What We Believe

Basic Doctrinal Beliefs

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 of whom is fully God, yet there is one God.

God has made Himself known to the world in Jesus Christ, the Scriptures, and creation.

We believe that God created the world from nothing and governs all things at all times in all places.

We believe that all humanity is created in the image of God and possesses intrinsic dignity and worth.

We believe that sin has fractured all things, leaving the world in desperate need of salvation.

We believe that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

We believe that the Church is the body of Christ sent into the world to shine forth the glory of God.

We believe that Jesus Christ is returning to the world in the future to judge the living and the dead.

Theological Distinctives

Men and women are absolutely 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. As it relates to the church, men and women are both expected to lead; however, the office of elder is reserved for qualified men (1 Tim. 3; Titus 1).

The salvation of humanity is fundamentally the work of God. Before the foundation of the world, God elected His people, setting His affection and grace upon them (Rom. 8:29-30). In love God predestined His people for adoption (Eph. 1:4-6). Faith is a gift of grace that is given by the mercy and pleasure of God, so that no one may boast. Apart from the intervention of God, humanity cannot choose of his own accord to worship God and pursue righteousness (Rom. 3; Eph. 2:1-3). God’s sovereignty in salvation is comprehensive: from first to last, all of salvation is the work of God.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit that we see on display in the New Testament are still active within the life of the church. These gifts did not end with the close of the New Testament or the death of the last apostle (1 Cor. 12:1-11).

The precedent we find in the New Testament is baptism following conversion by immersion into water. Baptism by immersion is meant to symbolically depict the believer’s real union to Christ in His death and resurrection (Rom. 6:1-14).