OUR CORE BELIEFS

ARTICLES OF FAITH

1. The Bible was written by holy men of God; the Old and New Testaments were verbally inspired and inerrant in the original writing and should be accepted in all doctrine. We further believe that the Bible is the supreme standard for all human conduct, creeds, and opinions (II Peter 1:19-21; II Timothy 3:16-17).
 
2. The Godhead exists in three equal persons as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; that these three are one God, having the same nature, attributes, and perfection, each executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption and plan of God (John 14:26; John 15:26).
 
3. Jesus Christ was begotten by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, and is true God and true man (Luke 1:35).
 
4. God created man in His image; man sinned and thereby incurred not only physical death, but also spiritual death which is separation from God; all human beings are born with a sinful nature, and, in the case of those who reach moral responsibility, become sinners in thought, word, and deed (Romans 3:23; Romans 5:12; Genesis 1:26,27). God wonderfully and immutably created each person male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person (Genesis 1:27; Deuteronomy 22:5).
 
5. The Lord Jesus Christ died for our sin as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice; on the basis of His shed blood, we are justified by faith apart from human merit (II Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:8,9) and that our salvation is sealed by the Holy Spirit until the day of His coming. (Ephesians 1:13,14; Ephesians 4:30)
 
6. The Lord Jesus Christ came forth from the grave, was bodily resurrected, ascended into heaven, and in His present work is there for us as High Priest and Advocate (John 20:27; Acts 2:29-32; Hebrews 5:7-10, Hebrews 7:23-26; I John 2:1,2).
 
7. The “Blessed Hope” set before us is the personal, premillennial, and imminent return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (Acts 1:11; I Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 19-20).
 
8. The bodily resurrection of man will bring everlasting blessedness to the righteous and everlasting damnation to those who have not been “born again” (John 3:7; John 5:28-29; Matthew 25:46; I Corinthians 15).
 
9. Satan and the other evil beings are real personalities in rebellion against God, and are seeking to deceive all men (Matthew 4:10; Isaiah 14:12-14; Revelation 12:9).
 
10. The ordinances of the Church are: (1) water baptism (immersion) for believers (Acts 8:36-38; Acts 10:47-48; Colossians 2:12; Matthew 28:19) and (2) the Lord’s Supper for those walking in fellowship with Christ (I Corinthians 11:23-29).
 
11. Believers are to pattern their living after the life and teachings of Christ, and faithfully witness to all men (II Corinthians 6:14-18; Ezekiel 33:7-9).
 
12. We believe that the term marriage has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are exclusively married to each other. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of marriage between one man and one woman. We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God (Genesis 2:18-25; Exodus 20:14, 17, 22:19; Leviticus 18:22-23, 20:13, 15-16; Matthew 19:4-6, 9; Romans 1:18-31; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 15-20, 7:2-5; 1 Timothy 1:8-11; Hebrews 13:4; Jude 7).

OUR FOUNDATION

Our relationship with God, based on faith in Jesus Christ,
is important above all else and is the foundation for all that we are and do. It is a personal, growing, intimate, love relationship with Jesus Christ. He is our Lord, Savior, and Friend and we long to know him, serve him, and glorify him daily. Because of our relationship with him, we hold strongly the following values:
 

God’s Word is our guide

We value God’s Word as the inspired and divine revelation of God’s plan and truth for all people of all ages. It is in and through the Bible, guided by the Holy Spirit, that we learn about and meet Jesus Christ. It is the basis and only authority for living a holy life acceptable to God and demands our total obedience. (II Timothy 3:14-17; Colossians 3:16)
 

Prayer

We believe that through prayer we are given the strength, guidance and power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish God’s purposes. We also communicate with our loving Father to confess our sins and express our thanks, praise, concerns, fears and needs.(Philippians 4:6-7; Matthew 7:7-8; James 1:5-6; Luke 19:46)
 

Commitment to personal holiness

We believe that we were created to honor and glorify God daily in all that we do. We believe that our life honors God best when it reflects the life and character of Jesus, our Savior and Lord. We believe this life can only be lived through the power of the Holy Spirit living within us. As believers, we value a lifestyle that seeks personal holiness, purity and integrity in a life fully surrendered and devoted to God. (I Peter 1:15-16; II Peter 3:11; Romans 12:1-2)
 

Christ-reflecting relationships between believers

We believe as we relate to one another as members of a family with openness, honesty, acceptance, love and forgiveness that we can become a God-honoring community. We value relationships of love, care, encouragement, fellowship and accountability that help each of us to grow to be more Christ-like. (I Corinthians 12:12-27; John 15:17; Romans 12:9-21)
 

Redemptive relationships with non-believers (Outreach)

We believe God loves everyone and desires a personal love relationship with each one of us. It is God’s plan that each believer has been given a ministry of loving, caring and sharing with non-believers in our community and around the world with the hope of bringing them into a love relationship with God. (John 13:35; Matthew 19:19; Matthew 22:39; Luke 6:27-35; II Corinthians 5:18-19; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; I Corinthians 9:19, 22, 23)
 

Meaningful worship

We believe that worship is our response to the nature and awesome character of God, an expression of our love and reverence to Him. It is to exalt Jesus Christ and focus on God, not ourselves. Its form should be meaningful and relevant in the sense that people of all ages and backgrounds should be able to participate in a way that expresses their love and adoration to God. (John 4:21-24; Psalm 100; Matthew 22:37-38: Matthew 28:17: Revelation 4; I Chronicles 16:28-29)
 

Biblical View of Marriage

From the Bible we believe: 1) That God’s intention for marriage is established throughout the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. 2) That God ordained marriage as a voluntary union for life of one man and one woman. 3) That sexual intimacy is legitimate only within the bounds of marriage. 4) That marriage is more than a contract between two persons: It is a covenant before God. 5) That in Christian marriage, the Church acts as an agent of God’s blessing, as a primary witness and as a supportive community. 6) That a healthy marriage is the best foundation for families and the raising of children.
 

Every believer is a “gifted” minister

We believe that every believer is a minister called to serve with excellence. We value working together and using our spiritual gifts to accomplish God’s work to the best of our ability. (I Corinthians 12:4-31; I Corinthians 12:7; Romans 12:3-8; I Peter 4:10, Colossians 3:17; II Corinthians 5:15)
 

Every believer is a steward

We believe we are stewards and not owners of all we have, including our spiritual gifts, abilities, time and possessions.
As stewards who will be held accountable, it is our responsibility to be found faithful in using wisely and giving generously of all that has been entrusted to us. (I Corinthians 4:2; I Corinthians 4:1-5; II Corinthians 8:1-7; Malachi 3:10: Matthew 6:19-21)
 

Unchanging message, culturally relevant methods

We believe that the message and beliefs of the church never change, but methodologies will. Our methods in outreach, worship, teaching and serving must be relevant to our culture while remaining true to God’s Word. (Matthew 24:35; II Timothy 4:2-4)