Statements of Faith

Word of God

We believe that the Bible is the Word of God; that it was uniquely inspired by the Holy Spirit; without error in the original manuscripts; that it is completely trustworthy and true; and that it is the supreme and final authority in all matters of faith and practice. (2 Peter 1:21; 2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Our Triune God

We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons; that these are equal in nature and divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption. He is the supreme ruler of heaven and earth. (Genesis 1:1-2,26; Deuteronomy 6:4; Job 42:2; Psalm 48:14; John 3:16; Ephesians 1:11) 

God the Father

The Father is the first person of the Trinity; invisible and spirit; infinite in holiness, wisdom, power, and love; neither begotten nor proceeding. According to His own counsel, the Father has planned the course of history and ensures that His will is perfectly done. (Psalm 147:5; Matthew 6:9-10; John 1:18; John 14:26-31; Romans 1:20; Revelation 4:8,11)

God the Son

We believe that Jesus Christ was begotten of God, born of a virgin, and that He is fully God and fully man. He took on human form and is the exact image of the invisible Father. We believe in Jesus’ active obedience to the Father through His sinless life, miracles, and perfect fulfillment of the Law. (Matthew 5:17; Luke 1:35; John 1:1,2,14; John 3:16; John 12:45; Philippians 2:7; Hebrews 1:3)

God the Spirit

We believe in the person of the Holy Spirit who came forth from God to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment; and to regenerate, sanctify, guide, and comfort those who believe in Jesus Christ. He indwells believers and empowers them to carry out the Great Commission. (Matthew 28:19-20; John 16:7-11; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 3:18)

Image of God

We believe God creates each individual as male or female from conception. These two unchanging, distinct, and complimentary genders reflect His image on earth. Therefore, because each person bears the image of God, every human life has intrinsic value and dignity. That image was corrupted when mankind sinned and incurred physical, spiritual, and eternal death, which is separation from God. As a consequence, all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are sinners by choice and therefore under condemnation. (Genesis 1:16-17; 1:26-27; 9:6; Psalm 139:13-16; Isaiah 59:1-3; Matthew 25:41)

The Redemptive Work of Christ

We believe in Jesus’ substitutionary atoning death and bodily resurrection. After resurrecting, Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father where He reigns as Lord, the one and only all-sufficient Mediator (High Priest) between God and man. We believe that those who repent and forsake sin and trust Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and become a new creation, having the image of God progressively restored, and are delivered from condemnation to receive eternal life. (John 1:13; Romans 8:1; 1 Corinthians 15:3-5; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Philippians 2:9-10; Hebrew 4:14-15; 7:26;10:12-14)

The Ordinances

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. 

Baptism

We believe that baptism is the immersion of a believer in water, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to publicly symbolize the believer’s union with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection; and to symbolize the believer’s entrance into the body of Christ. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:38, 8:36-39, Romans 6:3-4)

The Lord's Supper

The Lord's Supper commemorates, together, the new covenant as established in Christ’s precious blood until He comes again. (Matthew 26:17-30, 1 Corinthians 11:17-34)

The Institution of Church

We believe in the universal church; a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe that the local church consists of a body of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of faith, and associated for worship, work, and fellowship. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of reconciling the world unto God through the giving of, and discipling in the gospel of Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 2:19-22; Acts 1:8; Ephesians 5:19-21; Acts 2:42; Hebrews 10:23-25, 2 Corinthians 5:18-20)

The Institution of Family

We believe that God created marriage for the uniting of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive covenant to exist as an enduring symbol of the union between Christ and the church. God designed sexual intimacy to be expressed within the marriage relationship. Children are the fruit of the marriage union, God’s gift to parents, and God’s design to propagate and subdue the earth with His image bearers. (Genesis 2:18-25, 1 Corinthians 7:2-5, Hebrews 13:4, Ephesians 5:25-27, Psalm 127:3-5)

The Institution of Civil Government

We believe that God created the institution of civil government for human good. We also believe that every human being has direct relations with God, and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; that each local church is independent and must be free from interference from any ecclesiastical or political authority; that therefore Church and State must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its duty free from dictation or patronage of the other. (Romans 13:1; 1 Timothy 2:5; Romans 14:7-9,12)