DOCTRINAL STATEMENT
We shape our lives around who God is and what He says. If you are not a Christian, we pray that you would come to faith in Jesus and be reconciled to God. If you are a Christian, we pray that you may be strengthened in your faith and motivated to share the gospel with those around you. What we believe is absolutely crucial because it shapes who we are and what we do.
God - God is one, consisting of three persons: Father, Son, Spirit; The Triune God is eternal, holy, perfect in every way, and equal in essence. God is caring, compassionate, forgiving, generous, wrathful, jealous, full of grace, faithful and just. Though the roles of Father, Spirit and Son are different, they exist in perfect unity.
Scriptures: Gen 1:26; Ex 34:6-7; Num 25:10-11; Is 6:3; 40:28; Matt 3:16-17; 5:48; 28:19; Jn 10:30; 14:26; 2 Cor 13:14
Father - The Father created everything with and through the Son and Spirit. God is a Father and He desires a relationship with every person. The Father is the giver of every good gift. He is redeeming His broken world through the Son.
Scriptures: Gen 1:1-2, 1:26; Jn 1:3; Rom 8:32; 1 Cor 8:6; Col 1:16; Jas 1:17; 1 Pet 1:3-5
Son - Jesus is God and is the Son of God. The Son became human in the person of Jesus, fulfilling the Old Testament. The Son is fully God and fully human. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Though sinless, he died and purchased our salvation with His blood. He was raised from the dead and ascended to the Father from where He came. We are awaiting His return.
Scriptures: Gen 49:10; Ps 2:7; Matt 1:20-23; Jn 1:1-2, 14; Phil 2:5-11; Col 1:19-20; Heb 1:3; Rev 22:20
Spirit - The Holy Spirit is fully God. He lives inside all who place their faith in Jesus, giving us a new heart enabling us to love God and others. His presence is a promise from God, assuring us of eternal life with God now and in the future. The Spirit glorifies Jesus, convicts the world concerning sin and is the helper sent from God after the ascension of Jesus. The Spirit equips believers with the power needed to live godly lives and the gifts needed to make disciples.
Scriptures: Ezek 36:26-27; Jn 14:16-17, 26; 16:7-15; Ac 1:8; 4:31; 5:1-11; Gal 5:22-25; 2 Pet 1:3
Bible - The Bible consists of the Old and New Testaments. God used over 40 human authors to write the Bible over a period of roughly 1,500 years. The Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God, inerrant in its original manuscripts. The Bible is profitable for all of life, so we may be equipped for every good work and wise for salvation. The Bible tells a unified story of God saving His world through Jesus.
Scriptures: 2 Tim 3:15-17; 2 Pet 1:21
Gospel - The gospel is the good news of God saving sinful humanity and His broken world through Jesus. This includes His virgin birth, sinless life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and return. The first mention of the gospel is in Genesis 3:15, shortly after sin entered the world. The gospel is how we enter God’s kingdom, and it is the way we live life.
Gen 3:15; Jn 3:16-17; Ac 2
Sin - All have sinned and are separated from God from birth. To sin is to fall short of God’s standard, and unrepentant sin leads to spiritual death. Sin is something that needs to be dealt with, but it is not a problem we can or have to solve. Jesus did this for us. Though we will never be free from sin in this life, God’s intent is for us to hate our sin and trust Jesus to help us overcome it.
Scriptures: Gen 3:1-13; Rom 3:23; 6:23; 7:15-8:4; 1 Cor 10:13; Gal 5:19-21
Atonement - Jesus paid the penalty for the sins of the whole world through His death on the cross, sacrificing Himself and showing the immeasurable love of God. Jesus, the perfect Son of God, died the spiritual death that was rightfully ours, making it possible to restore the relationship that was lost in the garden.
