STATEMENT OF
FAITH
The Word of God
We believe that "all Scripture is given by
inspiration of God" (2 Timothy 3:16). We understand this to mean
that the 66 books of the Holy Bible is
inspired, in that holy men of God "were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21) to write the very words of
Scripture. We believe that this divine inspiration extends equally and fully to
all parts of Scripture as it appeared in the original manuscripts. We believe
that the whole Bible in those original manuscripts is, therefore, without
error. We believe that all Scripture centers around the Lord Jesus Christ in
His person, work, and in His first and second coming. Therefore, no portion of
the Old Testament is properly read or understood until it leads to Christ. We
also believe that all Scripture was designed for our practical instruction. (Luke 24:27, 44; John 5:39; Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:11; 2 Timothy 3:16)
The Trinity
We believe in the one true and living God, the
Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, and Ruler of all things. He is infinite, eternal,
and unchangeable, and is revealed to us as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
God the Father:
God, as Father, reigns over all of
His universe with providential care. He is all-powerful, all-loving,
all-knowing, and all-wise. He is fatherly in attitude toward all mankind but is
Father, indeed, to those who have become children of God through Jesus Christ,
who will deliver them into the Father’s hands. (Genesis 1:1; 1 Chronicles 29:10; Jeremiah 10:10; Matthew 6:9; Acts 1:7; Romans 8:14-15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 1 Corinthians15: 24; Ephesians 4:6)
God the Son:
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son
of God, became man without ceasing to be God, having been conceived of the Holy
Spirit and born of a virgin, in order that He might reveal God and redeem all
sinful people. He accomplished this redemption by voluntarily giving Himself as
a sinless, substitutionary sacrifice on the cross,
thereby satisfying God’s righteous judgment against sin. After substantiating
the accomplishment of that redemption and justification by His bodily
resurrection from the grave, He ascended to the right hand of His Father, where
He intercedes on behalf of those who trust Him. (Luke 1:34-35; John 1:1, 2, 14, 18; Romans 3:24-26, Romans 8:34)
God the Holy Spirit:
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Divine Person
who convicts the world of sin (righteousness and judgment); that the Spirit alone
brings new life to those who are spiritually dead; through baptism, brings all believers
into the one true Church, which is the Body of Christ; that indwells in them
permanently, seals them unto the day of final redemption, bestows spiritual
gifts upon them, and spiritually empowers those who are willing. Every believer is called to live in the power
of the indwelling Holy Spirit so that they will not fulfill the lust of the
flesh but will bear fruit to the glory of God. (John 3:3-8; 14:16-17; 16:7-11; 1 Corinthians 12:7-11, 13; Ephesians 4:30; 5:18)
We believe that mankind was created directly by and in
the image of God. We believe that God created the heavens and the earth,
including all life, by direct act. (Genesis 1:1; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16-17)
Man
Although man was created in the image of God, he fell
into sin and is lost. This is true of all men; and except a man be born again by the Holy Spirit, he cannot see the
The Devil - Satan
We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin,
and the reason for the fall of man, and is destined to the judgment of an
eternal punishment in the lake of fire. (Matthew 4:1-3; Acts 5:3; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 20:10)
Atonement For Sin
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our
sins according to the Scriptures as a substitutionary
sacrifice and that all who believe on Him are redeemed by His shed blood. We
believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord Jesus Christ and
in His ascension into heaven; He is our High Priest and Advocate. (John 1:1-3, 14; 3:1-7; Hebrews 10:4-14; 1 John 2:2)
Salvation
We believe that salvation is the gift of God’s grace.
It cannot be gained or made more secure by meritorious works, but is freely
bestowed upon all who put their faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ at
The Christian Walk
We believe that we have a holy calling to walk not
after the flesh but after the Spirit, and so to live in the power of the
indwelling Spirit in order that we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. The
flesh is never eradicated in this life. Individuals must choose to keep the
flesh in subjection to Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, or it
will surely manifest its presence in life and dishonor our Lord. (Romans 6:11-13; 8:2, 4, 12-13; Galatians 5:16-23; Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 2:1-10; 1 Peter 1:14-16; 1 John 1:4-7; 3:5-9)
The Church
All believers are members of the body of Christ, the
one true church universal. Spiritual
unity is to be expressed among Christians by acceptance and love of one another
across ethnic, cultural, socio-economic, national, generational, gender, and
denominational lines. The local church
is a congregation of believers who gather for worship, prayer, instruction,
encouragement, mutual accountability, and community with each other. Through it, believers invest time, energy and
resources to fulfill the Great Commission.
Baptism and the Lord's
Supper
Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in
water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of
obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen
Savior, the believer's death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the
resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to
his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it
is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord's
Supper.
The Lord's Supper is a symbolic act of obedience
whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of
the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second
coming.
The Great Commission
Until the return of Christ, it is the Christian’s duty
and privilege to seek the fulfillment of Christ's Great Commission and to
minister in His name to a needy world by reaching lost people and growing them
into fully devoted followers of Christ.. We are to be
instruments of Jesus Christ as the Holy Spirit ministers
redemption and reconciliation in the world. (Matthew 25:31-46; 28:18-20)
CHURCH COVENANT
Having accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and
Savior and having been baptized (or having agreed to become baptized), each
member hereby commits to God and to His church to do their very best in
following the below precepts:
To love and worship God to the best of their
ability and to love their neighbor as their self (Matthew 22:36-40; Revelation
4:11).
To pray daily for their own family, church,
friends, acquaintances and even their enemies (John
To protect the unity of the church; to love
and edify other believers (Romans 14:19; Ephesians 4:29-32; Philippians
2:1-14).
To read the Bible daily (Eph. 3:4-6; 1 Thes. 5:27; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Chronicles 34:30; Nehemiah
8:8, 18).
To hold fast to biblical Christian doctrine
(see the "Articles of Faith" as well as Proverbs 4:2; Galatians
1:6-12; Romans
To adhere to church discipline as outlined in
the Bible and in the church's "Constitution and By-Laws" (Matthew
18:15-17; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15; Titus 3:8-11; 1 Timothy
5:1-25; Galatians 5:19-21; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Ephesians 5:5-8, and
Revelation 22:14-15).
To live a godly, biblically-sound and Christlike life as much as is humanly possible (Titus
To obey the reasonable and biblical requests
of those placed in authority over the church (Hebrews 13:17; Titus 3:1-5;
Romans 13:1-4; 1 Peter 2:13-14).
To regularly attend all worship services
(Hebrews
To invite family and
friends to worship services (Luke
To treat all people with warmth, love, grace,
forgiveness and compassion-as much and as often as we can (Titus 3:1-8; 1
Timothy
To follow and participate
in the church's educational plan for spiritual maturity (2 Timothy
To become an active,
ongoing participant in the ministries and missions of the church (1 Peter
4:7-11; Ephesians
To actively evangelize those who are not
saved (Matthew 28:19-20;
To return to the Lord a portion (in tithes
and offerings) of what He has so preciously given us so that others might be
saved and cared for (1 Corinthians 16:2; Leviticus 27:30; Romans 13:6-7).
It is not the intent of