Mission & Values

It's important to know what the church does and doesn't believe. We've summarized our beliefs below and will continue to discuss them in church.

‍Why Bother with Doctrine?
‍We have a responsibility as the church to hold fast to the truth God revealed to us in Jesus, and to guard it from the subtle corruption of theological error.
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‍And from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears. (Acts 20:30-31)

By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you. (2 Timothy 1:14)

You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. (2 Peter 3:17)

You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you. (Deuteronomy 4:2)

‍Therefore, clearly the New Testament writers themselves were concerned with doctrine in an effort to keep the church pure and to preserve the Gospel.

We are careful with doctrine because the Scriptures admonish us to be, and because we desire to guard the Gospel from being corrupted. This means that we turn to the Scriptures first and foremost, and that we trust them to be our reliable guide for salvation and for new life in Jesus. Our desire is to honor God in what He laid out in the Scriptures and not use the Gospel as a tool for manipulation.

The Holy Bible is the inspired, self-revelation of God. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction that reveals the principles by which God judges humanity. It is the supreme authority of conduct, it contains the revelation necessary for salvation, is sufficient for godly living, is inerrant in its entirety, and its truths are accessible to the open and humble. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the primary focus of divine revelation. (Psalms 19:7-10; Matthew 5:17-18; 22:29; Luke 24:27, 24:44-48; John 5:39; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21)

Dignity
God created humanity in His image, bestowing upon them value and dignity above all creation. The possession of His image gives all humanity inherent worth and responsibility. Thus, all human life, from conception to death, is dignified and sacred. God created male and female distinct from, yet equal to, one another in order to reflect the unity and diversity found in His triune nature. They are given the ability to cause creation to flourish, the privilege of reaping from creation, and the task of stewardship over creation for its good and flourishing. The possession of God’s image also endows humanity with decision making, resulting in moral implications that are either glorifying or rebellious towards God. We believe that marriage is exclusively between one man and one woman. (Genesis 1:26-28; 2:24; 9:6; Psalm 8:3-8; 139:14; Matthew 6:26-30; James 3:9)

‍Depravity
‍As representatives of humanity, the first humans (Adam and Eve) were created good and were given the choice to obey or disobey God. Through Satan’s deception, Adam and Eve decided to disobey and its effects have continued since then. Creation itself has been fractured by this rebellion. Death entered the world, just as God had warned it would if humanity chose to rebel against Him. As God’s image bearers, humanity is now distorted in how it reflects God though they still possess his image. Every part of humanity’s thoughts, beliefs, and actions have been affected by sin. (Genesis 3:1-23; Ecclesiastes 7:29; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 1:18-32; 3:9-20, 3:23; Titus 1:15)

God created humanity to be in relationship with Him though He is superior in every way. God is holy and has the right to hold humanity accountable for sin, yet He lovingly provides a way of escape from eternal judgment in hell. Salvation is God’s deliverance of humanity from His wrath through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.All of humanity has rebelled against God and is condemned to eternal death and separation from Him. Jesus was sent to die in the place of condemned sinners to make it possible for them to be brought back into a right relationship with their Creator. Through faith in Jesus, who was raised from the dead, humanity can experience God’s forgiveness and have hope of eternal life with Him.

When a person repents of their sin and believes in Jesus they are “born-again” by the power of the Holy Spirit. This means that the Spirit of God dwells within and enables the believer to live a transformed life that honors the Lord. The believer is sealed by the Holy Spirit for the day of Christ’s return and is assured of being spared from God’s wrath. After Christ’s return, believers will dwell with God forever.We believe that God's grace is not given in response to human effort or worthiness, but is the provision of God's mercy and love freely given to those who believe in His Son. Grace gives to us what we do not deserve nor can earn by our performance. It is by God’s grace that a person is able to experience forgiveness and a right relationship with Him. Believers in Jesus Christ stand in the grace of God, and by it, they have hope. For those in Christ, grace abounds far beyond sin and its consequences, to the end that condemned sinners are now able to have eternal life through Jesus Christ. (Luke 24:46-47; Romans 3:24-28; 5:1-21; Ephesians 2:1-10)

The Church
A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers observing the two ordinances (baptism and communion) of Christ; maturing in wisdom and character; exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word; and seeking to extend the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Each congregation and each member is accountable to Jesus Christ and His will as revealed in Scripture. The scriptural officers of a local church are elders and deacons. (Matthew 16:15-19; 18:15-20; Acts 2:41-47; 15:1-30; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 3:16; 5:4-5; 5:12; Ephesians 2:11-22; 3:8-11; 1 Timothy 3:1-15; Hebrews 11:39-40; Revelation 19-21)

‍The Kingdom
The Kingdom of God signifies God’s rule and reign on earth. The role of the Church is to be ambassadors of this kingdom — living in light of God’s rule and spreading His message. His message is the Good News that the King has come in the person of Jesus, who inaugurated God’s Kingdom through His earthly ministry by teaching and embodying the virtues of the Kingdom. He reigns as Lord in the lives of all who believe in Him and He empowers the Church to live out the Kingdom virtues by His Spirit. The Kingdom of God is both social and personal, spiritual and physical, diverse and unified. The Kingdom will be fully realized at the second coming of Jesus Christ. (Isaiah 9:6-7; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Matthew 5:1-7:28; Luke 17:20-31; 1 Timothy 1:17; Revelation 1:6, 1:9; 5:10; 7:9-10; 11:15)

God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord. (Matthew 16:27; 18:8-9; 19:28; 24:1-35; Luke 17:22-37; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 2 Peter 3:7-18; Revelation 20:1-22:13)