Our beliefs represent the foundation of our faith and our understanding of what the Bible proclaims as the essentials of Christianity. All of our values, behaviors, teachings and way of life flow out of these statements. Beyond this, we embrace St. Augustine’s philosophy, “In Essentials Unity, In Non-Essentials Liberty, In All Things Charity.”
Our Statement of Faith reflects the Hopewell Network of Churches statement, which we are affiliated with.
WE BELIEVE in one God, eternally existing as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Deut. 6:4, Heb. 11:6, Matt. 28:19)
WE BELIEVE in Jesus Christ as God who became flesh, born of a virgin. He lived a sinless life, was crucified for our sins, was resurrected from the dead, and ascended, sitting at the right hand of the Father as the exalted Lord and head of the church. (Eph. 1:22-23, Heb. 1:1-6, Phil. 2:5-8, Rom. 1:4, Col. 1:15-19, Jn. 1:14)
WE BELIEVE in the deity and person of the Holy Spirit, his indwelling presence, regenerating work, empowering baptism, spiritual gifts, and equipping ministry in the church today. (Ezek. 36:26; Joel 2:28-29, Acts 1:4-5, 2:1-18, Jn. 16:7-10, Jn. 14:26, Jn. 16:13)
WE BELIEVE that all Scripture is the inspired, infallible, authoritative Word of God, and is fully reliable and trustworthy. It is inerrant in the original text. (2 Tim. 3:16, 2 Peter 1:20-21, Gal. 1:11-12, Prov. 30:5, Jn. 10:35, Heb. 4:12)
WE BELIEVE God created the heavens and earth and all that is in them in six days. We believe that God has created human beings in his divine image with a special dignity accorded to them out of all the works of creation. They were made for relationship with God. (Gen 1:1, 31, Jn.1:3, Gen. 1:26-27, 31, Ps. 8:5-6, Gen. 3:8-9)
WE BELIEVE, beginning with Adam and Eve’s sinful rebellion, we have all received a sinful nature and been given over to the enslaving powers of evil and eternal death and separation from God. (Gen. 2 & 3, Rom. 1:21-32, Rom. 5-7, Ps. 14:2-3, Eph. 2:1, Rom. 3:12, 23 )
WE BELIEVE that, only through Jesus Christ, God offers salvation from sin and a new way of life. We receive God’s salvation and are born again by the Spirit of God when we repent and accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. It is by faith, through God’s grace, that we are saved. (Jn. 3:16, Acts 4:12, 1 Jn. 4:14, 2 Cor. 5:19, Matt. 26:28, Eph. 2:5-9, Rom. 3:20-31, Rom. 5, Heb. 2:14-14, Col. 2:13-15)
WE BELIEVE the church is a community of redeemed people worldwide under the Lordship of Jesus who meet regularly to be discipled, worship, share communion, fellowship, and carry out the great commission together. Jesus established the local church to function with ordained leaders and a form of governance that protects, guides, and releases people in their gifts to minister. The church functions under the theocratic rule of God with clearly defined elders. Local churches are accountable to apostolic leaders. (Acts 2:1-47, Acts 11, 1 Cor. 12:12-13, Gal. 3:26-29, Eph. 4)
WE BELIEVE that the mission of the church is to take the Gospel of the Kingdom to all the nations, making disciples of them, baptizing them, and teaching them to observe all things as commanded by Jesus Christ. The mission of the church includes ministry to the poor and helpless. (Acts 1:8, Matt. 28:18-20, Mk. 1:15, 2 Cor. 5:14, Eph. 2:17-20)
WE BELIEVE that the baptism of believers with water is a pledge of their covenant with God. It identifies them with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. It is a sign of their cleansing and freedom from sin, and their commitment to walk in the way of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. Immersion is the primary mode of baptism. (Rom. 6:1-6, Matt. 28:19, Acts 2:22-24, 36-41, Acts 8:26-39, Gal. 3:26-29, Col. 2:10-15)
WE BELIEVE that through the Lord’s Supper the church renews its covenant with God and with each other and participates in the life and death of Jesus Christ until he comes. (1 Cor. 11:23-32, 1 Cor. 10:16-17, Lk. 22:15-30, Jer. 31: 31-34 )
WE PRACTICE discipline in the church to liberate erring brothers and sisters from sin, and to restore them to a right relationship with God and to fellowship in the church. (Gal.6:1-2, Eph. 4:15, Matt. 18:15-22, Jn. 20:23, Deut.19:15, 1 Cor. 5:3-5, 2 Cor. 2:5-1 )
WE BELIEVE that God created humankind in His image, intentionally male and female (Genesis 1:27), with each bringing unique qualities to sexuality and relationships. Sexuality is a wonderful gift from God to be expressed in marriage for procreation, union, and mutual delight (Hebrews 13:4) or in celibacy in devotion to God (1 Corinthians 7:35). We believe that marriage is the union of one man and one woman and is a sacred covenant designed by God to be a lifelong relationship and commitment between a husband and a wife (Matthew 19:4-6). We will teach and uphold God’s marriage design but also seek to minister to those who suffer the consequences of its brokenness. We also affirm and believe and will teach the Scriptures which state that…
- Fornication, which is sexual relations prior to marriage, is sin. (1 Corinthians 6:18; I Thessalonians 4:3)
- Adultery, which is sexual relations outside of marriage, is sin. (Exodus 20:14, Matthew 5:27);
- Homosexuality, which is sexual relations between the same sex, is sin. (Leviticus 18:22, Romans 1:26-27);
- Involvement in pornography is sin. (Psalm 101:3, Matthew 5:29);
- Any kind of other sexual perversion is sin. (1 Corinthians 6:9, Galatians 5:19).
All of these are outside of God’s blessing and design for sexual expression. We further believe that sexual sins can be forgiven by God’s grace when those involved repent and turn from and seek deliverance from
these sins. (I Corinthians 6:11). We, as a church, will not support anything that…
- Promotes sexual immorality, or;
- Promotes the acceptance of homosexuality as a lifestyle approved by God, or;
- Defines marriage as anything other than God’s design of one man (husband) and one woman
(wife) for life.
WE BELIEVE that Jesus Christ calls us to discipleship, to take up our cross and follow him. (Phil. 3:10, Rom. 12:1-2, Matt. 5-7, Mic. 6:8, 1 Peter 2:21, 2 Tim. 2:11-12)
WE BELIEVE it is God’s will for Christians to refrain from violence in human relationships. This includes how we treat the unborn and elderly. Led by the Holy Spirit, we will follow Christ in the way of peace and the sanctity of human life. (Isa. 2:2-4, 11:1-9, Hos. 2:18, Matt. 5: 8-12, 38-48, 6:14-15, 26:52, 1 Peter 2:21-24, 1 Cor. 6:1-16, Rom. 12:14-21)
WE PLACE our hope in the reign of God and its fulfillment in the day when Christ will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead: the unsaved into the everlasting punishment of hellfire, and the saved into eternal bliss with Christ. We await God’s final victory, the end of this present age of struggle, the resurrection of the dead, and a new heaven and a new earth. (Judg. 8:23, Mk. 1:15, Phil. 2:8-11, Rev. 11:15, 15:3-4, 21 & 22, 1 Cor. 15:12:58, Jn. 5:28-29, Matt. 10:28, 23:33, Matt. 9:43-48, Lk. 16:23)