Scriptures: Is 53:5; Eph 5:2; Col 1:13-14; 1 Pet 2:24; 3:18; 1 Jn 2:2
Salvation - Salvation is the greatest need of every person in the world. To be saved is to be reconciled to God by grace through faith in Jesus. Salvation begins when a person chooses to follow Jesus and it continues throughout eternity with God. Jesus is the only way of salvation.
Scriptures: Jn 3:16-17; 5:24; 14:6; Ac 4:12; Eph 2:8-9; Col 1:21-23
Discipleship - Discipleship is a life of following Jesus and it begins when a person is introduced to Him. Each person has the choice to follow Jesus or not. The life of discipleship to Jesus will cost each person their allegiance to the things of this world, choosing instead to make following Jesus most important. The disciple who loses their life, who makes Jesus the most important thing at the sacrifice of all else, will gain eternal life and be completely satisfied. Jesus desires all people to follow Him and be His disciples for all of life. He commands His disciples to make more disciples.
Scriptures: Matt 4:19; 16:24-27; 28:19-20; Lk 14:26-33; Jn 8:31
Sanctification - God’s will for every person who has come to faith in Jesus is that they be sanctified. Sanctification is the intentional life-long process of becoming increasingly like Jesus. God provides the power through His Spirit within us. Our job is to yield to the Spirit and say no to the flesh. The goal of sanctification is not perfection but learning to respond to temptation and sin in ways that honor God. In addition to saying no to temptation and sin, maturing Christians intentionally build good habits and good character into their lives. A strong community of Christians is crucial in the sanctification process.
Scriptures: Jn 17:17; Gal 2:20; Col 3:5; 1 Thess 4:3; 5:23; 2 Thess 2:13; 2 Tim 2:21
Church - The universal church is the collection of people around the world who are saved by
grace through faith in Jesus. The local church is the gathering of disciples. The local church is marked by love and worship for God, love for others, submission to Christ, elder led, the teaching of the Scriptures, evangelism, fellowship, discipleship, communion, and all things centered on the gospel. The purpose of the church is to make disciples. Christ loves His Church. He died for it. He is the Head of His Church. He will come back for His Church one day soon.
Scriptures: Jn 13:34-35; 14:3; Ac 1:11; 14:23; 20:28; Rom 10:9; Col 1:18-22; Eph 5:23-25; 1 Pet 5:2
Baptism - We baptize by immersion and will baptize anyone who has been saved by grace through faith in Jesus. Baptism symbolizes our death to sin and self and the resurrection to new life we have been given. The biblical pattern is that baptism immediately follows belief. Baptism is a step of obedience, not a means of grace.
Scriptures: Matt 28:19; Ac 2:38-41; 16:30-33; Col 2:12
Communion - We participate in communion, symbolizing Jesus’ broken body and shed blood on the cross. Anyone who has been saved by grace through faith in Jesus should participate in obedience to God and in response to His grace.
Scriptures: Matt 26:26-29; 1 Cor 11:23-26
Mission - Our mission is found in Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV): “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Scriptures: Matt 28:18-20
Humanity - God created humanity perfect. Humans had perfect relationships with each other
and with God. With a perfect life, God also gave us the ability to choose between right and wrong. Adam chose to rebel against God, defining good for himself instead of allowing God to do this. Adam represented all humanity. Since that day, every human has been born into sin, apart from God, and in need of being reconciled. Jesus, the new Adam and the only perfect human, accomplished what was necessary to reverse the curse of our sin. He lived like us, died for us, and was raised to life, conquering death and purchasing our salvation. Jesus is restoring humanity to its original perfection.
Scriptures: Gen 1-2; 3:1-13; Rom 5:1-19; 2 Cor 5:17-21; Heb 2:17; Rev 21:5
Image of God - Every person is made in the image of God and has inherent dignity and worth. This is historically and theologically known as the Imago Dei principle. This principle forbids Christians from devaluing human life, regardless of the stage. Life begins at conception and should only end when God chooses. We value life at every stage because God does and oppose that which devalues and destroys the gift of life He gives.
