Statement of Faith

Scripture is His holy revelation given to mankind, and is therefore the foundation of all truth:

We believe that the Bible is comprised of sixty-six books, contained within the Old and New Testaments, and that every word is authored by God, but penned through the unique perspective of each individual human writer.

We believe that the word of God is without error in the original, ancient manuscripts, and that the translations of those manuscripts that we use today are an accurate representation of their original truth.

We believe that His inspired word, the Bible, has relevance and authority over all of life, godliness, faith, and practice, and therefore we acknowledge and submit to God as sovereign over our lives.

We believe that the Bible is sufficient, that it is the only truth that we need to properly understand the world, ourselves, and most importantly, God Himself and His redemptive plan. Therefore, it is the responsibility and joy for each Christian to devote their lives to the study of Scripture. We believe that all human experience, reason, information, and wisdom are to be seen through the lens of Scripture and kept or discarded based on their agreement or contradiction to its truth.

(Psalm 119:89-90; Proverbs 30:5-6; II Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; II Peter 1:3-4, 1:19-21; I John 5:9) 

He created all that exists solely by His word and is therefore worthy of all honor and worship. He is uncreated, eternal, almighty, immeasurable, and exists as one God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each person of this holy trinity is distinct but coequal in essence. The divinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one, their glory equal, their majesty coeternal. There are not three eternal beings; there is but one God. 

(Genesis 1:1; Psalm 103-15-19; Isaiah 42:5-8, 44:6-8; Matthew 28:19; Colossians 1:17; Revelation 4:8-11) 

We believe that God the Father, the first person of the trinity, is sovereign over His creation. He providentially orders all things according to His will for His own glory and the glory of His Son, and though sovereign, does not author or approve of evil. His designation as Father represents His relationship within the trinity, His relationship to all creation as the ‘Father’ of all, and His special relationship to the adopted, redeemed church. 

(Psalm 103:19; Isaiah 42:8; John 5:19, 17:1; Romans 11:36; Galatians 4:6, 5:4-6; James 1:13)

We believe that Jesus Christ is the second person of the eternal trinity, God the Son. He has existed without beginning and by His power all things were created. At the right time in human history, He humbled Himself by taking on human form as the man, Jesus of Nazareth, born of the virgin Mary. As truly God and truly man he perfectly obeyed the law of God during his earthly life and thereby is qualified to be the only substitute for fallen sinners before a holy and just God. He died through crucifixion, was buried, and rose again, conquering both the curse of sin and of death. In the flesh, He ascended to the right hand of the Father where He reigns, glorified, and is High Priest and intercessor for His church. 

(Psalm 110:1; Matthew 1:23, 5:17, 28:18; John 1:1-3, 8:58, 17:5; Acts 1:9-11; Romans 5:19; 1st Corinthians 15:3-5; Philippians 2:6-11; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:3, 2:14-17, 7:25-26)

We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the eternal trinity. He proceeds from the Father and the Son to indwell, empower, and seal all those who believe. 

(Genesis 1:1-2; Joel 2:28-29; John 14:25-26, 16:7, 16:13-15, 20:22; Acts 2:16, 5:1-4; Romans 8:9-11; 1st Corinthians 12:1-13; Ephesians 1:11-14) 

Thus, all people possess dignity from conception, and, according to His biological designation, are either distinctly male or distinctly female. 

(Genesis 1:26-27, 9:6; Deuteronomy 22:5; Psalm 139:13-16; Matthew 19:4)

We believe that Adam and Eve were the first humans. Our first parents disobeyed God’s loving command, and as a result the human race has since lived under a curse, passing along a sinful nature from one generation to the next. Every aspect of our being is tainted by sin and we are unable to keep God’s law, but because of the common grace of God people are not as sinful as they could be and are still able to reflect the image of God in partial ways. Due to our fallen nature and the sinful deeds of each person we are separated from God, unable to enjoy intimacy with Him, and are incapable of experiencing true fulfillment in life. 

We believe that because of our sin we deserve to experience the righteous judgement of God. 

