VISION & BELIEFS

OUR BELIEFS & DOCTRINE

We are a local church, under the Lordship of Christ, and the authority of the Word. While we are a local body of believers, we also acknowledge our fellowship with believers of the historic and contemporary church around the world.

God

We believe that the God of the Bible and historic Christianity is the one and only true God above all other gods. He has revealed Himself in the Bible so that we may know him fully. We believe He exists in three persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, also called the Trinity. The Trinity is a wonderful truth that is hard to understand, yet foundational to all we believe.

The Holy Spirit

The Bible

We believe the Bible is true and faithful in all it teaches. It is inspired by God without any mixture of error. It is the only reliable way of knowing God. In the Bible, God reveals Himself concerning salvation and the wisdom necessary to overcome sin in this world and experience victory through Jesus Christ.

The Signs of the Church:

Baptism and Communion

Jesus Christ

We believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the one true Christ. We believe that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus lived a sinless life, calling all to repent and believe the Gospel. He unjustly suffered crucifixion under Pontius Pilate. His death was part of God’s plan to atone for the sin of all people, having been foretold by the prophets according to Scripture. We believe that He was raised bodily from the dead and that He appeared to many of His disciples before ascending into heaven, where he now sits at the right hand of God.

We believe the Holy Spirit guides and instructs us in life. He fills all true believers at the moment of salvation. He lives in individuals, guides in the understanding of God’s Word, and empowers God’s church for life in this world. He empowers every believer with spiritual gifts so that every believer has a mission and purpose in His kingdom and in this world.

As a church of baptized believers, we believe baptism and Holy Communion, also called the Lord’s Supper, to be the ordinances (or sacraments) of the church. Christ commanded their practice (hence “ordinances”) to be visible signs of the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers. Baptism is the visible sign of a person coming into the covenant family of God. Holy Communion is a sign of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and is celebrated often.

Salvation

Humanity

We believe all humans were made in the image of God, but sin entered into this world through the decision of the first humans, Adam and Eve. Since that time, all creation has suffered from the effects of sin, severing our relationship with God the creator. Because of sin, God provided a perfect sacrifice on the cross, Christ Himself.

We believe that eternal salvation is available to all those who believe in

Jesus Christ. He is the one and only

Savior of the world and the only true way

of salvation. All who are born into the world are brought into a fallen state

and inherit a corrupted nature. Salvation involves the redemption of the whole person, and is offered freely to all who profess and believe Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. A change of heart, brought about by the work of the Holy Spirit, transforms the dead nature of the person to life, enabling them to understand the Word of God, repent of sins with godly sorrow, and pursue and desire holiness. Salvation through Christ acknowledges dependence upon God’s grace alone and repudiates any form of self-work.  Salvation is not experienced solely in the next world, but is also experienced in this world through life transformation

brought about by the Holy Spirit.

The Christian Life

We believe in the Christ-filled life that begins with accepting Him as Savior. Through His sacrifice on the cross we have forgiveness of sins and victory through His resurrection. Christ then lives in us and, by the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, we have victory over sin in this world. Because Christ lives in us, we know that we will never fall out of salvation, though we may have times of temptation and backsliding. He will empower us to persevere in this world so as to be made perfectly whole in eternity.

The Fellowship of Believers

We believe in the priority of fellowshipping in the local church with other believers. This includes worship, celebration of the ordinances and sacraments, Bible study, fellowship, prayer, and ministry. No person can “do church” by themselves all the time. Believers need each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Christ's Return

Ministry to the World

We believe God created His church for the ministry, service, and salvation of the world. We minister on His behalf to show the change that can come through salvation by the Gospel of Christ and by doing so, we fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus Christ.

We believe in the physical, imminent coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, glory, and judgment. We believe that all who have died before His Coming will be raised bodily from the dead; believers to eternal peace and joy a literal, physical Kingdom on earth, and unbelievers to a state of eternal separation from God. We believe that the hope of His Coming is a source of hope for this life.