Who We Are

1. We believe in one God, eternally existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Deut. 6:4, Heb. 11:6, Matt. 28:19

2. We believe in Jesus Christ as God who became flesh, born of a virgin.  He lived a sinless life, was crucified for our sins, was resurrected from the dead, and ascended, sitting at the right hand of the Father as the exalted Lord and head of the church.  Eph. 1:22-23,  Heb. 1:1-6,  Phil. 2:5-8,  Rom. 1:4, Col. 1:15-19,  Jn. 1:14

3. We believe in the deity and person of the Holy Spirit, his indwelling presence, regenerating work, empowering baptism, spiritual gifts, and equipping ministry in the church today.  Ezk. 36:26; Joel 2:28-29, Acts 1:4-5, 2:1-18, Jn. 16:7-10, Jn. 14:26,   Jn. 16:13

4. We believe that all Scripture is the inspired, infallible, authoritative Word of God, and is fully reliable and trustworthy.  It is inerrant in the original text. 2 Tim. 3:16, 2 Peter 1:20-21, Gal. 1:11-12, Prov. 30:5, Jn. 10:35, Heb. 4:12

5. We believe God created the heavens and earth and all that is in them in six days. We believe that God has created human beings in his divine image with a special dignity accorded to them out of all the works of creation.  They were made for relationship with God.    Gen 1:1, 31,  Jn.1:3,  Gen. 1:26-27, 31, Ps. 8:5-6, Gen. 3:8-9

6. We believe, beginning with Adam and Eve’s sinful rebellion, that through one man, sin entered the world. And just as Cain was given a choice to give in to sin or master it, we too, have that same choice.  Sin brings death and separation from intimacy with God.   Gen. 2 & 3, Rom. 1:21-32, Rom. 5-7, Ps. 14:2-3, Eph. 2:1, Rom. 3:12, 23

7. We believe that, only through Jesus Christ, God offers salvation from sin and a new way of life.  We receive God’s salvation and are born again by the Spirit of God when we repent and accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.  It is by faith, through God’s grace, that we are saved.      Jn. 3:16,   Acts 4:12,   1 Jn. 4:14,        2 Cor. 5:19,  Matt. 26:28,  Eph. 2:5-9, Rom. 3:20-31, Rom. 5, Heb. 2:14-14, Col. 2:13-15

8. The church is a community of redeemed people worldwide under the Lordship of Jesus who meet regularly to be discipled, worship, share communion, fellowship, and carry out the great commission together. Jesus established the local church to function with ordained leaders and a form of governance that protects, guides, and releases people in their gifts to minister. The church functions under the theocratic rule of God with clearly defined elders. Local churches are accountable to apostolic leaders.  Acts 2, Acts 11, 1 Cor. 12:12-13, Gal. 3:26-29, Eph. 4

9. We believe that the mission of the church is to take the Gospel of the Kingdom to all the nations, making disciples of them, baptizing them, and teaching them to observe all things as commanded by Jesus Christ. The mission of the church includes ministry to the poor and helpless.  Acts 1:8,  Matt.  28:18-20, Mk. 1:15, 2 Cor. 5:14, Eph. 2:17-20

10. We believe that the baptism of believers with water is a pledge of their covenant with God.  It identifies them with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.  It is a sign of their cleansing and freedom from sin, and their commitment to walk in the way of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Immersion is the primary mode of baptism.   Rom.  6:1-6,  Matt.  28:19,  Acts 2:22-24, 36-41, Acts 8:26-39, Gal. 3:26-29, Col. 2:10-15

11. We believe that through the Lord’s Supper the church remembers what Christ has done for us; His body was broken so we could be whole and He shed His blood to establish a new covenant of forgiveness and reconciliation to God. We participate in the life and death of Jesus Christ until he comes.   1  Cor. 11:23-32,  1 Cor. 10:16-17, Lk. 22:15-30, Jer. 31: 31-34

12. We practice discipline in the church to liberate erring brothers and sisters from sin, and to restore them to a right relationship with God and to fellowship in the church. Gal.6:1-2, Eph. 4:15, Matt. 18:15-22, Jn. 20:23, Deut.19:15, 1 Cor. 5:3-5, 2 Cor. 2:5-1

13. We believe that God created humankind in His image, intentionally male and female (Genesis 1:27), with each bringing unique qualities to sexuality and relationships. Sexuality is a wonderful gift from God to be expressed in marriage for procreation, union, and mutual delight (Hebrews 13:4) or in celibacy in devotion to God (I Corinthians 7:35). We believe that marriage is the union of one man and one woman and is a sacred covenant designed by God to be a lifelong relationship and commitment between a husband and a wife (Matthew 19:4-6). We will teach and uphold God’s marriage design but also seek to minister to those who suffer the consequences of its brokenness. We also affirm and believe and will teach the Scriptures which state that…

    • Fornication, which is sexual relations prior to marriage, is sin. (I Corinthians 6:18; I Thessalonians 4:3

    • Adultery, which is sexual relations outside of marriage, is sin. (Exodus 20:14, Matthew 5:27; Hebrews 13:4)

    • Homosexuality, which is sexual relations between the same sex, is sin. (Leviticus 18:22, Romans 1:26-27);

    • Involvement in pornography is sin. (Psalm 101:3, Matthew 5:29);

    • Any kind of other sexual perversion is sin. (I Corinthians 6:9, Galatians 5:19).

All of these are outside of God’s blessing and design for sexual expression. We further believe that sexual sins can be forgiven by God’s grace when those involved repent and turn from and seek deliverance from these sins. (I Corinthians 6:11). We, as a church, will not endorse anything that…

• Promotes sexual immorality, or;

• Promotes the acceptance of homosexuality as a lifestyle approved by God, or;

• Defines marriage as anything other than God’s design of one biologically born man (husband) and one biologically born woman (wife) for life.

1. We believe that Jesus Christ calls us to discipleship, to take up our cross and follow him, which we see as following his commands and imitating Him, loving others as He loves us. 3:10, Rom. 12:1-2, Matt. 5-7, Mic. 6:8, 1 Peter 2:21, 2 Tim. 2:11-12, John 13:34

2. We believe it is God’s will for Christians to refrain from violence in human relationships. This includes how we treat the unborn and elderly. Led by the Holy Spirit, we will follow Christ in the way of peace and the sanctity of human life. Isa. 2:2-4, 11:1-9, Hos. 2:18, Matt. 5: 8-12, 38-48, 6:14-15, 26:52, 1 Peter 2:21-24, 1 Cor. 6:1-16, Rom. 12:14-21

3. We place our hope in God and his reign. We recognize that the Kingdom of God is growing and expanding, and that God’s ruler-ship is ever increasing.  The primary way the Kingdom grows is through God’s representatives on the earth, His church. We must occupy until He comes.  Of the increase of His government there shall be no end.  The Kingdom of God started growing at Jesus first coming and will continue to grow until it culminates in His final return, until His glory and knowledge fill the whole earth.  We believe that Jesus will return to the earth to resurrect the dead and bring the final judgment. …And each person was judged according to what they had done.  Anyone whose name was not found in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Isaiah 9:7, Isaiah 11:9, Habakkuk 2:14, John 5:27-29, Revelation 20:11-15