THE BIBLE

We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God; that God, through the Holy Spirit, moved upon the authors of the Scriptures in such a way that they faithfully, accurately, and completely recorded all that God intended them to record; that the Scriptures are a reliable, accurate, and fully trustworthy account of God’s nature and character, of His actions in human history, of His laws, and of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. We affirm that the Scriptures are to be the standard of faith and practice by which the life of the church, and the lives of it’s individual members and their families, are to be governed. We also affirm that the Scriptures are the standard by which all revelation and tradition is to be judged. We believe that there is a progressive aspect to God’s revelation; that there are areas of truth which are taught in Scripture, but which we do not fully understand until the Holy Spirit further illuminates them.

GOD

We believe in the one Triune God, revealed in the Bible as the only true, eternal, and living God. He is infinite in being and perfection. He is spiritual, immortal, and invisible. He is an intelligent and personal Being. He is Creator, Redeemer, and Sovereign Ruler of creation. He is infinite in holiness, goodness, love, faithfulness, mercy, righteousness, justice, and all other perfection, and is due the highest love, reverence, and obedience. He is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, and complete within Himself. He accomplishes all things according to His righteous will for His own glory.

He reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being. God the Father determines all things after the council of His own will; God the Son is the Word who speaks that which the Father has determined; God the Holy Spirit is the dynamic power of God who brings these things into being. The three persons act out of one will.

GOD THE FATHER

The Father is sovereign in the government of His creation and human history by His wise and holy providence. He is all-powerful, all-loving, and all-wise, righteous in all his ways, and just in all His works. He chose all those who would become His children in Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world, and He demonstrates His fatherly love for his children by caring for them, providing for them, instructing and disciplining them. His purpose is to prepare a family of redeemed people on the earth to show forth His glory.

GOD THE SON

Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity. He is eternally the uncreated Word of God. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. Jesus was God incarnate, perfectly revealed, and he always did the will of the Father. He took upon Himself human nature and identified fully with humanity, yet he remained wholly without sin. He honored the divine will and law by perfect obedience, and through His death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of all who would believe in Him. He was raised from the dead and appeared to His disciples. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God the Father where He is the one Mediator effecting the reconciliation between God and man and providing access to the Father for the believer.

The Father has established Him as Lord over all things and has appointed Him as Judge of the world. He is the Head of the Church. He will return in power and glory at the end of the present age to judge the world and to complete His redemptive mission by establishing in full measure the kingdom and reign of God. He will then return to the Father the government of all things so that “God may be all in all.”

He presently dwells in all believers through the person of the Holy Spirit as the living and ever-present Lord. He is the heir of all things. He was and is the perfect Prophet, Priest, and King, representing God to humanity, humanity to God, and being fully entitled to reign as King over all creation.

GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. He exalts Christ. He convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgement. He calls people to Jesus and effects regeneration. He inspired the authors of Scripture and has superintended both the recording and transmission of the Scripture. He grants revelation to men and women, enables them to understand and obey the truth, and illuminates and quickens God’s word to them. He comforts, teaches, and guides God’s people, and empowers them to obey God, to cultivate Christlike character, and to be witnesses to Jesus Christ. We believe there are many experiences which are valid encounters with God the Holy Spirit. “Baptized with the Holy Spirit”, “filled with the Holy Spirit”, “anointed with the Holy Spirit”, are among the scriptural terms used to describe such encounters. These experiences produce greater commitment to God’s will, greater realization of His power, and greater edification of His church.

We further believe that the Holy Spirit imparts spiritual gifts to accomplish God’s will. These gifts include miracles, healings, revelations and utterances, and they should be operative in the church today supervised by mature leaders and manifested in love by Christians whose lives reflect godly character.

MAN

We believe that man was created in the image of God as the crowning work of God’s creation. Man stood in a unique relationship with his Creator and was commissioned to rule the earth under God’s headship. Through the temptation of Satan man transgressed the command of God and fell from his unique relationship to God. Thus all man’s descendants inherit both a nature and an environment perverted by sin. Because of sin man is totally depraved despite his best efforts to be good and he is separated from God. Only the grace of God can restore man to his original calling; to live in fellowship with God and to fulfill the purpose for which he was created.

SALVATION

We believe that salvation involves the redemption of the whole person and is available only in and through Jesus Christ. Salvation is offered to all people, but is appropriated and experienced only by those who respond in faith to God’s call to submit to His Son as Lord and Savior. Those who have been saved are given as a gift the righteousness of Jesus Christ, who through the shedding of His blood obtained eternal redemption for all who through faith believe in Him. Faith is itself a gift from God and is preceded by the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, which enables a person to repent of His sin and self-determinism. This faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord is expressed by baptism in water and results in the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit; enabling the believer to progressively live a life of closer conformity and obedience to God’s law, to cultivate and maintain right relationships with other men, and to respond to God’s leading in his life.

