We believe the sixty six books of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired and holy Word of God…God-breathed. The Bible is our textbook. It is our source of knowledge about God and Christ and contains all the truth necessary for understanding our way to salvation. (2 Timothy 3:16-17
; 2 Peter 1:20-21)
We believe God is one living and true God, but who forever (and mysteriously) exists in perfect community as three equal and fully divine Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each form of God, while having different but complementary roles in our lives, has the same nature, characteristics and being, and is worthy of equal praise and obedience. (Matthew 28:19-20; John 1:1-4; Acts 5:3-4)
We believe God the Father is the creator of the universe. He has unimaginable intelligence, infinite knowledge and is all-powerful. God has authority and control over all creation and yet desires to love us very personally as His children. (Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3; John 1:12-13)
We believe Jesus Christ is uniquely God’s Son—fully God and yet fully human, sent by God, to be born of Mary. He lived a sinless life and serves as our role model for life on earth. It is because of His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead that people are forgiven of their sins, brought into relationship with God, and promised real life here and now and eternal life to come. (John 14:9-12,19; 2 Corinthians 5:19)
We believe the Holy Spirit is God’s presence with us on earth today – our primary teacher, comforter and source of God’s power. The Holy Spirit came in a new and mighty way upon Christians at Pentecost and is present in the world today. The Holy Spirit convinces the world of sin and leads people to respond in faith to the Gospel message. (Acts 2; John 16:7-11; Romans 8)
We believe that because of rebellion against God going all the way back to Adam, all people sin, and therefore, deserve separation from God. People, on our own, can never overcome sin or please God. Jesus’ death on the cross was a sacrifice on our behalf, and makes possible our forgiveness and reconciliation with God. This is not because of anything we might do for God, but out of His grace and love for us. To repent from (be sorry for) our sins and trust in Jesus Christ are the only requirements for us to receive this gift from God of forgiveness and eternal life. (Romans 2:22-26,5:1; 2 Corinthians 5:21)
As the result of commitment to God through Jesus, we grow in faith. Our love for God and for one another becomes more complete, although we can never become sinless. As we grow in our Christian faith, our desire to please God and live like Jesus also grows. (Romans 8:29)
We believe that God desires for all of us as His children to spend eternity with Him in heaven. Jesus alone will judge our eternal destiny, but those who have not accepted Jesus’ offer of forgiveness and new life risk living apart from Him for all eternity. (2 Peter 3:9)
In baptism, we acknowledge and celebrate the grace of God, freely offered to us before we were even aware of it. We confess our sin, accept membership in the family of Christ, and vow to trust in and serve Jesus Christ. Baptism is the public sign of God’s covenant with us. It is a communal celebration; the congregation vows to nurture and support those being baptized—adults or infants. We believe baptism may occur at any age. We enter this world as imperfect beings in need of salvation, and it is through God’s grace that we can be in this covenant relationship with Him. When infants are presented for baptism, parents and the entire church pledge to surround the children with Christian care and teaching until the children profess and confirm their faith for themselves when older. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:38-39, 16:15,33)
We believe that communion is a remembrance of the suffering and death of Christ and a way of drawing Christians’ focus back to the essentials of faith on a regular basis. We believe in an open table—that all who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord are welcome to participate in this blessing from God. (Luke 22:14-21)