Gen 1:27; Ps 139:13-16; Jer 1:5; Mk 12:13-17; Col 3:5-11
Sexuality - God created and designed sexuality - male and female. He gave it as a gift and called it, “Very good” (Gen 1:31). The biological sex at birth is what determines male or female. Part of being a sinful human is being tempted to redefine what God calls good. When we attempt this, it always leads to increased brokenness, heartache and leads us further down the path of seeking for things that cannot satisfy. We strive to be people who call good what God does. Sexual immorality of all kinds, as defined by the Bible, is sinful and offensive to God. We strive to avoid things God says we should for our benefit, even though sometimes it is difficult.
Scriptures: Gen 1:27-31; 3:1-13; 5:2; Matt 15:18-19; 1 Cor 6:9-10
Marriage, Family, Singleness - God created marriage to be the lifelong union of one man and one woman. He designed marriage to be a safe place where two people live, enjoy each other, raise children, and partner together in making disciples. Healthy families are the foundation of healthy societies. God, in His infinite wisdom, does not lead every person into marriage. Like marriage, singleness is a gift from God. We should strive to be content in whatever situation God has placed us in. When marriages, families, and relationships fall apart, we will respond with grace, seeking reconciliation if possible, and healing for all persons involved.
Scriptures: Gen 1:28; 2:24-25; Matt 19:1-9; 1 Cor 7; 2 Cor 5:18; Eph 5:22-33
Resurrection and Last Things - Redemptive history will culminate with the imminent physical return of Jesus in power and glory to the earth. Every person will be resurrected from the dead and will appear before God for judgment. Those who trust Jesus will be pardoned through faith in Him, be declared righteous, and will enter the fullness of eternal life. Those who do not trust Jesus will be pronounced guilty for lack of faith and will enter eternal existence apart from God. God will put an end to Satan, sin, and death. The perfect life humanity lost in the Garden of Eden will be restored.
Scriptures: Ac 1:11; Rom 14:12; 2 Cor 5:10; 1 Thess 5:2; Heb 9:27-28; Rev 20:10-15; 21:1-5
This excerpt is taken from our constitution and bylaws.
God - God is one, consisting of three persons: Father, Son, Spirit; The Triune God is eternal, holy, perfect in every way, and equal in essence. God is caring, compassionate, forgiving, generous, wrathful, jealous, full of grace, faithful and just. Though the roles of Father, Spirit and Son are different, they exist in perfect unity.
Scriptures: Gen 1:26; Ex 34:6-7; Num 25:10-11; Is 6:3; 40:28; Matt 3:16-17; 5:48; 28:19; Jn 10:30; 14:26; 2 Cor 13:14
Father - The Father created everything with and through the Son and Spirit. God is a Father and He desires a relationship with every person. The Father is the giver of every good gift. He is redeeming His broken world through the Son.
Scriptures: Gen 1:1-2, 1:26; Jn 1:3; Rom 8:32; 1 Cor 8:6; Col 1:16; Jas 1:17; 1 Pet 1:3-5
Son - Jesus is God and is the Son of God. The Son became human in the person of Jesus, fulfilling the Old Testament. The Son is fully God and fully human. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Though sinless, he died and purchased our salvation with His blood. He was raised from the dead and ascended to the Father from where He came. We are awaiting His return.
Scriptures: Gen 49:10; Ps 2:7; Matt 1:20-23; Jn 1:1-2, 14; Phil 2:5-11; Col 1:19-20; Heb 1:3; Rev 22:20
Spirit - The Holy Spirit is fully God. He lives inside all who place their faith in Jesus, giving us a new heart enabling us to love God and others. His presence is a promise from God, assuring us of eternal life with God now and in the future. The Spirit glorifies Jesus, convicts the world concerning sin and is the helper sent from God after the ascension of Jesus. The Spirit equips believers with the power needed to live godly lives and the gifts needed to make disciples.
