What We Believe

The Bible

We believe the sixty-six books of the Hebrew and Christian Testaments are the inspired and holy Word of God...God-breathed. The Bible is a unified story which leads to Jesus. It is our source of knowledge about our trinitarian God, the state of humanity, and contains all the truth necessary for understanding our way to salvation and knowing Jesus. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21)

The Trinity

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 has the same nature, characteristics and being, and is worthy of equal worship and obedience. (Matthew 28:19-20; John 1:1-4; Acts 5:3-4)

God the Father

We believe God the Father is the creator of the universe. He has unimaginable intelligence, infinite knowledge and is all-powerful. He is good, perfect in judgments, unchanging in mercy, and will not act contrary to His Nature. God has authority and control over all creation and yet desires to love us very personally as His children. (Exodus 34:6; Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3; John 1:12-13)

God the Son

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 masterfully guides his apprentices for life on earth. It is because of His death on the cross and bodily resurrection from the dead that people are forgiven of their sins, brought into relationship with God, and promised eternal life here and now and in the life to come. He ascended to the right hand of the Father and intercedes for us. (John 14:9-12; 2 Corinthians 5:19)

God the Holy Spirit

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 continues to work supernaturally in the world today in those who follow Jesus. 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)

Humankind

We believe that human beings were created in the image of God, male and female. This image was marred in every part through the disobedience of our first parents, and fellowship with God was broken. God, in His prevenient grace, restores moral sensibility to all humankind and enables all to respond to His love and to accept His saving grace, if they will. He calls us to community and vocation through both singleness and marriage of male and female.

Salvation

We believe that because of rebellion against God going all the way back to Adam, all people sin, and therefore separate themselves 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, through prevenient grace, our reception of God’s justifying grace - 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 (turn the direction of our lives away from) our sins and trust in Jesus Christ are the only requirements for us to receive this gift from God of forgiveness and eternal life. This can be sudden and dramatic, or gradual over time. We can have assurance of our salvation. (Romans 2:22-26; Romans 5:1; 2 Corinthians 5:21)

Holiness

As the result of the Holy Spirit’s presence and life of commitment to God through Jesus, we grow in faith and works. In God’s gracious justification, He also regenerates us as followers of Jesus to exhibit the gifts and fruit of the Spirit. As we grow in our Christian faith, our desire to please God and live like Jesus also grows. Our love for God and for one another becomes more perfect as we grow towards entire sanctification through God’s design for holy living in community. Lives lived contrary to the Holy Spirit and Scripture wreck relationships and have devastating personal, social, and global effects – especially for society’s most vulnerable. (Romans 8:29)

The Church

We believe that the Church is the people of God composed of all who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The Church is Christ’s body; it is visible in the world wherever believers, in obedience to the faith, hear the Word, receive the sacraments and live as disciples. We believe the Church is called to unity as it assists all those who experience a new birth in Jesus to deepen and grow in their relationship with Him, inviting the Holy Spirit to produce spiritual fruit within their lives as they similarly manifest the gifts of that Spirit. We believe that the Church is called to live in daily witness to the grace which comes to us in Jesus Christ, to preach the gospel to every person according to the command of Christ, and to declare God’s insistence upon righteousness and justice in all relationships and structures of human society. We believe the Church is called to introduce all people, without exception, to Jesus Christ, recognizing the mission in which we are engaged has eternal consequences. (Matthew 28:18-20, John 17:).

Priesthood of All Believers

We believe Christians share in Jesus Christ’s priestly status; therefore, there is no special class of people who mediate the knowledge, presence, and forgiveness of Christ to the rest of believers, and all believers have the right and authority to read, interpret, and apply the teachings of Scripture. All Christians are called to the mission of making disciples of Jesus while abiding by Jesus’ command to love your neighbor and Spirit’s call to serve through a local church. We believe this extends to both men and women who are called into ordained Christian ministry. We affirm the role of women in pastoral ministry and prominent leadership roles within the church, including ordained ministry. We believe the priesthood of all believers allows called and trained persons to administer the sacraments of Holy Communion and Baptism under the appointed authority (1 Peter 2:5–9).

Baptism

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 obedience to 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 and in any amount of water. 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; Ephesians 4:3-6)

Communion

We believe that communion is a remembrance of Christ, a communal and mysterious grace, and a way of encountering God on a regular basis through thanksgiving. We believe in an open table— that all who desire Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord are welcome to participate in this blessing from God. (Luke 22:14-21)