(Psalm 145:9-16; Isaiah 53:6; Romans 1:21-27, 2:14-15, 3:10-18, 3:23, 5:12, 5:18, 6:23) 

Christ secured the salvation of all those who repent and believe through His substitutionary death, whereby He took on the fullness of the wrath that was due sinful man. All those who have been graciously elected by the Father receive this salvation through the regeneration of the Holy Spirit by the gift of faith. 

(Isaiah 53:10-12; John 3:16, 10:14-15, 14:6; Romans 5:8, 8:29-30; 2nd Corinthians 7:10; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:4-7)

We believe that all those who are saved are empowered by the Holy Spirit for good works of obedience. Characterized by the fruit of the Spirit and enabled by unique gifting of the Spirit, the believer lives a life individually and in community that demonstrates the nature of the kingdom of God. 

(1st Corinthians 12:4-7; Galatians 5:22-24; Ephesians 2:10)

We believe that all those who have received the gift of salvation will be preserved by God, and nothing can or will separate them from His love. 

(John 10:27-29; Romans 8:37-39) 

In salvation, all those regenerated by the Spirit are adopted into the family of God. 

(Acts 2:42-47; 1st Corinthians 12:12-13; Ephesians 1:3-5)

We believe that Christ is the Head and Chief Shepherd of the Church, and each local expression is to be led by qualified men ordained to serve as under-shepherds. Within scripture, there are two roles specified for men who serve the local Church: Elder and Deacon. Elders provide spiritual oversight, teaching, and guidance for the ministry of the church. Deacons primarily minister by meeting the needs of the body and community. 

(Acts 6:2-4; Ephesians 1:20-23, 5:23-30; 1st Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:7-9) 

We believe that the local church is to minister to the body of Christ through word and sacrament. In the preaching of the word, prayer, song, and the observing the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, the church engages in constant and tangible reminders of the ministry of Christ on her behalf; in doing so her faith is strengthened through the grace of God. 

(Ephesians 4:11-13) 

• We believe that baptism is a sacrament ordained by God that is to be observed by professing believers subsequent to salvation, by immersion, as an initiatory rite symbolizing the identification of an individual with Christ, His Church, and the cleansing from sin. (Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 6:3-5; Galatians 3:27) 

• We believe that the Lord’s Supper is a sacrament ordained by God that is to be observed by baptized believers within the local Church in remembrance of the sacrifice of Christ, for a consistent reminder of His spiritual presence, and as a proclamation of His imminent return. (Luke 22:14-20; 1st Corinthians 11:23-29)

We believe all Christians express their Spirit-endowed gifting for the benefit of the church, bringing her into conformity with the kingdom in particular ways and means established in scripture for the body of Christ: 

• We believe that Christians are to live holy lives, daily presenting their bodies as living sacrifices to God. Being bought by the blood of Christ we are free to exercise liberty of conscience in all matters not clearly regulated by scripture. (Romans 12:1-2; 1st Corinthians 10:23-31; Galatians 5:1, 13) 

• We believe that Christians are called to evangelize, both locally and throughout the nations, as Christ has been given authority throughout the world and has commissioned His Church to make disciples through the preaching of the gospel. (Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 10:17; 2nd Timothy 2:2) 

• We believe that the Church has a responsibility to show the love of Christ to the world through acts of compassion and works of mercy. The church expresses the kindness of God and exercises her calling to be salt and light with the goal to see the transformational power of God in the world. (Matthew 5:13-16; Mark 9:41; Luke 11:2)

We believe that marriage has been ordained by God to be a lifetime covenant between one man and one woman, standing as a mysterious symbol of the perfect union between Christ and His Church. (Genesis 2:18, 24; Matthew 19:4-6; Ephesians 5:22-33) 

We believe that after His return, at the consummation of all things, all creation will be renewed, and His saints will enjoy the new heaven and the new earth in a state of blessedness in the presence of their God forever. Those who do not believe will receive their just punishment in an eternal state of damnation. For all eternity, God will be glorified in all things, by all things, and through all things. 

(Psalm 110; Matthew 13:40-43; John 3:36; Acts 1:11; Revelation 22:1-5, 22:20)