We believe in one God eternally existing as one essence and three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Each person is fully, equally and eternally God, yet there is one God. While serving different functions, each person has precisely the same nature and attributes and is worthy of precisely the same worship, honor and praise. The entire Christian faith is bound together with the confession of God’s Trinitarian nature.
The Father is the first person of the Trinity, equal to the Son and the Holy Spirit who orders and directs all things according to His own purpose and pleasure.He is all powerful, all knowing, ever present, unchanging, completely worthy of our trust, and above all, Holy. He sustains all things in the universe without any means other than Himself. By His grace, He involves Himself in the affairs of mankind, hears and answers prayer, and saves from sin and death all that come to Him through Jesus Christ. He is loving, compassionate, and faithful to His people and His promises.
The Son is the second person of the Trinity equal to the Father and the Holy Spirit who by His virgin birth came to earth as one person, fully God and fully man, and lived a sinless life. His death on the cross is the only atonement for man’s sin. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended and sits at the right hand of the Father until He returns for the final judgment and consummation of the Kingdom. He is the only way to bring people back into a right relationship with God.
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead equal to the Father and the Son. He works to make men and women aware of their need for Jesus and provides them with the necessary power to live in accordance with the will of God. The Holy Spirit indwells every believer from the moment of their salvation, although His influence is experienced and enhanced as the believer yields control to Him. He equips every believer for the work of God through the giving of spiritual gifts. He is actively at work today bringing about spiritual, emotional, and physical healing. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, empowers us to live in holiness and equips us to fight the powers of darkness. He works interdependently with the Word of God to give wisdom and guidance for everyday life situations.
We believe the Bible, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, are the inspired Word of God to all people. These writings alone constitute the verbally inspired Word of God, which is utterly authoritative and free from error. The Scripture is sufficient for all that God requires for us to believe and do and is therefore to be believed, as God’s instruction, in all that it teaches; obeyed, as God’s command, in all that it requires; and trusted, as God’s pledge, in all that it promises. As God’s people hear, believe and obey the Word, they are equipped as followers of Christ and witnesses to the gospel, which is the good news of Jesus Christ.
Man is made in the image of God and is the supreme object of His creation. Man was created to have fellowship with God but became separated in that relationship through sinful disobedience. As a result, man cannot attain a right relationship with God through his own effort. Every man and woman is equal in essence, dignity, and value, but are distinct by divine design. As part of God’s good created order, men and women are to have different yet complementary roles and responsibilities in the home and church. All are worthy of respect and Christian love.
Salvation is by grace, through faith alone, and is a gift from God apart from works of any kind. All who receive Jesus Christ are justified by His blood. Good works are not the means of salvation, but rather the response to salvation. The mind, will, body, and emotions are given a holy disposition and a new desire to serve God, the dominion of sin is broken, and the heart is transformed from a love of sin and self to a love of holiness and God. We believe that all who place their faith in Jesus Christ are eternally secure in Him. Once we have received salvation, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit and cannot lose the gift of eternal life.
We believe through baptism a person publicly affirms their faith in Jesus’ and identifies with His death, burial, and resurrection. We encourage parents to dedicate their children to the Lord with full anticipation that they will be baptized when they are able to personally articulate their faith in Jesus.
The ordinance of the Lord’s Supper (Communion) serves as a reminder and a testimony of Christ’s death on our behalf. We believe the communion elements represent His torn body and shed blood. Communion is reserved for believers in Jesus and should be participated in often.
Man was created to exist forever. He will exist either eternally separated from God by sin or in union with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is Heaven. Heaven and Hell are places of eternal existence.
The Church is God’s instrument for accomplishing His purpose on the earth and is a gathering of believers, meeting and experiencing God together in order to display His goodness wherever they go. It is committed to the teachings of Christ, obeying all of His commands, seeking to bring the Gospel to the world, and eagerly awaiting His return. The Church works together in love and unity, intent on the ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ, and restoring His people to right relationship with Him through Jesus Christ all for the glory of God.