What We Believe

Core Beliefs

God

God is our loving Creator who has made himself known as the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
God has chosen to be in relationship with his creation and bring us into his kingdom through Jesus. He made himself known to his chosen people Israel, and to Israel sent his Son Jesus to be the Christ.

Jesus

Jesus Christ, who was himself God and God’s only Son, took on flesh (through the Holy Spirit and a miraculous virgin birth) and was crucified, buried, resurrected, and ascended into heaven.  
Jesus was sent through God’s love and grace to be Savior to a hurting, broken, and sin-filled world. He willingly died on a cross so we might receive forgiveness and be made right with God. God’s power resurrected Jesus on the third day and has made him Lord of all. Jesus has ascended to God’s right hand and we await his return at the last day. God’s story of salvation in Jesus is what we refer to as the gospel (which means “good news”).

Holy Spirit

God’s Spirit is called the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of Truth, and is a part of the Godhead, or Trinity, (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit).  The prophet Joel proclaimed that in the last days the Holy Spirit would be poured out on all believers, residing in the heart of each Christ-follower as the Comforter, Advocate, Counselor, and Helper, guiding them into all truth. The Holy Spirit is eternally co-existent with the Father and the Son, was present at Creation and appears numerous times throughout the Bible.  He is depicted powerfully at the baptism of Jesus, at the launch of the church as a mighty wind and miracle worker, and as a promised gift to baptized believers.  This promised Holy Spirit marks or seals believers and is a deposit, guaranteeing their eternal inheritance until the final redemption of God’s people in heaven.

Salvation

We are saved by God’s gift of grace through our faith in Jesus.
Grace is a word for what God gives us freely to forgive us and bring us into relationship with Him through Jesus. It can never be earned through religion or good deeds. Faith is a word for our response to grace, meaning we believe in him, accept his rule in our life, and choose to be a Christ-follower.

Baptism

Those who choose to be a Christ-follower are invited by him to be baptized.  
Baptism is also God’s gracious action. It is a death to our old life and failings, and a new birth for any person choosing to give their lives to Christ. It is called a washing and renewal. It represents a desire for life-long commitment (what we call discipleship, which includes an active faith and high morality) to Christ. It is also the moment in which we are fully empowered and sealed by his Holy Spirit guaranteeing we will experience a bodily resurrection for an eternity in heaven with God.

The church

The church is a community of Christ-followers.
We are imperfect, normal people who are redeemed through the cross of Jesus. We are daily maturing as Christ-followers as the Holy Spirit leads and teaches us. Our gatherings celebrate God and encourage one another through the Bible, the Lord’s Supper, fellowship, accountability, and prayer. The church practices love and forgiveness to one another. It is this love and forgiveness that makes Christian community unique and is a glimpse of perfect community in heaven.

The Bible

The Holy Bible, and only the Bible, is the authoritative Word of God.  It alone is the final authority in determining all doctrinal truths. In its original writing it is inspired, infallible and inerrant
(2 Timothy 3:16-17; John 1:1; John 17:17; Proverbs 30:5).  
With the help of the Holy Spirit, we follow closely the teachings of both the Old and New Testaments as they reveal Jesus, seeking diligently to understand how it practically applies to our daily lives as
Christ-followers. We do so humbly, knowing we cannot follow perfectly or understand fully. We remain gracious and loving to others who with pure motives may interpret the Bible differently.

Our Purpose

As servants of Jesus, we follow his command to live loving, sacrificial, generous lives.
Each person following Christ has been gifted by the Holy Spirit to minister to the needs of others, and we try to do so daily. We are called to serve whomever is in physical, emotional, or spiritual need.

Our Mission

The Church remains sent on mission.
We are sent into the world to bring renewal and salvation in Jesus Christ to all people who choose him as savior and Lord.

The church's call to unity

Jesus and the New Testament call the church to unity.
We value diversity of background and thought to be present in our church, and choose to preserve unity around the non-negotiables mentioned above. We also choose to have a spirit of unity with all churches who hold to the gospel of Jesus with pure and godly motive even if we may disagree about certain beliefs or practices.