Our Beliefs

Our desire is not to “reinvent” church or how we “do church”. Our church’s main mission is to point lives to Lord Jesus Christ and develop their personal relationship with Him. It is our desire that we accomplish this mission through a Biblical pattern. Our goal is to pattern what we do, as a church, on the early church in Acts 2:42-47 and to emphasize these five “basics” of church life and the Christian life:

Discipleship in the word (vs. 42)

Because we believe that God speaks to us directly through His Word and that His Word has everything that we need to live godly in this world, we will preach the Word of God in our services, we will teach the Word of God in a variety of ways that readily applies to daily life, and we will encourage and challenge each individual to be growing through the consistent reading and studying of God’s Word.

Worship that exalts God (vs. 42, 47)

Because we believe that God alone is worthy of our worship, we will corporately worship in a way that draws attention to Him and Him alone and stirs our passions toward Him. Because we believe that we are commanded to pray, we will pray together and encourage the discipline of prayer in the lives of each person associated with our church.

Fellowship with each other (vs. 42, 46)

Because we believe that we are to be relationally involved in each other’s lives, we will encourage and stimulate fellowship among the body of Christ. This type of fellowship will create bonds of love that cannot easily be broken, accountability within the body of Christ, and a means by which care can be demonstrated.

Ministry to each other and to those outside our fellowship (vs. 44-45)

Because God has given each of us talents and abilities to be carefully used for His purposes, we will encourage the use of these talents and abilities to minister to each other within the body of Christ and to those who are not a part of this body to accomplish our God-given mission of pointing lives to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Evangelization of the lost (vs. 47)

Because we recognize that we are called to reach out to the world around us we will work to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our community, our nation and throughout our world through a variety of mission endeavors and our personal witness to the glory and power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We simply desire to be a group of growing, God-honoring believers. One of the identifying marks of a God-honoring church is the maturity of those who make up the church. In order to facilitate the spiritual growth of our members, we will preach and teach the Word of God to our people and we will worship together in an atmosphere that directs our attention to the greatness and glory of our great God. We will seek to avoid dangerous practices such as employing trendy church growth models that employ a “growth at all costs mentality”, teaching that God’s Word is only found in one translation, using anything else but God’s Word for the care and cure of souls and any other practice or method that is contrary to God’s Word.

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The following comprise the Scriptural beliefs of this church and its members.

God
There is one true God, who has always existed and never changes (Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Timothy 1:17; James 1:17). He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and present everywhere. Though He is one God, He reveals Himself in three Persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—each fully and equally God (1 John 4:4).
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the one and only Savior of mankind (Isaiah 43:11; John 1:29). He is eternally God, possessing all the attributes of Deity (John 1:1–3, 14; Philippians 2:5–11). Born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:26–35), He came to reveal God, redeem mankind, and rule over God’s kingdom (Micah 5:2; Psalm 2:7–9). In becoming man, He did not stop being God, but veiled His glory while living a perfect, sinless life (Hebrews 7:26; 1 Peter 1:19).
 
At the cross, Jesus offered Himself as the perfect substitute for our sins, shedding His blood to fully satisfy God’s justice and make forgiveness possible (Romans 3:19–25; 5:6–15; 1 Peter 2:24). God accepted His sacrifice, proven by His resurrection from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). After rising, He ascended to Heaven and is now seated at the Father’s right hand, awaiting the moment He will return for His church at the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18). Seven years later, He will return to earth to rule and reign as King for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1–6).
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is a divine Person with personality and all the attributes of God (Genesis 1:2; John 14:16). He has always been active in the world, yet since Pentecost has carried out a special ministry that will continue until the rapture (Acts 1:5; 11:15). This ministry includes convicting the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8–11). He also regenerates, sanctifies, seals, and fills all who place their faith in Jesus Christ (John 3:5–6; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19–20; 12:13).
The Bible
The Bible is God’s perfect Word—fully inspired by Him and without error from beginning to end (2 Timothy 3:15–17; 2 Peter 1:19–21). The 66 books from Genesis to Revelation are His complete written revelation to mankind, and He has promised to preserve His words through every generation (Psalm 12:6–7; 1 Peter 1:23–25). For English-speaking people, the King James Version is God’s preserved Word, translated from the correct texts, and is the only translation used in our church.
Sin and Salvation
All people are born with a sin nature inherited from Adam (Genesis 5:1–5; Romans 5:12). Because of this nature, every person chooses to sin and is completely unable to change or save themselves by their own efforts (Romans 3:10–23; Ephesians 2:8–9). The only hope for deliverance is to recognize one’s sinful condition and turn to Jesus Christ as the only Savior (Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9–10).
 
Salvation is possible only through the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ on the cross, where He paid the penalty for our sins (Romans 5:6–8; Titus 3:5–6). Those who reject Jesus Christ remain under condemnation and face an eternity in the lake of fire (Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:11–14).
The Church
The church began when Jesus Christ called out the twelve apostles and was empowered by the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Matthew 16:16–18; Acts 1:15; 2:41–43; 11:15). The local church is made up of believers who have been saved and baptized according to Christ’s command, and who have voluntarily united for worship, fellowship, service, and the observance of baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:28; 1 Timothy 3:14–15).
 
Membership in and faithful attendance to a local church are vital for every believer, providing spiritual growth, accountability, and a place to serve within the body of Christ (Ephesians 5:25–30; Hebrews 10:24–25).