Concerning God the Father

We believe God the Father to have sent God the Son to be made man and thereby to atone for the sin of mankind (Jn. 5:37). God the Father is Spirit without a physical body (Jn. 4:24).

Concerning God the Son who is Jesus the Christ

We believe Jesus to be both God and man (Jn. 1:1-3, 14). He existed as God with the Father and the Spirit in eternity past (Jn. 17:5). He became a man through virgin birth in order to atone for the sin of mankind (Heb. 10:4-14). He suffered, was crucified, died and was buried under the authority of Pontius Pilate (Mt. 27). On the third day he rose from the dead (Mt. 28:1-7). He has become the one and only mediator between God and men (I Tim. 2:5-6). He founded the Christian Church (Mt. 16:17-18). He ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9). He is preparing a place for his true followers (Jn. 14:1-6). He will return to earth one day to rule for 1,000 years (Rev. 20:4-5). He will one day judge all mankind in regard to their deeds and eternal destiny (Jn. 5:22; Rev. 20:11-15).

Concerning God the Holy Spirit

We believe God the Holy Spirit to live within all true followers of Jesus Christ (Jn. 14:16-17). He existed as God in eternity past with the Father and the Son (Gen. 1:2). He works among men to convict of sin, righteousness and judgment (Jn. 16:7-11). He works within the Church to produce spiritual fruit and provide empowerment for service (Gal. 5:22-26; I Cor. 12:4-6).

Concerning the Bible

We believe the Bible to consist in its entirety of the 66 books from Genesis to Revelation. The Bible is written by men, inspired by God and is entirely truthful, accurate, powerful and authoritative (II Tim. 3:16-17; II Pet. 1:20-21). In the original documents the Bible is without errors, and in the best modern translations it is without any substantial or critical errors. The Bible forms the core of what God has communicated to men and is therefore our standard for faith and practical Christian living (Lk. 6:46-49; Jm. 1:23-25).

Concerning Man and Sin

We believe that mankind was created by God in the garden of Eden (Gen. 2:8). Through the sin of Adam and Eve mankind inherited a congenital disease known as sin (Gen. 3:6-13; Rom. 5:12). Sin includes both the guilt of the entire human race through their first parent’s defiance of God and also any personal violation of God’s holy perfection (Rom. 5:17-19). Sin resulted in a broken relationship between God and men, a natural disposition to sin against God, eventual physical death, a curse on all of Creation and eventual permanent separation from God in the Lake of Fire (Gen. 3:14-24; Jm. 1:15; Rom. 3:9-20; Heb. 9:27; Rev. 20:11-15).

Concerning Salvation

We believe that God out of his goodness and generosity has provided a way for people to escape sin and be fully reconciled with him (Gal. 4:4-5). We believe the death of Jesus and his subsequent resurrection from the dead to be a substitutionary atoning sacrifice for the sin of all people for all time (I Jn. 2:1-2; I Cor. 15:13-19). Salvation then, is a free gift of grace extended by God to all and received by faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:4-9). We believe Salvation once received to be a permanent state resulting in adoption into the family of God and ultimately welcome into God’s presence in Heaven (Jn. 10:27-30; Jn. 6:37).

Concerning Spiritual Gifts

We believe that the Holy Spirit of God takes up residence within any person who places their faith in Jesus Christ for Salvation (Rom. 8:9). At this point we believe the Spirit divinely empowers the Christian for acts of service (Php. 2:12-13). We do not believe that anyone (aside from Jesus Christ) has all the spiritual gifts (I Cor. 12:29-30). We believe that every Christian has at a minimum one spiritual gift (I Cor. 12:7). We believe that the use of spiritual gifts should be limited by any applicable Biblical guidelines expressed and that things within the local church should be done decently and in order (I Cor. 14:26-40). We believe the ideal means for discovering and practicing spiritual gifts to be observation over time of how a Christian effectively loves others (I Cor. 12:31-13:13).

Concerning Church Ordinances

We believe God has given to the Church two unique symbolic acts by way of command. Baptism is the outward demonstration of obedience and commitment to God which reflects the inward faith in Jesus Christ for Salvation (Mt. 28:19). Baptism is symbolic of dying and being made new in Christ and also of the washing away of the guilt of sin by God (Rom. 6:3-4). Baptism is not a means of Salvation or a magical cure of any kind, its value rests in the public statement of faith in Jesus Christ. Communion or the Lord’s Supper is the act of taking bread and juice or wine in remembrance of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice for the sin of mankind (I Cor. 11:23-29). It is open to any professing faith in Jesus Christ and is symbolic of his broken body and shed blood in payment for sin. Communion is a point at which to confess sin and renew commitment to Jesus Christ.

Concerning Church Governance

We believe that God has appointed local church elders to govern and manage affairs, and to provide spiritual oversight through preaching and teaching God’s Word (Acts 14:23; Tit. 1:5; I Tim. 5:17). A senior pastor functions as a part of this leadership team. We believe that elders are to be men who meet the Biblical qualifications laid out in I Timothy 3 and Titus 1. We also believe in voluntary partnerships with other congregations of like faith for encouragement and fulfilling the command of Christ to take the Gospel to all people (I Cor. 16:1-2; I Cor. 9:14; Mt. 28:18-20).

Concerning the Purposes of the Church

We believe that God has given to the church the following five basic purposes: The Worship of God (Acts 2:47; Rom. 12:1). The Nurture of the Church (Acts 2:42; I Tim. 4:6-16). The Evangelization of the lost (Acts 2:47; II Cor. 5:18-21). The Service of all people (Acts 2:43-45; Jm. 1:27). The Fellowship of the Church (Acts 2:46; Heb. 10:23-25).

Concerning Last Things

We believe that all true believers will one day be taken to be with God (I Thess. 4:13-18). We believe there will be a seven year period of God’s wrath and judgment being poured out on planet earth (Rev. 6 & 16; Dan. 7:7-25). We believe that Jesus Christ will physically and visibly return to earth to reign and rule (Rev. 20:1-5). We believe that the dead will be raised (I Cor. 15:50-53). We believe that planet earth will be destroyed by fire and replaced with a new earth (II Pet. 3:11-13; Rev. 21:1). We believe that all people will stand before God for the judgment (Rev. 20:11-15). We believe that all who have refused Salvation through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ will be placed in the Lake of Fire for eternal torment in permanent separation from God (Mt. 7:21-23). We believe that those who have by faith received God’s grace gift of Salvation through Jesus Christ will go to live forever in his presence in Heaven (Rev. 21:3-8).