The Bible
We believe the Bible is the Word of God. We believe the 66 canonical books of the Old and New Testaments were inspired by God. God the Holy Spirit moved in and through the human authors to select the very words and to produce the entire text while at the same time preserving the individual style of each human author (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:16-21). We believe the Bible is God’s completed revelation and that the original manuscripts were free from error. The Bible is wholly true, accurate, and trustworthy and is the supreme and final authority in all matters to which it speaks, whether ethical, moral, behavioral, doctrinal, historical, geographic, or scientific. We believe an accurate understanding of the Bible is arrived at through a literal, historical, grammatical, and contextual interpretive process (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 2:1-13).
The Trinity
We believe in one God, creator and sustainer of all things, eternally existing in three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each is equal in every divine quality and executes distinct but harmonious functions (Matthew 28:19; John 1:1, 14, 18; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 4:4–6).
God the Father
We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. In His very essence (Genesis 1:1; John 4:24; 1 Chronicles 29:10-13), God is self-existent, eternal, and unchanging (Jeremiah 23:24; Psalm 90:2; Psalm 119:137). God is all-powerful and all-knowing and His perfect knowledge extends to all things past, present, and future (Psalm 147:5; Isaiah 46:9,10; Hebrews 4:13). Although God detests evil, He is longsuffering and compassionate toward sinful people (Psalm 116:5; Ephesians 2:4-7), He concerns Himself in the affairs of men, He hears and answers prayer, and He saves from sin and hell all who come to Him through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:8-11; John 3:16).
Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is the incarnation of God’s only eternal Son. God the Son has precisely the same nature, attributes, and perfections as God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. We believe that He is not only perfect God, but perfect man (John 3:16; John 10:30; 1 John 5:20). We believe Jesus Christ is one person with two inseparable, yet wholly distinct, complete natures: one human and one divine. Jesus as a man was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus Christ experienced genuine temptation but did not sin (Luke 1:31, 35; Luke 2:6-7; Mark 1:13). We believe Jesus Christ rose from the dead in the same, yet glorified, body, in which He had lived and died. Upon His ascension, He was received by His Father as the ultimate assurance that His redeeming work was accomplished (Matthew 28:6-7; Luke 24:37-39; Acts 1:9). He is presently seated at the right hand of God the Father, where He is engaged in intercession on behalf of His people.
The Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit and in His distinct personality. He convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. His ministry glorifies Jesus Christ and implements Christ’s work of salvation (Acts 5:3,4; John 16: 8-10). We believe the Holy Spirit regenerates (Titus 3), baptizes (1 Corinthians 12:13), seals (Ephesians 1:13), and indwells (1 Corinthians 6:19) all believers, securing them in Christ forever and empowering them for godly living and service. Spiritual gifts are sovereignly given to all believers for the common good of the church. No gift signifies His baptism or filling, nor does any gift provide authoritative revelation beyond what has already been revealed in the Holy Scriptures (1 Corinthians 12:7, 11). The evidence of the Holy Spirit’s ministry is demonstrated by the fruit of the Spirit and the building up of the body into Christ-likeness (Titus 3:5; 1 Corinthians 12:7; Galatians 5:22-24; Ephesians 4:12-16). Life in the Spirit includes trials and does not guarantee physical health, material wealth, or confirming signs. "Sign gifts" (healings, miracles, tongues, and interpretation of tongues) were given for the express purpose of authenticating the apostles as revealers of divine truth and were not intended to be characteristic of all believers (1 Corinthians 12:4-11; 13:8-10; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 4:7-12; Hebrews 2:1-4).
Humanity
We believe God directly created the first man and first woman, Adam and Eve, in His own image and free from sin. God created human beings as immortal, rational, and morally responsible individuals. Humanity has been given the purpose to glorify God, enjoy His fellowship, and accomplish His will on earth (Genesis 1:26-31; 2:7; Matthew 19:4). We believe Adam sinned, and as a result, all people are sinners by nature and choice, and are spiritually dead in their relationship to God. Because sin is rooted in the core of their being, they are totally incapable of being reconciled to God apart from divine grace (Genesis 3; Romans 5:12-21; 3:21-26; Ephesians 2:1-10). We believe all people stand in need of the Savior, who alone can address their spiritually dead condition. We believe those who repent of sin and trust the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and reconciled to God. We believe genuine saving faith should, and will be, evidenced by a life of faith expressed through obedience to the Word and righteous living, good works, and proper social concern (John 14:1-6; Romans 1:16-17; Titus 3:3-7; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Luke 10:25-37). We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image (Jeremiah 1:5; Psalm 139:13-15). Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life.
