what we believe
WE BELIEVE . . .
in one God, revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
WE BELIEVE . . .
that our Lord Jesus Christ was begotten, not created, and was truly God and truly Man. He was born of the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, died a vicarious and atoning death for the sins of the world, resurrected bodily for our justification, and now reigns in glory until all things will be put under His feet.
WE BELIEVE . . .
that Scripture was given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit and is without error as the Spirit moved upon holy men of old. Furthermore, we believe that the church has no authority to establish any doctrine or practice contrary to these Scriptures, which were accepted as canon by the early Christian Church.
WE BELIEVE . . .
that man was made in the image of God and is the crowning feature of creation. We are now, because of the fall, spiritually depraved and alienated from our Creator. Apart from God’s grace, we have no ability to attain to His high calling.
WE BELIEVE . . .
that justification is by grace through faith in our Lord’s sacrifice on Calvary.
WE BELIEVE . . .
that the Christian Church is imperfectly represented on earth by various Christian institutions. While the unity of the Church is spiritual and its culture diverse, we believe its mission is eternal.
WE BELIEVE . . .
that the ministries of Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, and Teacher will function within the Body of Christ until the Lord returns. Furthermore, these ministries are gifts to the Church for the purpose of “equipping saints for the work of the ministry” and to edify every member of the Body of Christ.
WE BELIEVE . . .
the identity of the Body of Christ on earth is primarily recognized in the local church. While we encourage voluntarily associating with other local churches and agreeing on fundamental doctrines and conduct, we strongly confess that the local church is sovereign and autonomous.
WE BELIEVE . . .
in the right of local churches and ministries to form temporal institutions to assist in doing the work of God. At the same time, we reject sectarianism and divisiveness as great evils.
WE BELIEVE . . .
in the priesthood of the believer and that all people who are born of God have equal status and direct access to our Lord.
WE BELIEVE . . .
in the spiritual unity of all who are born of God. We confess this belief among those with whom we disagree, those who do not confess us, and others whom we exclude because of our unwilling ignorance.
WE BELIEVE . . .
that those who are called by the name of Christ should depart from all forms of unrighteous living. Understanding that salvation only begins the process of redemption, we acknowledge that an ongoing work of the Holy Spirit will create in us the character of Christ.
WE BELIEVE . . .
in the literal second coming of our Lord, that Christ will rule upon the earth, the righteous will be resurrected to eternal life and the unrighteous to eternal damnation, and the ultimate victory of the eternal Kingdom of God.