Our Beliefs

THE WORD OF GOD

We believe that the Bible is the Word of God fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts of the accepted 66 book canon, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. (John 10:35; 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21)

THE TRINITY

We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons, that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption. (Exodus 3:14; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; John 1:14,18; 14:11; 15:26; 1 Corinthians 8:4,6; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Galatians 4:6; 1 John 5:7)

GOD THE FATHER

We believe in God, the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of each person, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. (Psalms 95:3,6; Psalms 139:1-12; Isaiah 40:21-26; 48:12; John 7:37,38; Ephesians 1:3, 17-23)

JESUS CHRIST

We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in his full divinity and full humanity. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth. (Isaiah 52:11-53:12; Matthew 3:16-17; Mark 9:35; Acts 1:9; Hebrews 1:1-4)

THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher, and guide. (John 14:16-17, 26; 15:26-27; 16:7-14; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19; Galatians 5:22-26)

THE CREATION OF MANKIND

We believe that God created human beings, male and female, in his own image. Adam and Eve belonged to the created order that God himself declared to be very good, serving as God's agents to care for, manage, and govern creation, living in holy and devoted fellowship with their Maker. Adam and Eve were made to complement each other, and were given to one another in marriage, a one-flesh union between one man and one woman that establishes the only normative pattern of sexual relations for all men and all women. Marriage ultimately serves as a type of the union between Christ and his church. (Genesis 1:27-31; Matthew 19:3-9; Romans 7:2; Ephesians 5:22-33)

THE FALL OF MANKIND

We believe that Adam, made in the image of God, distorted that image and forfeited his original blessedness, for himself and all his progeny, by falling into sin through Satan's temptation. As a result, all human beings are spiritually dead, alienated from God, corrupted in every aspect of their being (physically, mentally, volitionally, emotionally, spiritually) and condemned finally and irrevocably to death—apart from God's own gracious intervention. We believe that all people are sinners by nature and by choice and are, therefore, under condemnation and subject to the just wrath of God. (Genesis 1:27, 31; 2:16; 3:6-24; 6:12; Psalms 51:5; Ecclesiastes 7:29; Isaiah 53:6; Ezekiel 18:19-20; Matthew 20:15; John 3:6; Acts 17:26-29; Romans 1:18,20,32; 2:1-16; 3:9-19; 5:12,15-19; 8:7; Galatians 3:10,22; Ephesians 2:1-3)

THE GOSPEL

We believe that the supreme need of all human beings is to be reconciled to the God under whose just and holy wrath we stand; the only hope of all human beings is the undeserved love of this same God, who alone can rescue us and restore us to himself. We believe that God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world, who humbled himself by taking the form of a man and living the perfect, sinless life that we could not live. God demonstrates His love for us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more than that, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God which was satisfied through Christ's death. We believe that those who are regenerated by the Holy Spirit repent of their sins and trust by faith in Jesus Christ for their salvation. They are thereby adopted as sons and daughters of God, given new life, new hearts, full righteousness in Christ, and become co-heirs of the Kingdom. (John 3:16; Acts 2:23; Romans 3:21-26; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:10-14; Ephesians 2:1-10; Hebrews 10:12-14; 1 Peter 1:18-21; 2:22-24; 1 John 1:9; 5:11-12; Romans 5:8; Phil 2; Romans 8:16-17; James 2:5)

THE CHURCH

We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of an assembly of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of faith, and associated for worship, work, and fellowship. We believe the scriptural offices of the church are elders (including pastors) and deacons. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of glorifying God by reflecting His gospel love to one another and to the world. (Deuteronomy 4:10; Matthew 16:18; 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; 9:31; Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:19; Ephesians 1:12, 22-23; 4:12-13; 5:16-19,25; Colossians 3:16; 2 Timothy 2:19)

CHRISTIAN CONDUCT

We believe that Christians should live for the glory of God and the well-being of others, that their conduct should be blameless before the world, that they should be faithful stewards of their possessions, and that they should seek to realize for themselves and others the full stature of maturity in Christ. (John 14:15, 23-24; Romans 12:1-3; 1 Corinthians 4:2; 10:31; 2 Corinthians 9:6-9; Colossians 1:9-10; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 John 2:3-6; Acts 4:32-37)

THE ORDINANCES

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church: baptism and the Lord's Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the triune God. We believe that the Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Matthew 28:19; Acts 10:47-48; Romans 6:4; 1 Cor 11:23-26; Mark 14:22-25; Matthew 26:26-29; Luke 22:18-20; Colossians 2:12)

SPIRITUAL ACCESS AND ACCOUNTABILITY

We believe that every regenerate human being has direct access to God through Christ and is accountable to God in all matters of faith. We also believe that God has given to the church the responsibility of keeping one another accountable to confess our common struggle with sin and our mutual need for God's mercy and grace; spur one another on toward maturity by encouraging and holding each other accountable to love, seek after, and obey God with all of our hearts, souls, minds, and strength; and to love others as we love ourselves. (Deuteronomy 6:5; Hebrews 10:24-25; James 5:16; 1 John 1:9; Ephesians 3:16-19; Matthew 22:37-40)

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

We believe each local church is independent and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority; that therefore Church and State must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its duties free from dictation or patronage of the other. (Acts 4:13-20; 1 Timothy 2:5)

CHURCH COOPERATION

We believe that local churches can promote the cause of Jesus Christ by cooperating with one another in a denominational organization. Such an organization, whether it is the Conference or a district conference, exists and functions by the will of the churches. Cooperation in a conference is voluntary and may be terminated at any time. Churches may likewise cooperate with other local churches on a voluntary, independent basis. (John 13:34; Ephesians 4:13; 5:27)

THE LAST THINGS

We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal joy and felicity of those made righteous by the blood of Christ, and the endless suffering of the unrighteous. (Matthew 16:27; Mark 14:62; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 1 Corinthians 15:1-58; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:15; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; 2 Timothy 4:1; Titus 2:13; Revelation 20:4-6, 11-15)