What We Believe

The Bible

We believe that the 66 books of the Bible are the Word of God, divinely inspired, and without error in the original manuscripts. The Bible has been preserved by God, and it is the authoritative standard in all matters of faith and conduct for every life and every age.

The Trinity

We believe that there is only one true God, the maker and supreme ruler of heaven and earth, inexpressibly glorious in holiness and worthy of all honor, praise, and love: eternally existing in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—equal in every divine perfection but distinct in function.

God the Father

We believe in God the Father, an infinite personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, justice, power, and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of humanity, that He hears and answers prayers, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ in the flesh was both God and man; He was born of a virgin and lived a sinless life in which He confirmed all He taught with mighty works, wonders, and signs as revealed in the four Gospels; He was crucified, died to pay the penalty for our sin, and was raised from the dead bodily on the third day. Later, He ascended to the Father's right hand where He is head of the church and intercedes for believers. He is coming again personally, bodily, and visibly to this earth to establish and reign over His kingdom.

Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person, is God, and possesses all the divine attributes. The Spirit indwells all believers at the moment of salvation and baptizes them into the body of Christ. The Spirit fills and supernaturally empowers believers for service and imparts spiritual gifts individually as the Spirit wills for the edification and healthy function of the body of Christ.

Humanity

We believe that although created in God's image, all men and women, because of being born into sin and practicing sin, are separated from Him and His purpose for their lives and are subject to His wrath apart from salvation through Jesus Christ.

Salvation

We believe that salvation is possible only through personal appropriation of the shed blood of Jesus, who died once for the sins of all people in all generations. Salvation is wholly by grace through faith and is entirely apart from humanity's effort or good works. We believe that salvation is the forgiveness of sin, adoption into the family of God, eternal life, the impartation of a new nature, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and entrance into a personal relationship with God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that true believers give evidence of their salvation by growing in good works, in the conviction of sin, and in Christ-like character.

The Church

We believe that the Church is the precious bride of Christ for whom Jesus will return, and that it is the Body of Christ of which Jesus is the head and ruler. We believe that this Body of Christ is manifested through local congregations of baptized believers. We recognize the gifts and callings of both men and women as equal to serve in ministry and leadership capacities within the church, both as laypersons and clergy.

A free church in a free state is the Christian ideal, and this implies the right of free and unhindered access to God on the part of all men and women, and the right to form and propagate opinions in the sphere of religion without interference by the civil power.

We believe that Jesus Christ stipulates two ordinances for the local church to observe: baptism and the Lord's Supper. Both ordinances are symbolic practices, and neither is necessary for salvation. We believe that baptism is the immersion of a believer in water, under the authority of the local church, to symbolize the believer's unity with Christ. Through baptism, the believer gives a public testimony of his or her faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior. We believe that the Lord's Supper is the commemoration of His death by born-again Christians until He comes and should be preceded by self-examination. We believe that, following salvation, every believer should seek the membership, fellowship, and discipleship of a local church. Church membership involves commitment to the work and ministries of the Church through personal involvement and financial support.