What We Believe

We believe in the sovereign God, who in holy love creates, sustains, and orders all. We worship the one true God eternally existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God has brought salvation and new life to humanity through Jesus Christ and is pleased with all who draw near by faith.
 (Psalm 116:5, 1 John 4:7-9)

We believe Jesus Christ is the Savior and Lord of the world, the incarnate Son of God.  Through Jesus’ atonement on the cross, humanity is delivered from the stronghold of sin and reconciled to God.  Through Jesus’ resurrection from the grave, Jesus is exalted as almighty, the head of the church, and Lord of all life.
(Isaiah 53:5, Philippians 2:5-11, Hebrews 12:2)

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the eternal Spirit of God, who glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit convicts people of sin, calls them to repentance and baptizes them into union with Christ and His Church.  By the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Church is brought to unity in doctrine and action.  The Holy Spirit empowers us for service, comforts us in suffering, is present with us in times of persecution, intercedes for us in our weakness, guarantees the redemption of our bodies, and assures the future redemption of creation. (John 14:16, Romans 5:5)

We believe that all scripture is God-breathed through the Holy Spirit for instruction in salvation, training in righteousness, and is without error.  All scripture reveals God's search for humankind, which is culminated in God's redemptive act in and through Christ.  Scripture is fully reliable and trustworthy for all doctrinal and moral decisions.  Led by the Holy Spirit in the community, we interpret Scripture through the revelation of Jesus Christ. (John 20:30-31, 2 Timothy 3:16)

We believe that, in our humanity, we are fallen, sinful, and broken people. Only through Christ's sacrifice; the shed blood and broken body, are we atoned for our sins and reconciled to God.  Salvation occurs then, by the power of God's grace, when we fully surrender our sinful nature to God, accepting Christ's selfless act, and turn from our sinfulness, into new life in Jesus.
(1 John 2:2, Ephesians 2:8, Acts 3:19)

We believe that those who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are the one true church.  Together the church constitutes the body of Christ with Jesus as the head.  The church is the new community of disciples sent into the world to proclaim the kingdom of God and to display the hope of Jesus.  Jesus has commissioned the church to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them, and teaching them to observe all things he has commanded.
(Colossians 1:15-20, Matthew 28)

We believe that in the beginning, God created the universe and all that is in it through His Son. The heavens and earth were called into being as an expression of His love, witnessing to the eternal power and divine nature of God.  
(Jeremiah 10:12, Psalm 33:9)

We believe that God created human beings in His divine image, for His glory, filled with His breath, the ability to respond faithfully to God, to live in harmony with other human beings, and to engage in meaningful worship, work and rest. 
(Genesis 1:26-27, Psalm 8:3-6, Psalm 139:14)

We believe that beginning with Adam and Eve, humanity disobeyed God, gave way to the tempter, chose sin, fell short of the Creator’s intent, and marred the image of God in which they were created. Falling into sin, humans brought depravity and death upon the race and as sinners, human beings are self-centered and self-willed, as well as unwilling and unable to break with sin.
(Isaiah 64:6, Romans 3:23, Galatians 5:19-21)

We believe in the Kingdom of God.  The church lives under God’s rule in the present tense, as we worship Jesus as Lord, giving ultimate allegiance to Jesus, living out a foretaste of the Kingdom of God.  The church anticipates the fulfillment of God’s Kingdom in the future tense, through Jesus’ Second Advent; in the context of this event, all creation will witness the judgment of the living and the dead, the end of the present age, a new heaven and a new earth, the fulfillment of God’s Kingdom through God’s final victory, as we live with Jesus forever, in righteousness and peace.
(1 Corinthians 14:26, Ephesians 1:22-23, 1 Peter 2:5)