What We Believe
Theology
Scripture
We believe the Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments in their entirety, to be the verbally inspired Word of God, inerrant in the original writing, the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of the world, and final authority for all faith and life.
God
We believe in one God, Creator of all things, infinite, perfect, and eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate. We believe that He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died on the cross as a sacrifice sufficient for the sins of the world, rose bodily from the dead, and ascended into heaven where He serves as our Mediator and Intercessor until He returns at the end of this age.
The Holy Spirit
We believe that the present ministry of the Holy Spirit is to reveal the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ; to convict individuals of sin; to regenerate the sinner who believes; and to indwell, guide, instruct, and empower the believer for Godly living and service.
Human Nature
We believe that man was created in the image of God and that his subsequent willful sin resulted in physical and spiritual death and in the necessity of a new birth for salvation.
Salvation
We believe that the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His Resurrection provide the only ground for salvation; that salvation is by God’s grace alone, complete and eternal; when individuals receive this gift of God through faith in Christ, they are born of the Holy Spirit and made children of God.
Sacraments
We believe that water baptism and communion are sacraments to be observed by the Church during the present age.
The Church
We believe that the Church Universal is composed of all persons who have been born again through saving faith in Jesus Christ and have therefore become members of the Body of Christ of which He is the Head. Furthermore, we believe that the local church should be the visible expression and should fulfill the purpose of the Church Universal in the world.
Christ’s Return
We believe in the imminent, bodily return of our Lord Jesus Christ and that this expectation should encourage the believer to lead a godly and fruitful life.
Eternal life/Judgment
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all the dead: of the believer to everlasting blessedness and eternal life in the presence of God, and of the unbeliever to judgment and everlasting punishment apart from God.
Values
Mind
Because we believe that truth does exist, we are committed to intellectual integrity and a rigorous quest for truth. We believe that when our minds are transformed by the truth, our lives will reflect the practical reality of that truth.
Word
We believe words are a vehicle of truth, a means by which God chose to communicate with humanity. Through careful analysis of the written word, we devote ourselves to discovering truth in the revealed word. Furthermore, since this written revelation was embodied in Jesus Christ, we find that we are transformed by seeking to understand and follow the living Word, namely Jesus Christ.
Gospel
The gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ for all people, the story of God’s redeeming purposes for all humanity, and the restoration of all things through Jesus Christ. This good news is relevant to our entire existence, including body and soul, because God is restoring the entire creation through Jesus Christ. Since we believe in this all-encompassing good news, we are committed to extending the redeeming grace of Jesus to everyone, whether or not they believe the gospel.
Worship
We are committed to worship because we believe that we were created to worship God. Just as the gospel is about all of life, so, too, worship is about living and learning. Through worship we celebrate the glory of God, confess our sins, and experience redeeming grace. In worship we are drawn into fellowship with God, we are united in community with one another, and we increase in our knowledge of God, who created us in his image.
Diversity
We are a congregation of diverse individuals, yet we are united by the good news of Jesus Christ. This good news has been articulated in Scripture and throughout the history of the church in a manner that transcends culture, politics, and denominational differences. As the church, we are committed to sharing the love of Jesus Christ with all people.
Community
We define church as those who are called out of the world, called into community, and sent back into the world. We are called out of our respective local communities to join another community, namely, the Body of Christ. This new community of Christ-followers shares the common goal of living out the good news and sharing the redeeming love of Jesus Christ with the whole world.
