What We Believe

The Scriptures

We believe that the Scriptures given in both the Old Testament and the New Testament of the Bible are infallibly communicated to the human authors by the Holy Spirit of God and are without error in the original manuscripts. We believe that the Scriptures have been supernaturally preserved in order that we may know what to believe about God and what He requires from us. Therefore, we consider the Bible alone as our final rule and authority for all matters of faith and conduct.

The Godhead

We believe that God is spirit, eternal, all-powerful, and all wise. He is the living God and is alone in His pre-existence to the universe, separate from it, and supreme over it. He is unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, righteousness, and truth. We believe that God exists as three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and that these three are one having precisely the same nature, attributes, and perfections.

The Creation of the Universe

We believe that the universe, the earth, and all living things are the work of God in creation. Matter is not eternal but is the result of the spoken command of God. God is personal and distinct from His creation but is sovereign over it. God has intervened and does intervene supernaturally in the history of the world and has an ultimate plan for fulfilling the purpose for which it was created.

The Person of Jesus Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ, who was eternally the Son of God, became a man by taking a body of flesh. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and was born of a virgin. He retained His deity and was thus both God and man. He was sent by God to be a Savior for mankind and demonstrated His qualification for this role by living a perfect and sinless life. He died for our sins upon the cross, was buried, and rose bodily from the grave the third day. He subsequently ascended into heaven and is currently at the right hand of God where He is making intercession for His people.

The Plan of Salvation

We believe that every person is separated from God because of his sins. In this condition, man is not acceptable to God. Good works, good intentions or religious involvement cannot cancel a person’s sins. God does not desire for man to remain in his sinful condition and has provided a remedy through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ, who as a substitute bore the penalty of our sins on the cross. He suffered for our sins in order that we might be declared righteous by God, not as a result of our own works, but as a result of His finished work.

THE PROCLAMATION OF THE GOSPEL

We believe that the Lord Jesus has instructed his church to preach the gospel of God’s grace to all people. We believe that is our privilege and responsibility to present the good news of Jesus Christ to sinful people in order that they may come to trust him as their Savior by the power of the Holy Spirit. By this means only, they become a new creation in Christ and become members of his body, which is the church.

The Christian Hope

The Scriptures teach the soon return of Christ for His own people. When the Lord returns for them, those who are still alive will each receive their own glorified body, just like His and be taken to heaven to be with him. Believers who have died prior to this event have already gone to be with the Lord and will each receive, at this time, their own glorified body. The hope of His soon return motivates us as believers to live wholesome lives and enables us to endure the hardships of this life as good soldiers of Jesus Christ.

Worship Service

We have an open worship service on Sundays where the entire congregation is actively involved in the worship of God. Godly Christian men among us are free to lead us in worship through praise, a psalm, a hymn, a teaching, an exhortation, or a prayer, as led by the Holy Spirit and according to the guidelines of Scripture. Being led by the Spirit does not necessarily preclude individual preparation. Additionally, participation should be orderly, reverent, honoring to God and edifying to the Body. Periods of silence which may occur during this service should be viewed as opportunities for individual silent worship and meditation on our Lord.

The Lord's Supper

We observe the Lord's Supper as the central part of our worship service every week when we come together as a local church. We understand from Scripture that the Lord's Supper is a fellowship for believers whereby we corporately remember the Lord Jesus Christ and proclaim His death until He comes. Our invitation to share in this fellowship is extended to all true believers who are known to be of godly character, without regard to church membership. We normally introduce visiting believers to the assembly at the beginning of this meeting. The elements of the Lord’s Supper consist of a loaf of bread and a cup of wine (or grape juice), which are divinely appointed symbols representing our Lord's body and blood, which were given for us.

Baptism

The New Testament presents baptism as an act of obedience whereby, upon believing, a person publicly identifies himself with the Lord Jesus Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. We therefore believe baptism should be by immersion and administered to those who profess faith in Christ and should be performed at the earliest opportunity after conversion.

Spiritual Gifts

Spiritual gifts are enriched capacities for service given by Christ Jesus to believers for the building up of the Body of Christ, the church. Our exercise of these spiritual gifts is nothing more or less than Christ ministering through and to His Body. These enriched capacities manifest themselves in areas such as teaching, service, evangelism, helps, mercy, giving, discernment, administration, exhortation, and leadership; all for the work of service, edification, and unity in the body. No one is gifted in all areas, but each believer is gifted in at least one area. The more extraordinary gifts such as miracles, healing, and tongues are not essential for the normal function of the Body. Rather, they are sign gifts used by God primarily in the initial establishment of the church for authenticating its divine origin.

Elder Leadership

We believe that a plurality of leaders in the local church is most consistent with biblical precept and example. Leadership of the church consists of men whom God has raised up from within the local congregation to function as elders. We believe these elders are directly accountable to Jesus Christ and the assembly they serve.

Biblical Authority

The statement of “What We Believe” does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind, is the ultimate source of all that we believe.