MISSION + BELIEFS

We believe the sixty-six books of the Bible are God’s written revelation for all of humanity.(1) These books were written by human authors under the perfect guidance of the Holy Spirit. Every word was supernaturally inspired and is absolutely free from error in the original documents.(2) In this way the Bible is unique among all other writings.

God’s Word is true, sufficient, trustworthy, enduring, and complete. It contains all we need to know to receive salvation, obey God perfectly, and trust him completely.(3) Therefore, the Bible is the final authority in all that it says. It must be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.(4) All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is himself the focus of divine revelation.(5)

We believe there is only one true and living God.(1) He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe.(2) God is perfect, beautiful, and glorious in all of his attributes.(3) These attributes include holiness, sovereignty, power, justice, wisdom, truth, faithfulness, mercy, goodness, and love. God’s power is absolute, and he does whatever he pleases.(4) God has limitless and perfect knowledge, for he knows all things past, present, and future.(5) He is also present throughout but distinct from his entire creation.(6)

God eternally exists as three distinct persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three persons of the Trinity are united in perfect oneness and are fully equal in divine nature and essence.(7) They also experience complete harmony in relationship with one another as they fulfill different yet complementary roles. Because each person of the Trinity is fully God, each is equally deserving of worship and obedience.(8)

We believe that God the Father directs the Son and the Holy Spirit in all matters of creation, providence, and redemption.(1) In doing so, he never authors or approves of sin.(2) God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He is fatherly in his attitude toward all men. He elects, adopts, and forever loves all people who are saved by his grace.(3) Finally, in all that he does, the Father has one ultimate purpose for human history—to bring glory, honor, and praise to the Trinity.(4)

We believe that the Son of God is fully divine, being coequal and coeternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit.(1) Through Him all things were created, and in him all things hold together.(2)

In His incarnation as Jesus Christ, the Son became fully human without ceasing to be fully God. As the promised Messiah, Jesus was sent by the Father to deliver people from their sins. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and lived a perfect life free from sin and guilt.(3)

Jesus Christ was crucified on a cross, and his death provided the all-sufficient atonement for sin.(4) Christ became our representative before God, voluntarily substituting Himself in our place and bearing our sin and guilt.(5) His sacrifice made provision for the forgiveness of sins, satisfied God’s wrath toward believing sinners, and established a New Covenant between God and man.(6) Because of the redeeming work that Christ accomplished, it is now possible for people to experience genuine reconciliation with God and eternal life with Him.(7)

Jesus was bodily resurrected on the third day. He ascended into heaven and is now enthroned at the right hand of the Father. From there he reigns over all things as the righteous Judge, the head of the church, and the supreme Lord.(8) From his place of glory, Jesus has an intimate concern for His people. He loves them, ministers to them, and makes continual intercession for them as their faithful High Priest.(9)

We believe that the Holy Spirit is the great Sanctifier and Helper of the church. He possesses all attributes of personhood and divinity, being coequal and coeternal with the Father and the Son.(1) In all that he does, the Holy Spirit glorifies the Trinity by manifesting the active presence of God in the world and in the church.(2)

The Holy Spirit regenerates sinful people, unites them with Christ, and seals them forever into God’s family.(3) He convicts the world of sin, testifies of Jesus, and indwells believers, actively transforming them into the likeness of Christ.(4) The Spirit’s unique role in salvation is to apply the redemption that the Father ordained and the Son accomplished.

The Holy Spirit also strengthens and sustains God’s people. He comforts, assures, instructs, and empowers Christians for godly living and fruitful service.(5) The Spirit inspired the Scriptures, brings unity to the church, and gives spiritual gifts to the members of Christ’s body.(6) Through his abiding presence, the Holy Spirit blesses believers with the enduring joy, hope, and peace that God gives to all of His children.

We believe that God created all that exists visible and invisible out of nothing. All creation was spoken into existence in six days and, according to the design of God, was good.1 God continues to uphold all things by the word of his power.(2)

God created mankind as the pinnacle of all creation. Adam and Eve were the first humans, having been directly created by God personally and individually as complete human beings.(3) As male and female, they complemented one another perfectly in role and relationship and were equally made in God’s image. All people are their descendants and likewise reflect the image of God as males or females, sharing the same dignity, value, and worth inherent in these first human persons.(4)

All humans have been made in God’s image, having intelligence, emotions, volition, and a moral conscience.(5) They are designed to enjoy everlasting fellowship with God and to reflect his holy and righteous character. By doing so, humanity fulfills its greatest purpose—to bring glory and honor to the Trinity.(6)

Adam and Eve were created completely righteous, and they lived in perfect harmony with their Creator. Yet by their own choice they rebelled against the moral law of God and fell from their sinless state.(7) Because of Adam’s disobedience, all humans have lost their innocence before God and are inherently corrupt. Every human is therefore a sinner by nature, by choice, and by divine declaration.(8)

Apart from Jesus Christ, all humans are alienated from God and stand under His just condemnation without defense or excuse. This judgment brings physical and spiritual death, and it will result in everlasting, conscious separation from God’s blessed presence.(9) Humans are utterly incapable of restoring themselves to a righteous state, and all are in desperate need of the salvation God provides through Jesus Christ.(10)

