GOD. There is ONE God, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. He is holy. He exists eternally as three distinct Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—who function together in perfect unity as one Godhead.
JESUS. Jesus, God’s one and only Son, was begotten by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He is the Messiah promised in Hebrew scriptures. By his death on a Cross, He became our Sin-Bearer, providing forgiveness to all who put their trust in Him. After three days, He rose from the grave and now sits at the right hand of the Father.
THE HOLY SPIRIT. The Holy Spirit shares deity with the Father and Son. He is a Counselor who convicts of sin, leads believers into truth, and enables us to exercise spiritual gifts that go beyond natural gifts in order to build up the Body of Christ and bring others to salvation through Christ.
THE BIBLE. The Bible is God’s Word and forms the foundation that shapes all of our doctrinal beliefs. It is inspired by God, reliable, and eternal. It shows us how life is intended to work...and helps us become mature in our walk with God.
THE CHURCH. The Church is not a building; it actually consists of all who are trusting in Jesus Christ—made up of people from every nation, race, and language. There should be unity within the Church—even among different congregations—so long as they agree on things essential to salvation and do not compromise the authority of Scripture.
SALVATION. Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned”—which doesn’t mean we are necessarily as bad as we could possibly be; it means we have missed the bullseye, fallen short of the perfection needed to live in God’s Presence. Without some sort of cure, we are destined for destruction. But God loves humanity so much that He has provided the Way for us to be forgiven and fit for His Presence: trust in Jesus’ perfect sacrifice on the Cross. He became our Sin-Bearer; our part is simply to stretch out our hand and receive God’s gift. “Jesus said..., ‘I am the one who brings people back to life, and I am life itself. Those who believe in me will live even if they die. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die’” (John 11:25,26 GW translation).
OUR FULL STATEMENT OF BELIEFS would include everything the Bible teaches, but our basic stance is to be very solid on things essential for a right relationship with God—how a person can know he or she is right with God—while allowing latitude on things not essential to salvation. For example, we don’t hold rigid views on what end times look like, how the Holy Spirit manifests Himself in our time, what kind of music or style of preaching is appropriate, whether Providence or free will dominates, etc. We work hard to make our congregation a safe place for anyone seeking God.