| |
Statement
of Faith
Doctrines
-
The Scriptures.
The Bible, the sole written word of God consisting of the Old and New
Testaments, is without error in the original documents and is fallible
and authoritative.
-
The Godhead. There is only one God, eternally coexisting
in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the same in nature,
equal in power and glory.
-
God the Father. The Father loves the world, gave Christ to
be its saior, and is Father of all who believe in Jesus Christ and
receive him as their savior.
-
The Person and Work of Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ is
fully God, born a virgin, and sinlessly perfect in his humanity. He
died for our sins and was buried. He rose physically from the dead and
ascended to his Father's right hand, where He now serves the believers'
high priest. He shall return in person and establish his kingdom upon
the earth.
-
The Fall of Mankind. Mankind was created in the image and
likeness of God, but through Adam's sin became alienated from God,
requiring a sin nature, and came under the sentence of death.
-
Salvation. Salvation is the gift of God offered to mankind
by grace and received by personal faith in the person and work of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Believers can know that they have been born of
Christ and have eternal life.
-
The Holy Spirit. At the time of salvation the Holy Spirit
indwells all believers and baptizes them into the body of Christ. The
extent to which a believer's life is directed by the Holy Spirit is
determined by the depth of commitment of the believer.
-
The Church. The local church is composed of believers in a
locality who meet together under the headship of Christ for worship,
prayer, edification, fellowship and witness.
-
The Ordinances. There are two ordinances, believers'
baptism and the Lord's supper which are appointed by scripture for all
believers. They are without saving merit in themselves, but provide an
expression of faith regarding a believer's identification and
fellowship with Christ.
-
The Final State. There will
be a resurrection of the saved and of the lost - of the saved unto
eternal life, and of the lost unto eternal and conscious judgment.
While recognizing that there
are numerous valid traditions and distinctives within Christianity as
a whole, there are a number of specific traditions and beliefs that we
have embraced and practice. These include:
- The unity of the Church: The
church is the bride of Christ and is composed of all true believers;
therefore, we fellowship with any true believers regardless of their
denominational affiliation.
- The sanctity of all vocations:
Paid staff is not elevated above the members of the congregation.
Having ministers (pastors) is proper, but their ministry is no more
sacred than that of the other members of the body.
- The priesthood of all believers: All believers make a nation of priests before God.
- Ordinance of the Lord's Supper: We celebrate the Lord's Supper weekly.
- Ordinance of the Believer's Baptism: We practice baptism by immersion of those who profess their faith in Christ.
- Teaching by Women: Women may teach under the authority of male leadership.
- Importance of Missions: In pursuing the Great Commission, we actively support local and foreign missions.
|
