What We Believe

SCRIPTURE

We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, and is the primary source and criterion for the Christian faith. In Scripture we are met by the living Christ and experience His redeeming grace. We believe that Jesus Christ is the living Word of God in our midst whom we trust in life and death.

TRADITION

The ongoing process of God's Spirit transforming human life is the story of the church, and it is our understanding of this tradition which informs and under girds our faith. We understand Tradition to be the history of this ongoing process whereby God’s grace sustains our spirits through the self-giving love of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the overall history of our faith transcends without invalidating the story of any particular denominational tradition.

EXPERIENCE

Some facets of human experience challenge our basic understanding of our Christian faith. It is in this context that the Holy Spirit works with our spirits to assure us of God’s truths. When our experiences of life are informed by the Spirit of God, the Good News of Jesus Christ becomes the foundation of our human experience.

REASON

We believe that God reveals himself through scripture, the words of the prophets, and fully in Jesus Christ. Our experiences of His grace continually surpass the scope of human language and reason. However, we also believe that any disciplined study of God’s Word calls for the careful use of reason. Using our human reason, we read and interpret Scripture, ensure that our Christian witness is clear, ask questions of faith, and seek to understand God and His will for our lives.

THE TRINITY

God is one. He is the living and true God who is everlasting and infinite in power, wisdom, and goodness; the creator and sustainer of all things, both visible and invisible. In the unity of God, we experience three persons –the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit who are distinct but inseparable, eternally one in essence and power.

God The Father: We believe in the one true, holy, and living God, who is the Eternal Creator and Sustainer of all things visible and invisible. He is infinite in power, wisdom, justice, goodness and love, and rules with love and grace for our well-being and salvation.

Jesus Christ The Son: We believe in Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God, who is both truly God and truly man. Jesus is the eternal Word made flesh who was born of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit. He came to us as a ministering Servant. He lived, suffered, and died on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. He was buried, rose from the dead, and ascended to heaven. He is our eternal Savior and Mediator, who will one day return to establish God’s eternal kingdom, and by Him we will all be judged.

The Holy Spirit: We believe in the Holy Spirit who proceeds from and is one in being with the Father and the Son. He convicts the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. He leads those who respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ into the fellowship of the Church. He comforts, sustains and empowers the faithful and guides them into all truth.

JUSTIFICATION AND ASSURANCE: 

We believe that God reaches out to the repentant believer with justifying grace and with accepting and pardoning love. In justification we are, through faith, forgiven our sin and restored to God’s favor. This process of conversion may be sudden and dramatic, or gradual and cumulative. It marks a new beginning, yet it is part of an ongoing process. We embrace the scriptural promise that we can expect to receive assurance of our present salvation as the Spirit "bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God."

FAITH AND GOOD WORKS: 

We believe that good works are the natural response of faith, but they do not remove our sins or avert divine judgment. We believe good works spring from a true and living faith, and make our faith evident to the world. As such, these good works are pleasing and acceptable to God.

CHURCH OUTREACH: 

The outreach of the church is in response to the Great Commission and Great Commandment of Jesus Christ. In loving response to God’s gracious act of salvation, we extend our love and the Good News of Jesus Christ to the entire world. We seek to provide caring support, conduct vital religious education, and teach others to obey the commands of Jesus Christ.

THE SACRAMENTS: 

We believe that the Sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper were established by Christ and are vital signs of God’s grace and will for our lives. In these sacraments, we strengthen and confirm our faith in him.

Baptism: Baptism is a sign of profession and mark of difference by which we as Christians are distinguished from others. They are signs our new birth in Jesus Christ. In addition to believer baptism, we affirm those traditions which retain the Baptism of young children in the Church.

The Lord’s Supper: The Supper of the Lord is a sign of the love of Christ, our love for one another, and our redemption by Christ’s death. For those who rightly and worthily accept this sign with faith, the bread which we break is a spiritual partaking of the body of Christ; and likewise the cup of blessing is a spiritual partaking of the blood of Christ. All who accept Jesus Christ as Savior are welcome to participate in this sacrament.