What We Believe

 

1. Where is Ultimate Truth Found?

We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.

 

2. Who is God?

We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons, (God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit), that these three are equal in every divine perfection and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption.

 

3. Who is God the Father?

We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of each person, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.

 

4. Who is Jesus Christ?

We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and His personal visible return to earth.

 

5. Who is the Holy Spirit?

We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and the Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ and that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide. He produces fruit in the lives of believers and gives them spiritual gifts to serve the church. Believers are commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

 

6. What is Our Problem & God's Solution?

We believe that all people are sinners by nature and by choice, and are, therefore under condemnation. We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit.

 

7. What is the 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 in the local church, consisting of a company 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 giving the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world.

 

8. How Should Followers of Christ Live? 

We believe that Christians should live for the glory of God and the well-being of others, that their conduct should be blameless before the world, and that they should be faithful stewards of their possessions, that they should seek to realize for themselves and others the full stature of maturity in Christ.

 

9. What are Baptism and the Lord's Supper?

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water into the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Baptism illustrates dying to our old life of sin and rising from the dead to live a new life for God. It parallels Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. The new believer is “buried” or submerged into water, symbolizing death, and then brought up out of the water, demonstrating new life in Christ. We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ for the commemoration of His death, and is open to all believers who are in right relationship with God. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

10. What about Government, Politics, and Religious Freedom?

We believe that every human being has direct relations with God and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith, that each church is independent and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority and that, therefore, church and state must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its duties free from dictation or patronage of the other.

 

11. What about Working Together with Other Churches?

We believe that local churches can best promote the cause of Jesus Christ by cooperating with one another in a denominational organization. Such an organization exists and functions by the will of the churches. Cooperation in a conference is voluntary and may be terminated at any time. Churches may likewise cooperate with interdenominational fellowships on a voluntary and independent basis.

 

12. What About Eternity?

We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishing of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal felicity of the righteous and the endless suffering of the wicked.