Statement of Faith

Our Statement of Faith is a summary of what we believe - the doctrines that we unite around as a church.  We affirm it together when we gather, and it serves as the foundation for our teaching and preaching ministry.

 

Bible
We believe that all of the Bible, consisting of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is the inspired and sovereignly preserved Word of God.  It is without error, sufficient, and serves as the final authority for our faith and practice.

Triune God
We believe in one true and living God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  These three persons are completely equal in attributes, each with the same divine nature, yet they are each distinct persons.  The Triune God is wise, loving, merciful, faithful, patient, abundant in goodness and truth.  He is infinite in being and perfection, self-existent and self-sufficient.  He is the sovereign Creator of all things, and he upholds and governs all things. He is holy, and utterly opposed to sin; yet he graciously forgives the sin of his people.

God the Father
We believe in God the Father, Creator of heaven and earth; the eternal, almighty Lord of all.  He is the heavenly Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  And he is the Father of His people, having given them new birth in his Spirit.  He planned and arranged the salvation of His people, sent his Son into the world to save them, and adopts them into his family by his Spirit.  He has reserved a place for them in his presence, and will raise them from the dead into his kingdom to reign with him forever.

Jesus Christ
We believe in the deity of Christ, in his virgin birth, in his sinless life, in his miracles, in his vicarious and atoning death through his shed blood, in his bodily resurrection, in his ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in his personal return in power and glory.

Holy Spirit
We believe in the Person of the Holy Spirit.  Regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential for the salvation of lost and sinful man.  We believe the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, eternally existent with the Father and the Son; who draws God’s people to himself; indwells them and regenerates their hearts so that they can trust in Christ; fills and empowers them, producing fruit in their lives, so that they can grow to be more like Jesus; and seals them for the day of redemption, ensuring that they will persevere to the end.

Mankind
We believe that God created humanity, male and female, in His image, for his glory.  Divinely ordained differences between male and female reflect God’s original creation design and are meant for human good and human flourishing.  Humanity was created to know God, and to experience His fellowship, and to glorify him.

Sin
We believe that all mankind, beginning with Adam, have rebelled, sinned against God, and are wholly marred by sin and its consequences.  For these reasons, mankind is incapable of pleasing or having a productive relationship with God without having a supernatural spiritual rebirth.

Salvation
We believe that salvation from the penalty of our sin can only be attained through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who forgives our sin and declares us righteous by his grace, and not by works, or effort, or merit.  Saving faith is always accompanied by true repentance.  Because of God’s sustaining power, every true believer will persevere to the end.

Judgment
We believe that those who persist in their rebellion and rejection, and do not repent and believe the gospel, will experience eternal conscious punishment under the wrath of God in Hell.

Sanctification
We believe that sanctification is a progressive act of God's grace in us, conforming us to the image of his Son, starting with conversion and continuing by faith and repentance.  Genuine faith and repentance will inevitably result in obedience, forgiveness, and good works.

Christian Life
We believe that the Christian should strive, enabled by the Holy Spirit, to live a godly, holy life in this present evil world.  God accords to each the responsibility and privilege of discernment and the liberty of conscience which should be stewarded and exercised.

Family
We believe that God ordained marriage as a covenantal, lifelong union between one man and one woman, as husband and wife, and is meant to signify the covenant love between Christ and his bride, the church.  God’s revealed will for all people is chastity outside of marriage and fidelity within marriage.

Church
We believe in the Church, the body of believers that God has saved, and has called out of the world to live with him under His rule.  All believers are members of the universal, invisible church – the bride for whom Christ died.  The local church is an earthly, visible expression of the universal, invisible Church.  It is to be comprised of regenerate members, led by a plurality of elders, and served by deacons.

Sacraments
We believe in Baptism and the Lord’s Supper - the two sacraments ordained by Jesus to be practiced in the church. God’s people are to be baptized by true believers in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  And they are to enjoy the Lord’s Supper together regularly, as an ongoing act of remembering the death of Jesus Christ – his broken body and shed blood.

Christ’s Return
We believe in the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. That Jesus will return, in bodily form, to restore all things.  He will gather his people, who have repented of their sins and trusted in Christ, to reign together with him and enjoy him forever.  He will consign those who oppose him in unbelief to eternal conscious punishment in Hell.

 

 

Member Covenant

If our Statement of Faith is what we believe, our Member Covenant is how we intend to live.  A set of commitments that we make to one another, as fellow members of the church family. 

 

 

We will trust in Christ and walk with him together as a church family, striving to live lives of godliness and ongoing repentance that bring glory to God.

We will be devoted to one another in love, labor together for unity in the gospel, and forgive one another as we have been forgiven in Christ.

We will pray for, disciple, and watch over one another carefully.  We will exhort, help, admonish, and rebuke one another as necessary.

We will commit to the ministry of attendance, gathering regularly as a church to worship God, encourage one another, and observe the sacraments.

We will submit to the discipline and instruction of the church and receive correction with humility.  We will pray for our leaders, submit to them as they submit to Christ, and hold them accountable as they lead us in obedience to him.

We will rejoice with those who rejoice, celebrating the grace of God in their lives.  We will mourn with those who mourn and suffer, bearing their burdens and sorrows with compassion.

We will faithfully proclaim the gospel of Jesus, welcoming strangers with grace and hospitality, and actively seeking opportunities to share Christ with our family, friends, and neighbors.

We will strive, as the family of God, to teach and disciple the children under our care with diligence, raising them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

We will give cheerfully, regularly, and generously to support the ministry of the church, the needs of our neighbors, and the proclamation of the gospel around the world.

If we leave this congregation, we will continue to follow Jesus, and join another church as soon as possible that preaches the same gospel, where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word.  By his grace, we will follow Christ, in the fellowship of his church, until he returns.

Constitution

 

Our Constitution is our church's governing document.  It details why we exist, how we organize ourself, our membership, our leadership, and more.