We believe that salvation from sin, death, and the righteous judgement of God is possible because of Jesus Christ’s redemptive work on the cross. Through His substitutionary atonement, Jesus paid the divine penalty for sin so that people might have their sins forgiven and be restored to a right relationship with their Creator.(1) There is no salvation apart from Jesus Christ, for His atoning death and victorious resurrection provide the only basis for reconciliation with God.(2)
Salvation is freely given when individuals, through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, hear the gospel call, receive the gift of faith, repent of their sins, and believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.(3) These believers, or saints, are immediately made spiritually alive and receive the gift of eternal life.(4) God declares them righteous (justification), for their guilt has been transferred to Christ, and the righteousness of Jesus has been credited to them (imputation).(5) They no longer live in a state of enmity with God, nor are they objects of His wrath (propitiation).(6) Their sins are forgiven, and they have been freed from the bondage of sin (redemption).(7) They experience genuine fellowship with God, are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and become united into the body of Christ.(8)

This conversion happens by the sovereign grace and mercy of God according to his divine election of sinners. God’s electing purpose is consistent with the free choice of man and includes all the means in connection with the end.(9) Salvation is not given because of human initiative, status, or works. Rather, salvation comes to people solely because of God’s initiative and grace, and therefore it excludes boasting and promotes humility.(10)

After receiving salvation, believers exhibit a positive moral change and begin a life of progressive sanctification. They are set apart to God's purposes and are enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.(11) Growth in grace should continue throughout the believer’s life. While it is impossible for the sinful nature to be completely eradicated in this earthly life, the Holy Spirit helps believers experience lasting victory over sin as they strive to increasingly reflect the attitudes and actions of Christ.(12)

From the moment of conversion, all believers are forever adopted into God’s family. They permanently become His children and are declared heirs with Christ.(13) Their position is not maintained by human works, for it is by God’s power and grace that one’s salvation is kept sure. Therefore, all genuine Christians can have great confidence that their hope is certain, their faith will persevere, and their future is secure.(14) Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.(15)

We believe there is one true and universal Christian church, which was established by God and consists of all people who have a genuine faith in Jesus Christ. In the church there is no distinction between race, culture, language, or nation, for all regenerate believers are united by the Holy Spirit into this living, spiritual body, with Christ as her head.(1)

The ultimate mission of the Church is to bring glory to God by making disciples. The Church is called to make disciples through worship, prayer, teaching of the Word, observance of the ordinances, fellowship, the exercise of our gifts and talents, and the proclamation of the gospel both in our community and throughout the world.(2)

The church practices two ordinances instituted by Christ: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism by immersion is the public testimony a believer gives after professing personal faith in Christ. It symbolically depicts the believer’s real union to the death and resurrection of Christ. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to membership in the local church.(3) The Lord’s Supper is the believers’ remembrance and proclamation of Jesus’ death through the partaking of elements that symbolically represent the body and blood of Christ.(4) Both of these beautiful celebrations are regularly practiced by the church in obedience to Scripture, and they result in blessings and encouragement for the entire church body.

We believe that the church manifests itself in local, self-governed congregations of baptized believers associated by a covenant of faith under the authority of Christ. It is scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other in contending for the faith and for the furtherance of the Gospel with each local church being the sole judge of the measure and method of its cooperation.(5)

The local church is to be led by elders/pastors and deacons.(6) These servants of Christ guide the church toward maturity and mobilize believers to reach their communities with the gospel.(7) They also encourage and equip individuals to use their spiritual gifts to serve others and expand Christ’s Kingdom. Finally, in all things, it is the Scriptures that govern, Christ who leads, and the Holy Spirit who empowers the church body to do its work.(8)

We believe that all of human history is moving toward one climactic event: the certain return and final revelation of Jesus Christ. At a time known only to God, Christ will return personally, visibly, and gloriously as the promised Messiah and King to establish his kingdom and consummate redemptive history.(1) Christ’s return will be marked by many wondrous displays of God’s power, which include: the rapture of those who are alive in Christ to be with him; a period of unprecedented judgment upon the world, known as the Great Tribulation; and the bodily resurrection of believers from the dead.(2)

After Christ’s millennial reign, Satan and all demons—who are fallen angels—will suffer their final defeat by the power of Christ and be imprisoned in hell forever.(3) In addition, the unsaved will come before Christ in final judgment. They will receive God’s just condemnation and will be sent away to everlasting, conscious punishment in hell.(4) While all those opposed to God will be subject to His wrath, God’s holy and righteous saints will receive eternal rewards as they enter into an everlasting state of glory with Christ.(5)

God will end redemptive history by creating a new heaven and a new earth, where His righteousness and glory will dwell forever.(6) There the redeemed will finally experience un- hindered worship of God, and they will enjoy everlasting fellowship with Him and with one another. There will be no sin, despair, or suffering in God’s new creation, for it will be filled with perfect harmony, joy, beauty, worship, and love.(7) This certain hope should motivate all believers to pursue godliness, to endure trials, and to anticipate with joy their blessed and eternal future.