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Doctrinal Statement

1. The Word of God

We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct (John 17: 17; Romans 15:4; II Timothy 3:16, 17; II Peter 1: 19-21).

2. 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 (Matthew 28:19; John 1:1-4; I John 5:7).

3. 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 lives of people, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ (John 3:16-17; Hebrews 1:2-3; I John 1:7).

4. Jesus Christ

We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. 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. We acknowledge Jesus Christ as our only Lord and Savior (Isaiah 7:14; John 1:14; Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 1:2-3; I John 1 :7).

5. The Holy Spirit

We believe in the Holy Spirit who convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and regenerates, sanctifies, and empowers 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 14:26; John 16:7-15; Romans 8:14-17; Ephesians 1:13-14).

6. Regeneration

We believe that all people are sinners by nature and by choice and are, therefore, under condemnation. We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit (John 1:12-12; John 3:3, 16-17; Acts 20:21; Ephesians 2:1-9; Titus 3:5).

7. 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 a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of faith, and associated for worship, ministries and fellowship. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of presenting the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world (Matthew 16:16-18; Acts 2:38-41; Ephesians 2:19-22 &5:25-27).

8. Christian Conduct

We believe that a Christian should live for the glory of God and the well-being of others; that this conduct should be blameless before the world; that he/she should be a faithful steward of the possessions given to him/her; should strive to grow in faith, to mature in Christ, and to help others to do likewise (II Corinthians 9:6-8; Ephesians 4:11-16; Philippians 2:14-16; Colossians 3:17-23; I Thessalonians 5:16-18).

9. 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 into 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 until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:41-42; Romans 6:3-5; I Corinthians 11:23-32).

10. Baptism

Baptism is a significant event in our spiritual lives. Our desire is to make clear what we believe about baptism and to invite you to consider baptism for yourself.

  1. We believe in the "Believers' Baptism."
  2. We believe that a person who is going to be baptized must give a credible confession of faith in Jesus Christ. The biblical pattern for baptism is that people first believed in Jesus and then were baptized as an outward confession of that new faith (c.f., Acts 8:12).
  3. We believe in baptism by immersion.
  4. The original Greek word baptizo literally means to immerse. Baptism by immersion was the way people were baptized in the Bible. Baptism by immersion best symbolizes our death, burial, and resurrection with Christ Jesus (c.f., Romans 6:1-10).
  5. We believe that baptism is an act of obedience to Christ and submission to His authority.
  6. In Matthew 28:18-20, the Great Commission, Jesus Christ commanded us to make disciples, baptizing them as an act of identification with Christ Jesus, and teaching them to obey His commands.
  7. We do not believe that baptism saves us.
  8. The Bible makes it clear that salvation is an act of God's grace and comes through faith in Jesus Christ alone (c.f., Ephesians 2:2-9). Baptism is an outward demonstration of an inner reality.

11. Religious Liberty

We believe that every human being has direct access to God through Jesus Christ and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; that each 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.

12. 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 of the righteous, and the endless suffering of the wicked (John 5:28-29; Revelation 20:1-15; II Corinthians 5:10; Matthew 25:31-46).