Salvation
We believe salvation is provided wholly by God’s grace and received through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9). We believe God the Father, by His love and grace, was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself by giving His only begotten Son as the sinless, substitutionary sacrifice for sinful humanity. In the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, full payment was made for the sins of the world and God’s perfect justice was satisfied (Colossians 1:19-20; Hebrews 10:12; 1 John 2:1-2; Titus 3:5; Galatians 2:6-8). We believe personal salvation is received through faith in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ alone, apart from any human merit, deed, or ritual. Upon faith God justifies, regenerates, redeems, forgives, and gives eternal life. God’s faithfulness guarantees the eternal security of all true believers (Romans 8:1; 1 John 5:13; John 6:47; John 10:27-30).
Church
We believe in the New Testament Church, the spiritual body of Christ of which He is the head. We believe the Church began on the Day of Pentecost and is comprised of all persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit (Colossians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 12:13, 27; Romans 12:4-5; Acts 2). We believe the Universal Church is expressed in Local Churches whose members have been baptized by immersion upon credible confession of faith and associated themselves for worship, instruction, evangelism, and service. Each believer has equal access to God and the responsibility to offer up sacrifices, including self, praise, and possessions (1 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:2; 1 Peter 2:5). We believe there are two ordinances for the local church: believer’s baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper (Matthew 28:19; Acts 19:3-5; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). We believe the Lord's Supper is a memorial to the death of Jesus Christ. The elements of the Lord's Supper are symbols. There is no real presence of Christ in them, nor is grace received through participation (1 Corinthians 11:24-25). We believe in the autonomy of each local church, while recognizing the value of cooperation and interdependency. The leadership of the church is responsible and accountable first to Jesus Christ as the Chief Shepherd, then to the congregation as servants, overseeing in love and humility. We believe only biblically qualified men are to serve in the position of pastor (Romans 15:25-27; 1 Peter 5:1-4; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-7).
Relationship With Government Agencies
We believe God in His wisdom has ordained human government. God uses government as an instrument for promoting good and punishing evil among those governed. The church is God’s instrument for proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world, calling people to salvation, expressed through a life of faith and service. The church and State are best served when citizens are free to faithfully “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:15-22; Romans 13:1-7).
Last Things
We believe a person’s eternal destiny is forever sealed by their acceptance or rejection, in this lifetime, of Christ and His work on the cross. Believers will experience eternity in the presence of God in Heaven. Unbelievers will be in Hell, a place of suffering and loss, eternally separated from the presence of God (Luke 16:19-31; John 3:16; John 14:1-3; Matthew 10:28). We believe in the personal return of Jesus Christ in the air for His Church and in the pre-millennial coming of Jesus Christ to the earth with His saints to establish His kingdom on earth. After this, Christ will establish His eternal kingdom, where believers will live with Him forever (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 20:1-2; Revelation 21:1-4).
Marriage and Sexuality
We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning and that is marriage sanctioned by God, which joins one genetic male and one genetic female in a single, exclusive union as delineated in Scripture. We believe that righteous living includes adherence to the establishment of marriage by God (Genesis 2:24-25; Matthew 19:4-6) as a lifelong covenantal relationship between one genetic male and one genetic female (Romans 7:2). Therefore, we can neither condone nor recognize “same-sex marriages,” civil unions, or domestic partnerships, even if any or all of the international, federal, state, or local governments and/or governing bodies pass laws concerning their recognition of such unions (Leviticus 18:22-23; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Romans 1:18-32). We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to only occur between a genetic male and a genetic female who are married to each other. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a genetic male and a genetic female (Hebrews 13:4). We believe that any form of sexual immorality such as adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pornography, cross-dressing or any attempt to change one’s sex, or disagreement with one’s genetically determined sex, is sinful and offensive to God. We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of the church as the local Body of Christ and to provide a biblical role model to the church members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by the church in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, should abide by and agree to this Statement of Faith, specifically including this statement on Marriage and Sexuality, and conduct themselves accordingly. 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 church.
Statement of Biblical Authority
This statement of faith does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind, is the sole and final source of all that we believe. For purposes of church doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, our Board of Deacons is the church’s final interpretive authority on the Bible’s meaning and application.