THE LOCAL CHURCH

We acknowledge that there are a variety of expressions of church government and life which seek to fulfill the goal of the church. The following are some features of the expression of the church by which we seek to achieve that goal:

A) The authority of the local church resides in a plural council of elders.

B) Deacons are chosen to serve the church in the administration of its physical affairs.

C) Pastoral ministry is personal, attempting to follow the pattern of Jesus and His disciples.

D) Each individual is given supernatural gifts by the Holy Spirit to be used to strengthen and extend the church.

E) Each individual has particular God-given abilities which are different from, and complementary to, those of the other members. Each member is encouraged to function in his own areas of strength in interdependence with his fellow members.

F) Gatherings include meetings for praise and worship, Bible teaching and preaching, corporate ministry, and intercessory prayer.

G) The members who comprise the church are the means of its financial support. Their tithes are for the support of the men in its ministry and the operational work of the church. Their offerings are for special needs, charity, and missions.

CHURCH SACRAMENTS

We believe that God has provided certain sacraments, which are to be a part of the church’s life.

Baptism: In which a believer partakes of the death and resurrection of Christ and is transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of God’s dear Son by water baptism.

The Lord’s Supper: In which the participants first, remember and acknowledge the death of the Lord Jesus on their behalf; second, affirm and renew their covenant with God; and third, share in a unique way in the life of the Trinity both individually and corporately.

CHURCH ORDINANCES

We believe that God has provided certain ordinances, which are to be a part of the church’s life.

Marriage: In which a man and woman are joined as husband and wife before God.

Ordination: In which a man called by God into leadership in the church is confirmed in His calling and authorized for his office.

AUTHORITY

We believe that God is the source of all legitimate authority and that all earthly authority is to be subject to, and fulfill the intentions of, the Divine authority.

God has enjoined man to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and to subdue and rule it. To accomplish this goal He has established for man three spheres of authority: the family, the church, and the civil government. Each has its own set of responsibilities and limits of authority with regard to wrongdoers. Within each sphere God has established procedures for the correction, discipline, and punishment of wrongdoers.

THE FAMILY

The family is the basic social unit; the first place of common worship, common work, and common life. Biblically it is headed and led by a man, and consists of the man and his wife and those under his care: his wife, who is his helper; his children; and any elderly or displaced persons for whom God grants him responsibility. A man, assisted by his wife, has the responsibility to lead, train, and discipline his children according to the principles and methods given in Scripture.

We recognize that because of death and sin some families have but one parent, who must, by the grace of God, minister as both father and mother to their children.

THE CHURCH

The church on earth is the redeemed people of God. The church has been charged by the Lord Jesus to preach the gospel, to make disciples of all nations, to baptize new members, to teach all of its members all that God has commanded, and to care for the poor, aged, homeless, widows and orphans. The church may discipline its members by correction, admonition, reproof, and if necessary, in extreme situations, by ban from participation in the life of the church community including excommunication.

CIVIL GOVERNMENT: Civil government is given by God to preserve peace among all people. Its purpose is to provide liberty so that the godly may function quietly and effectively in their families and church, and so that all people are given opportunity to be saved and to come to full knowledge of the truth. In accordance with its responsibilities it must punish wrongdoers with penalty to their property or person.

CHURCH LIFE OF THE BELIEVER

We believe in the priesthood of all believers. By the shedding of His blood Jesus had made it possible for each believer to have free access to the presence of the Father where he can individually come to know God and receive from Him.

We believe that while God has ordained both civil and spiritual government, each Christian is individually responsible to God and accountable to Him for his choices and behavior. This personal access to the Father through Jesus makes the believer responsible for:

Growth: Cultivate his personal relationship to God by learning to walk in repentance and by faith in the Holy Spirit to conform HIm to the image of Christ.

Priesthood: Function as a priest to God through personal praise, worship, and intercessory prayer.

Witness: Represent the Lord to those around Him through His life and words.

Service: Render all service to God voluntarily, joyfully, and from a free conscience.

EVANGELISM

We believe that implicit in God’s command to His people to be fruitful is the responsibility to proclaim the gospel, to make disciples to the Lord Jesus of all nations, to baptize new members, and to teach them to observe all of God’s commandments.

CHRIST’S RETURN

We believe that Jesus Christ will physically return to earth in power and glory. He will come to judge the living and the dead, rewarding the righteous and punishing the wicked. While there are many viewpoints concerning His second coming we believe Christians should lovingly look for His appearing, giving full attention to obedience to all that He has commanded until He comes.

JUDGEMENT

We believe that every person will stand before God and be judged at the end of this age. For the righteous this judgement will determine their reward. For the unrighteous, those who have lived a life of rebellion against God’s law and gospel, this judgement will determine their punishment. Heaven and hell are real.

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