Scriptures: Ezek 36:26-27; Jn 14:16-17, 26; 16:7-15; Ac 1:8; 4:31; 5:1-11; Gal 5:22-25; 2 Pet 1:3
Bible - The Bible consists of the Old and New Testaments. God used over 40 human authors to write the Bible over a period of roughly 1,500 years. The Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God, inerrant in its original manuscripts. The Bible is profitable for all of life, so we may be equipped for every good work and wise for salvation. The Bible tells a unified story of God saving His world through Jesus.
Scriptures: 2 Tim 3:15-17; 2 Pet 1:21
Gospel - The gospel is the good news of God saving sinful humanity and His broken world through Jesus. This includes His virgin birth, sinless life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and return. The first mention of the gospel is in Genesis 3:15, shortly after sin entered the world. The gospel is how we enter God’s kingdom, and it is the way we live life.
Gen 3:15; Jn 3:16-17; Ac 2
Sin - All have sinned and are separated from God from birth. To sin is to fall short of God’s standard, and unrepentant sin leads to spiritual death. Sin is something that needs to be dealt with, but it is not a problem we can or have to solve. Jesus did this for us. Though we will never be free from sin in this life, God’s intent is for us to hate our sin and trust Jesus to help us overcome it.
Scriptures: Gen 3:1-13; Rom 3:23; 6:23; 7:15-8:4; 1 Cor 10:13; Gal 5:19-21
Atonement - Jesus paid the penalty for the sins of the whole world through His death on the cross, sacrificing Himself and showing the immeasurable love of God. Jesus, the perfect Son of God, died the spiritual death that was rightfully ours, making it possible to restore the relationship that was lost in the garden.
Scriptures: Is 53:5; Eph 5:2; Col 1:13-14; 1 Pet 2:24; 3:18; 1 Jn 2:2
Salvation - Salvation is the greatest need of every person in the world. To be saved is to be reconciled to God by grace through faith in Jesus. Salvation begins when a person chooses to follow Jesus and it continues throughout eternity with God. Jesus is the only way of salvation.
Scriptures: Jn 3:16-17; 5:24; 14:6; Ac 4:12; Eph 2:8-9; Col 1:21-23
Discipleship - Discipleship is a life of following Jesus and it begins when a person is introduced to Him. Each person has the choice to follow Jesus or not. The life of discipleship to Jesus will cost each person their allegiance to the things of this world, choosing instead to make following Jesus most important. The disciple who loses their life, who makes Jesus the most important thing at the sacrifice of all else, will gain eternal life and be completely satisfied. Jesus desires all people to follow Him and be His disciples for all of life. He commands His disciples to make more disciples.
Scriptures: Matt 4:19; 16:24-27; 28:19-20; Lk 14:26-33; Jn 8:31
Sanctification - God’s will for every person who has come to faith in Jesus is that they be sanctified. Sanctification is the intentional life-long process of becoming increasingly like Jesus. God provides the power through His Spirit within us. Our job is to yield to the Spirit and say no to the flesh. The goal of sanctification is not perfection but learning to respond to temptation and sin in ways that honor God. In addition to saying no to temptation and sin, maturing Christians intentionally build good habits and good character into their lives. A strong community of Christians is crucial in the sanctification process.
Scriptures: Jn 17:17; Gal 2:20; Col 3:5; 1 Thess 4:3; 5:23; 2 Thess 2:13; 2 Tim 2:21
Church - The universal church is the collection of people around the world who are saved by
grace through faith in Jesus. The local church is the gathering of disciples. The local church is marked by love and worship for God, love for others, submission to Christ, elder led, the teaching of the Scriptures, evangelism, fellowship, discipleship, communion, and all things centered on the gospel. The purpose of the church is to make disciples. Christ loves His Church. He died for it. He is the Head of His Church. He will come back for His Church one day soon.
