans 6:3-4; Acts 2:41)

Lord’s Supper

Christians are commanded to celebrate the Lord’s Supper as a reminder of Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. Eating the bread and drinking from the cup symbolize His body and blood. (Symbols: Luke 22:19-20; Remembrance, Until return: I Corinthians 11:23-26)

Marriage and Sexuality

We believe the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one biological male (“man”) and one biological female (“woman”) in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. We believe that marriage between one man and one woman, for life, uniquely reflects one of the most sacred truths of our faith: Christ’s relationship with His Church. We believe that God intends for sexual intimacy to occur exclusively between a man and a woman who are married to each other, and that no sexual activity should take place outside of this marital union. We believe that any form of sexual immorality (such as adultery, fornication, cohabitation, homosexual behavior, rejection of one’s biological sex, use of pornography, etc.) is sinful and offensive to God. We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of the ministry. (Institution of Marriage: Genesis 2:18-25; Adultery/sexual immorality: Matthew 15:18-20; Forsaking sin: Acts 3:19-21; Romans 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 18, 7:2-5; Marriage and Jesus: 5:21-33; Honoring marriage: Hebrews 13:4)

Lord’s Return

God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in a new heaven and a new earth with the Lord. (Judge: Psalm 96:13; Kingdom: Zechariah 14:1-11; Bodily return: Acts 1:11; Judge: Matthew 25:31-46; Eternal state: Revelation 21-22)