Statement of Faith

About God

God is the loving Creator of all that exists, both seen and unseen.

God is eternal and completely good, completely just, and completely

holy, knowing all things, having all power and majesty. God exists

as the Trinity, in three persons, yet one God: Father, Son, and Holy

Spirit. God invites us into a relationship of faith, friendship,

learning, and service to Himself through the work of Christ His son

on the cross and through the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

(Genesis 1:1; Matthew 28:19; John 14:6-9, 15-17, 16:7-15; II Corinthians 13:14; I John 4:9-10)

About Jesus

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before

anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through

Him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth.

He existed before anything else and He holds all creation together.

God in all His fullness was pleased to live in Christ (fully human

and fully divine) and through Him God reconciled everything to

Himself. He was born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, was

crucified for the sins of all, was buried, rose from the dead, and

ascended to heaven. Forgiveness of our sins and right relationship

with God are found through Him alone.

(Colossians 1:15-20; Matthew 1:18-23; Hebrews 7:26; I Peter 2:22; I John 3:4-5;

I Corinthians 5:21, 15:4; I Peter 2:24; Acts 1:9-11; Philippians 2:9-11; Romans 10:9-10; Acts 4:12)

About the Holy Spirit

God the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin and draws us to the

Father. He baptizes us into the body of Christ, indwelling every

believer. He leads us to truth. He counsels us. He teaches us. He

empowers us for witnessing. He continually fills us for living and

walking in the Spirit. He distributes gifts to every believer. The fruit

of the Spirit are the by-product of a Spirit-filled life and evidence of

spiritual maturity.

(John 14:16, 14:26, 16:8, 16:13; I Corinthians 12:4-13, Acts 1:8, 4:31; Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 5:18)

About the Bible

The Bible is infallible and the authoritative rule of faith and conduct

for all humanity. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to

teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our

lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is

right. God uses His word to prepare and equip His people to do

every good work.

(II Timothy 3:15-17; I Thessalonians 2:13; II Peter 1:21)

About Humanity

We were all created in the image of God to have fellowship with

Him but became alienated in that relationship through an act of sin.

That sin committed by Adam & Eve is referred to as original sin and

became part of the human condition. As a result, we are incapable of

regaining a right relationship with God through our own efforts.

(Genesis 2:17, 2:26, 3:6, 3:14-19, 3:23, Romans 3:23, 5:12-19; Ephesians 2:11-18)

About the Church

The church is the body of Christ, of which Jesus Christ is the head.

The members of the church are those who have trusted by faith in

the finished work of Christ on the cross. While the church is of

divine creation, it is made up of imperfect people. It will not reach

perfection until the Lord’s return. The purpose of the church is to

worship God, evangelize the world and to equip the community of

faith for ministry.

(Isaiah 53:6; Mark 16:15-16; Romans 3:23; I Corinthians 1:21, 12:27)

About Salvation

The only means of salvation (forgiveness of sin and reconciliation

with the Father) is Jesus Christ. He died on the cross to pay the

penalty of our sins and He offers each of us a pardon for our sins

and desires all to become children of God. Salvation is available

when we recognize our own sinfulness (repentance: turn from our

sins) and we place our trust in Christ’s work on the cross.

(Acts 4:12; John 1:12, 14:6; I Peter 2:24; Hebrews 9:26)

When we put our faith in Christ, it triggers a spiritual chain reaction:

(a) We become the Temple of the Holy Spirit. (I Corinthians 6:19)

(b) Our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. (Revelation 3:5)

(d) We are given eternal life. (John 3:16)

(e) We are adopted and become children of God. (Galatians 4:4-7)

(f) Our sins are forgiven and forgotten. (Hebrews 8:12)

(g) We are credited with the righteousness of Christ. (Romans 4:4-5)

(h) We are born-again. God takes ownership of us. (John 3:3; I Corinthians 6:20)

(i) We receive an eternal inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14; I Peter 1:3-5)

(j) We become a new creation and are being transformed into the

image of Christ. (II Corinthians 3:18, 5:17)

About Baptism in Water

The scripture teaches that all who repent and believe in Christ are to

be baptized. Baptism is a public profession of faith in Christ and

identification with the body of Christ. It is spiritually symbolic of the

death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. It is a declaration to all that

we have died to sin and have been raised with Christ to walk in

newness of life.

(Matthew 28:19; Romans 6:4; Galatians 3:27-28)

About Communion

The Lord’s Supper consists of two elements: the bread and cup.

These elements are symbolic of the body and blood of Christ and

when we receive these elements, we are remembering Christ’s death

and payment for our sin. Communion is a memorial of Christ’s

sufferings on the cross and a celebration of our salvation.

(Luke 22:14-20; I Corinthians 11:23-26)

About Christ's Return

We believe in the physical second coming of Christ (the time for this

cannot be known or predicted) in which He will restore all things.

We believe in the resurrection of the dead for judgment and in the

resurrection of the dead in Christ and transformation of every living

believer for life everlasting.

(Matthew 24; Revelation 19- 21; I Corinthians 15; I Thessalonians 4:13-18)

About Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality

God creates each person as male or female. These two distinct,

complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of

God. Rejection of one’s biological sex rejects the image of God

within that person. (Genesis 1:26-27)

The term marriage has only one meaning: the uniting of one man

and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as described in

Scripture. (Genesis 2:18-25)

God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a

woman married to each other. God has commanded that no intimate

sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man

and a woman. (I Corinthians 6:18, 7:2-5; Hebrews 13:4)

Any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication,

homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of

pornography) is sinful and offensive to God.

(Matthew 15:18-20; I Corinthians 6:9-10)

God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and

forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus

Christ. (Acts 3:19-21; Romans 10:9-10; I Corinthians 6:9-11)

We must show compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity to

everyone. Hateful and harassing behavior or

attitudes directed toward any individual is unacceptable. (Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31)

About Life

God creates all human life in His image. Human life is sacred and of

immeasurable worth in all its dimensions, including the pre-born

baby, the poor, the orphan, the widow, the aged, the physically or

mentally challenged, and every other stage or condition from

conception through natural death. We are called to defend, protect,

and value all human life.

(Genesis 1:26-27; Matthew 25:34-46; Luke 14:12-14; James 1:27)