We believe the Bible is the Word of God. We believe the 66 canonical books of the Old and New Testaments were inspired by God. God the Holy Spirit moved in and through the human authors to select the very words and to produce the entire text while at the same time preserving the individual style of each human author (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:16-21). We believe the Bible is God’s completed revelation and that the original manuscripts were free from error. The Bible is wholly true, accurate, and trustworthy and is the supreme and final authority in all matters to which it speaks, whether ethical, moral, behavioral, doctrinal, historical, geographic, or scientific. We believe an accurate understanding of the Bible is arrived at through a literal, historical, grammatical, and contextual interpretive process (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 2:1-13).
The Trinity
We believe in one God, creator and sustainer of all things, eternally existing in three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each is equal in every divine quality and executes distinct but harmonious functions (Matthew 28:19; John 1:1, 14, 18; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 4:4–6).
God the Father
We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. In His very essence (Genesis 1:1; John 4:24; 1 Chronicles 29:10-13), God is self-existent, eternal, and unchanging (Jeremiah 23:24; Psalm 90:2; Psalm 119:137). God is all-powerful and all-knowing and His perfect knowledge extends to all things past, present, and future (Psalm 147:5; Isaiah 46:9,10; Hebrews 4:13). Although God detests evil, He is longsuffering and compassionate toward sinful people (Psalm 116:5; Ephesians 2:4-7), He concerns Himself in the affairs of men, He hears and answers prayer, and He saves from sin and hell all who come to Him through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:8-11; John 3:16).
Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is the incarnation of God’s only eternal Son. God the Son has precisely the same nature, attributes, and perfections as God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. We believe that He is not only perfect God, but perfect man (John 3:16; John 10:30; 1 John 5:20). We believe Jesus Christ is one person with two inseparable, yet wholly distinct, complete natures: one human and one divine. Jesus as a man was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus Christ experienced genuine temptation but did not sin (Luke 1:31, 35; Luke 2:6-7; Mark 1:13). We believe Jesus Christ rose from the dead in the same, yet glorified, body, in which He had lived and died. Upon His ascension, He was received by His Father as the ultimate assurance that His redeeming work was accomplished (Matthew 28:6-7; Luke 24:37-39; Acts 1:9). He is presently seated at the right hand of God the Father, where He is engaged in intercession on behalf of His people.
The Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit and in His distinct personality. He convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. His ministry glorifies Jesus Christ and implements Christ’s work of salvation (Acts 5:3,4; John 16: 8-10). We believe the Holy Spirit regenerates (Titus 3), baptizes (1 Corinthians 12:13), seals (Ephesians 1:13), and indwells (1 Corinthians 6:19) all believers, securing them in Christ forever and empowering them for godly living and service. Spiritual gifts are sovereignly given to all believers for the common good of the church. No gift signifies His baptism or filling, nor does any gift provide authoritative revelation beyond what has already been revealed in the Holy Scriptures (1 Corinthians 12:7, 11). The evidence of the Holy Spirit’s ministry is demonstrated by the fruit of the Spirit and the building up of the body into Christ-likeness (Titus 3:5; 1 Corinthians 12:7; Galatians 5:22-24; Ephesians 4:12-16). Life in the Spirit includes trials and does not guarantee physical health, material wealth, or confirming signs. "Sign gifts" (healings, miracles, tongues, and interpretation of tongues) were given for the express purpose of authenticating the apostles as revealers of divine truth and were not intended to be characteristic of all believers (1 Corinthians 12:4-11; 13:8-10; 2 Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 4:7-12; Hebrews 2:1-4).
Humanity
We believe God directly created the first man and first woman, Adam and Eve, in His own image and free from sin. God created human beings as immortal, rational, and morally responsible individuals. Humanity has been given the purpose to glorify God, enjoy His fellowship, and accomplish His will on earth (Genesis 1:26-31; 2:7; Matthew 19:4). We believe Adam sinned, and as a result, all people are sinners by nature and choice, and are spiritually dead in their relationship to God. Because sin is rooted in the core of their being, they are totally incapable of being reconciled to God apart from divine grace (Genesis 3; Romans 5:12-21; 3:21-26; Ephesians 2:1-10). We believe all people stand in need of the Savior, who alone can address their spiritually dead condition. We believe those who repent of sin and trust the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and reconciled to God. We believe genuine saving faith should, and will be, evidenced by a life of faith expressed through obedience to the Word and righteous living, good works, and proper social concern (John 14:1-6; Romans 1:16-17; Titus 3:3-7; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Luke 10:25-37). We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image (Jeremiah 1:5; Psalm 139:13-15). Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre-born babies, the aged, the physically or mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life.
