We believe there is one God who exists eternally in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who are of one essence and are equal in power and glory.
We believe that God the Father is Spirit- that He is present everywhere all the time. We believe that God is creator of everything. We believe He is perfect, unchanging, holy, all-powerful, awesome, and still personal. We believe that He has no limits and is able to do more than all we ask or imagine. We believe that God deserves all of earth’s attention.
We believe that God has revealed Himself to us in the person of Jesus Christ- who is fully God and fully man, the eternal and only begotten Son of God. We believe He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born to a virgin, and sinless in His life. We believe He made atonement for our sins by His death on the cross and is now vindicated by God through His bodily resurrection. He has ascended to heaven where He now sits at God’s right hand as our Intercessor (who we pray through), our Advocate (our representative to God), and our friend.
We believe that God is present in the world today in the person of the Holy Spirit, who draws us to faith in Jesus, and who witnesses to our spirit that we are children of God. He dwells in each believer and empowers them to live in, and proudly display, the likeness and character of Christ. The Holy Spirit also gives spiritual gifts to the people in the church so that they may build one another up.
We believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God- so it is without error and is the infallible guide for our lives. The Bible is our resource and authority for faith in Christ, for its practice in our daily lives, and in our corporate worship. We will stand on what the Bible teaches, borrowing a motto from the Restoration movement: “Where the Bible speaks, we will speak; where the Bible is silent, we will be silent.”
We believe that humanity was created by God in His image- free in choice but responsible to his/her creator. From the beginning we were tempted by Satan, tainted by sin, and we are separated from God because of that voluntary disobedience. As a consequence, all humanity is born with a nature prone to sin and has a need to be reconciled to God.
We believe that humanity can be saved from the consequence and rule of sin. The rule of sin is its power and authority over us; the consequence of sin is separation from God, ultimately leading to eternity in hell. We believe that this salvation is provided by the Grace of God through Christ alone. In order to take hold of this salvation, each person must have obedient faith in Christ, must repent of their sins, and must be born again.
We believe that water baptism is by immersion and is an initial response of obedient faith. Immersion is a picture of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ as well as a picture of the new birth of the believer. We believe that baptism into Christ is for the remission of sins and the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
We believe that humanity is born again by the Holy Spirit who unites us to the true Church, the Body of Christ. The Church’s purpose is to evangelize and win the lost to Christ, to educate and equip them by teaching the Word of God, and to build each other up in Christ through personal ministry. We believe that the Church is an integral part of God’s purpose and it is our responsibility to support the church in our prayer life, in our giving, in our encouragement, attendance, and participation.
We believe that the Lord’s Supper (Communion) should be observed weekly and is how we remember that the death of Christ was the payment for our sins, the resurrection of Christ is the proof our justification, and His coming return is our glorification.
We believe in the personal, literal return of Jesus Christ who will come again to receive His bride, the Church, taking them to live with Him in heaven. We do not know when He will return (no one does), only that He will return to judge us all.
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all people. Those who have chosen not to be justified by faith in Christ are ultimately separated from God forever, sent to a literal hell for eternity. Those who have chosen to be justified by faith in Christ will be raised to be like Christ and will live with Him in heaven for eternity, free from sin, sorrow, and pain; and eager to praise, worship, and give thanks to God for creating us and giving us new life through Christ.