What We Believe

We believe that the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, fully inspired without error and the infallible rule of faith and practice. The Word of God is the foundation upon which the church operates and is the basis for which the church is governed. We believe that the Word of God supersedes any earthly law that is contrary to the Holy Scriptures.

We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit, equal in power and glory. We believe that this triune God created all, upholds all, and governs all things.

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

We believe in the person of Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit — both fully God and fully man. We believe in His virgin birth; incarnation; sinless life; miracles and teachings; His substitutionary, atoning death upon the cross; His physical, bodily resurrection; His ascension into Heaven; His perpetual intercession for His people; and His personal, visible return to Earth.

We believe in the person of the Holy Spirit who convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and who regenerates, sanctifies, and empowers for ministry all who believe in Jesus Christ.

We believe the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Jesus Christ and that He is an abiding helper, teacher, and guide.

We believe in the present day ministry of the Holy Spirit in regard to the exercise of all biblical gifts. All believers are commanded to earnestly desire the manifestation of the gifts in their lives. We believe the gifts of the Holy Spirit always operate in harmony with the Scriptures.

We believe that mankind is created in the image and likeness of God; that mankind fell through disobedience, incurring thereby both physical and spiritual death. We believe that all people are sinners by nature and by choice, falling short of God's standard — and therefore are under God's righteous judgment.

Yet God saves and gives new life to all who come to Him in repentance and faith, trusting in the person and atoning work of Jesus Christ. At the cross, Jesus died in our place as our substitute, absorbing God's wrath. Because Jesus died for the sins of the world, the invitation to believe is open to all.

We believe we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ — His death, burial, and resurrection. Salvation is a gift from God, not a result of our good works or any human efforts. There is no salvation apart from personal repentance and faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. Repentance and faith are both necessary requirements for salvation.

We believe sanctification is the ongoing process of yielding to God's Word and His Spirit in order to complete the development of Christ's character in us. It is through the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God that the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.

We believe the church is the Body of Christ with divine appointments for the fulfillment of Jesus' great commission to evangelize the lost world. Every person who is born of the Spirit is an integral part of the church as a member of the body of believers. There is a spiritual unity of all believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.

While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.

We believe in two Church ordinances:

Baptism — by immersion, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Communion — done in remembrance of the broken body and shed blood of Jesus Christ. Both ordinances are reserved for believers.

We believe that God created mankind male and female — different so as to complement and complete each other. God instituted monogamous marriage between male and female as the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society. We perform marriages in accordance with the Bible, consistent with the Old and New Testaments.

We believe divinely called and spiritually ordained ministry has been provided by our Lord for a two-fold purpose: (1) the evangelization of the world, and (2) the edification of the Body of Christ.

We believe in a literal Heaven and a literal Hell. All those who repent and believe in Jesus Christ will spend eternity in Heaven with the Lord. Those who reject Jesus' free gift of salvation will spend eternity separated from the Lord in Hell.

We believe in the literal, visible return of Jesus Christ to establish His Kingdom on earth, in the resurrection of believers to eternal life, and unbelievers to eternal punishment.

We believe that heaven and earth will pass away and will be replaced by the new heavens and the new earth. This new creation will be the eternal dwelling place of all believers in Jesus Christ and will be completely free from sin, evil, sickness, shame, suffering, and death. Everything will be restored as God originally intended in the Garden.

A major feature of the new earth will be the "New Jerusalem" — a glorious city representing the final state of redeemed mankind forever in fellowship with God.