Salvation
We believe salvation is provided wholly by God’s grace and received through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9). We believe God the Father, by His love and grace, was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself by giving His only begotten Son as the sinless, substitutionary sacrifice for sinful humanity. In the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, full payment was made for the sins of the world and God’s perfect justice was satisfied (Colossians 1:19-20; Hebrews 10:12; 1 John 2:1-2; Titus 3:5; Galatians 2:6-8). We believe personal salvation is received through faith in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ alone, apart from any human merit, deed, or ritual. Upon faith God justifies, regenerates, redeems, forgives, and gives eternal life. God’s faithfulness guarantees the eternal security of all true believers (Romans 8:1; 1 John 5:13; John 6:47; John 10:27-30).
Church
We believe in the New Testament Church, the spiritual body of Christ of which He is the head. We believe the Church began on the Day of Pentecost and is comprised of all persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit (Colossians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 12:13, 27; Romans 12:4-5; Acts 2). We believe the Universal Church is expressed in Local Churches whose members have been baptized by immersion upon credible confession of faith and associated themselves for worship, instruction, evangelism, and service. Each believer has equal access to God and the responsibility to offer up sacrifices, including self, praise, and possessions (1 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:2; 1 Peter 2:5). We believe there are two ordinances for the local church: believer’s baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper (Matthew 28:19; Acts 19:3-5; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). We believe the Lord's Supper is a memorial to the death of Jesus Christ. The elements of the Lord's Supper are symbols. There is no real presence of Christ in them, nor is grace received through participation (1 Corinthians 11:24-25). We believe in the autonomy of each local church, while recognizing the value of cooperation and interdependency. The leadership of the church is responsible and accountable first to Jesus Christ as the Chief Shepherd, then to the congregation as servants, overseeing in love and humility. We believe only biblically qualified men are to serve in the position of pastor (Romans 15:25-27; 1 Peter 5:1-4; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-7).
Relationship With Government Agencies
We believe God in His wisdom has ordained human government. God uses government as an instrument for promoting good and punishing evil among those governed. The church is God’s instrument for proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world, calling people to salvation, expressed through a life of faith and service. The church and State are best served when citizens are free to faithfully “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:15-22; Romans 13:1-7).
Last Things
We believe a person’s eternal destiny is forever sealed by their acceptance or rejection, in this lifetime, of Christ and His work on the cross. Believers will experience eternity in the presence of God in Heaven. Unbelievers will be in Hell, a place of suffering and loss, eternally separated from the presence of God (Luke 16:19-31; John 3:16; John 14:1-3; Matthew 10:28). We believe in the personal return of Jesus Christ in the air for His Church and in the pre-millennial coming of Jesus Christ to the earth with His saints to establish His kingdom on earth. After this, Christ will establish His eternal kingdom, where believers will live with Him forever (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 20:1-2; Revelation 21:1-4).
Marriage and Sexuality
We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning and that is marriage sanctioned by God, which joins one genetic male and one genetic female in a single, exclusive union as delineated in Scripture. We believe that righteous living includes adherence to the establishment of marriage by God (Genesis 2:24-25; Matthew 19:4-6) as a lifelong covenantal relationship between one genetic male and one genetic female (Romans 7:2). Therefore, we can neither condone nor recognize “same-sex marriages,” civil unions, or domestic partnerships, even if any or all of the international, federal, state, or local governments and/or governing bodies pass laws concerning their recognition of such unions (Leviticus 18:22-23; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Romans 1:18-32). We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to only occur between a genetic male and a genetic female who are married to each other. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a genetic male and a genetic female (Hebrews 13:4). We believe that any form of sexual immorality such as adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pornography, cross-dressing or any attempt to change one’s sex, or disagreement with one’s genetically determined sex, is sinful and offensive to God. We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of the church as the local Body of Christ and to provide a biblical role model to the church members and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by the church in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, should abide by and agree to this Statement of Faith, specifically including this statement on Marriage and Sexuality, and conduct themselves accordingly. 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 church.
Statement of Biblical Authority
This statement of faith does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind, is the sole and final source of all that we believe. For purposes of church doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, our Board of Deacons is the church’s final interpretive authority on the Bible’s meaning and application.
