Our Beliefs
God
God is one being, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Spirit. God is love. God is spirit, being both immanent and transcendent. God is all knowing, all present, all powerful, and all good. God is glorious and worthy of all our praise.
Gen. 1:1-2; Deut. 6:4; Ps. 147:4-5; Is. 6:3; 57:15; Matt. 3:16-17; 28:19; John 4:16; Acts 17:24-28; Rom. 8:28; 1 John 4:8, 16; Rev. 4:8
Father
God the Father is the first person of the Trinity. The Father is the Creator of the cosmos and Author of Life. The Father is sovereign over all. The Father is for us and has an eternal plan which he is working out for the redemption of the world.
Gen. 1:1, 26-27; 12:1-3; Mal. 2:10; Rom. 8:28-30
Son
God the Son is the second person of the Trinity sent by the Father, whom we know as Jesus. Jesus is the image of the invisible God. Jesus is fully God and fully man. Jesus lived a sinless life, and died the death that we deserve, so that we can have a saving relationship with God. Jesus rose again on the third day and appeared to over 500 people before ascending into heaven, where he now sits at the right hand of God. Jesus is our Lord and Savior.
John 1:1-5, 14, 16; 3:16; 17:18; Rom. 5:8-10; 6:23; 1 Cor. 15:3-6; Phil. 2:6-7; Col. 1:15-20; 2:9
Holy Spirit
God the Spirit is the third person of the Trinity sent by the Father and Son. The Holy Spirit is our Counselor, Advocate, and Helper, convicting us of our sin and revealing Jesus to us. The Holy Spirit is the full presence of God in those of us who follow Jesus. The Holy Spirit helps us pray, empowers us, and gifts us to join God in his mission to redeem the world. The Holy Spirit inspired the human authors who recorded the Bible, and the Holy Spirit helps us understand the Bible when we read it today.
John 14:26; 15:26; 16:7-14; Rom. 8:26-27; 1 Cor. 12:7-11
The Bible
The Bible is inspired by God and written by human authors. The Bible is authoritative and true. The Bible is reliable because every text in the Bible accurately communicates truth given the author’s intent and original audience’s understanding. The Bible captures the story of God and our role in his story. Recognizing God’s way is best, we yield to the Bible in all matters to which it speaks, including: morality, relationships, sexuality, and leadership.
Humanity
Humanity, male and female, is the Image of God, and is thus charged with representing God to all of creation. We are created by God for a relationship with him, but our sin separates us from God. We are incapable of regaining a relationship with God based on our own efforts. We are created for relationship with one another. We are created for a divine purpose.
Gen. 1:26-27; 2:18; Rom. 3:23; Eph. 2:1-3, 10; James 3:9
Salvation
We are saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation is God’s free gift to us while we are still sinners, and we receive his gift through confessing Jesus as Lord and believing God raised him from the dead. It is by the work of the Holy Spirit that we repent of our sins, receive Jesus, and follow him. Through Jesus, we are saved from a life of sin and death and saved for a life of fulfillment and purpose.
Rom. 5:8; 10:9-10; Eph. 2:8-10
The Church
The Church is the community of the saved people of God, which gathers in local churches all across the world. The Bible often refers to the Church as a family and a body, of which Jesus is the head. The Church is built by Jesus and sent by Jesus to carry out God’s mission to redeem the world.
Matt. 16:18; 28:18-20; John 17:18; 20:21
Baptism
As followers of Jesus, we are baptized as a public declaration of our faith. Baptism is a visible representation of an inward reality. When we are baptized--immersed in water--we symbolically die to our old life of sin and rise to new life with Jesus. Baptism is an act of surrender, obedience, and commitment to Jesus, so we celebrate together when someone is baptized.
Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 2:38; Rom. 6:3-4; Col. 2:12
Communion
As followers of Jesus, we remember and celebrate Jesus’ sacrificial death for us by taking Communion. The bread is a symbol of Jesus’ body that was given for us, and the juice is a symbol of Jesus’ blood shed for us.
Matt. 26:26-28; Luke 22:19-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-26
The Future
We eagerly await Jesus’ return, the resurrection of the dead, and life with God forever in the new heaven and new earth.