Scriptures: Jn 13:34-35; 14:3; Ac 1:11; 14:23; 20:28; Rom 10:9; Col 1:18-22; Eph 5:23-25; 1 Pet 5:2
Baptism - We baptize by immersion and will baptize anyone who has been saved by grace through faith in Jesus. Baptism symbolizes our death to sin and self and the resurrection to new life we have been given. The biblical pattern is that baptism immediately follows belief. Baptism is a step of obedience, not a means of grace.
Scriptures: Matt 28:19; Ac 2:38-41; 16:30-33; Col 2:12
Communion - We participate in communion, symbolizing Jesus’ broken body and shed blood on the cross. Anyone who has been saved by grace through faith in Jesus should participate in obedience to God and in response to His grace.
Scriptures: Matt 26:26-29; 1 Cor 11:23-26
Mission - Our mission is found in Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV): “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Scriptures: Matt 28:18-20
Humanity - God created humanity perfect. Humans had perfect relationships with each other
and with God. With a perfect life, God also gave us the ability to choose between right and wrong. Adam chose to rebel against God, defining good for himself instead of allowing God to do this. Adam represented all humanity. Since that day, every human has been born into sin, apart from God, and in need of being reconciled. Jesus, the new Adam and the only perfect human, accomplished what was necessary to reverse the curse of our sin. He lived like us, died for us, and was raised to life, conquering death and purchasing our salvation. Jesus is restoring humanity to its original perfection.
Scriptures: Gen 1-2; 3:1-13; Rom 5:1-19; 2 Cor 5:17-21; Heb 2:17; Rev 21:5
Image of God - Every person is made in the image of God and has inherent dignity and worth. This is historically and theologically known as the Imago Dei principle. This principle forbids Christians from devaluing human life, regardless of the stage. Life begins at conception and should only end when God chooses. We value life at every stage because God does and oppose that which devalues and destroys the gift of life He gives.
Gen 1:27; Ps 139:13-16; Jer 1:5; Mk 12:13-17; Col 3:5-11
Sexuality - God created and designed sexuality - male and female. He gave it as a gift and called it, “Very good” (Gen 1:31). The biological sex at birth is what determines male or female. Part of being a sinful human is being tempted to redefine what God calls good. When we attempt this, it always leads to increased brokenness, heartache and leads us further down the path of seeking for things that cannot satisfy. We strive to be people who call good what God does. Sexual immorality of all kinds, as defined by the Bible, is sinful and offensive to God. We strive to avoid things God says we should for our benefit, even though sometimes it is difficult.
Scriptures: Gen 1:27-31; 3:1-13; 5:2; Matt 15:18-19; 1 Cor 6:9-10
Marriage, Family, Singleness - God created marriage to be the lifelong union of one man and one woman. He designed marriage to be a safe place where two people live, enjoy each other, raise children, and partner together in making disciples. Healthy families are the foundation of healthy societies. God, in His infinite wisdom, does not lead every person into marriage. Like marriage, singleness is a gift from God. We should strive to be content in whatever situation God has placed us in. When marriages, families, and relationships fall apart, we will respond with grace, seeking reconciliation if possible, and healing for all persons involved.
Scriptures: Gen 1:28; 2:24-25; Matt 19:1-9; 1 Cor 7; 2 Cor 5:18; Eph 5:22-33
Resurrection and Last Things - Redemptive history will culminate with the imminent physical return of Jesus in power and glory to the earth. Every person will be resurrected from the dead and will appear before God for judgment. Those who trust Jesus will be pardoned through faith in Him, be declared righteous, and will enter the fullness of eternal life. Those who do not trust Jesus will be pronounced guilty for lack of faith and will enter eternal existence apart from God. God will put an end to Satan, sin, and death. The perfect life humanity lost in the Garden of Eden will be restored.
Scriptures: Ac 1:11; Rom 14:12; 2 Cor 5:10; 1 Thess 5:2; Heb 9:27-28; Rev 20:10-15; 21:1-5
This excerpt is taken from our constitution and bylaws.