DOCTRINE
The Bible
We believe that the Holy Bible is inspired, entirely without error, and is the absolute, complete, sufficient, and the final revelation of the will and mind of God to man. We believe that it is our ultimate authority on all matters of faith, practice, and science.
God
1
We believe that there is one, and only one, living and true God. God is the eternal, infinite, intelligent, and good Creator of the universe and supernatural. He is the sovereign ruler who eternally exists in three coequally and perfectly glorious and ultimately powerful persons—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is a spirit and is unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth
2
We believe that the Father is a distinct, divine person of the Godhead; co-equal, and of the same nature as the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Son and the Holy Spirit obey the Father’s will. We believe that God the Father so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that by faith we might become His children and He our heavenly Father.
3
We believe that the Son is a distinct, divine person of the Godhead; co-equal, and of the same nature as the Father and the Holy Spirit. God the Son, Jesus, came to earth and became human when He was born of a virgin. He lived a perfect, sinless life and gave Himself as a perfect sacrifice, taking on Himself the penalty for humanity's sin and granting us justification and eternal life when we believe in Him. He died, was buried for three days, and rose again triumphing over death. He now sits at the Father’s right hand, and when the Father sends Him, He will return to earth to fulfill the prophecies concerning the last days.
4
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a distinct, divine person of the Godhead; coequal and of the same nature as the Father and the Son. He currently convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment to come, and He brings the new birth, making us accepted among God’s beloved children.
Angels & Satan
1
We believe that the angels are created beings, designed to obey the will of God. They are distinct from humanity, do not die, do not marry, and have great power. They have the personal agency to obey or rebel from God, but Scripture does not suggest that they can be redeemed.
2
Satan and one-third of the angels rebelled against God at some point in history. When they did, God cast them out of heaven, and they are now called demons, unclean spirits, or fallen angels. They do not present any threat to God’s omnipotent sovereignty, but still, they attempt to replace God’s reign with their leader, Satan.
Creation
1
We believe in a literal, six-day creation, wherein God directly created, from nothing, all matter and life in the universe by speaking them into existence. We believe that since the creation, nothing evolves through Darwinian evolutionary processes. Instead, we believe that everything reproduces after its own kind.
2
We believe that God created humanity, the only redeemable creature, in two distinct genders, male and female, who equally bear the image of God within them.
Humanity
1
We believe that God created man in innocence on the sixth day of creation. However, when Adam sinned by disobedience, humanity fell from its sinless and happy state. With the exception of God the Son, all are equally guilty and condemned before God both through their own actions and through their inherited sin nature from Adam and Eve.
2
We believe that the fall of Adam is the source of all suffering, hardship, evil, and wrong in the world.
3
We believe that humanity’s sin breaks fellowship from God and that He is just to punish that sin in the Lake of Fire for all eternity.
4
We believe that no one can save themselves. Instead, we believe that everyone must be born again in order to be saved.
5
We believe that God established marriage as a lifelong, exclusive covenantal relationship between one biological man and one biological woman. We believe that God’s design for marriage is companionship and that its benefits include spiritual growth, physical intimacy, the creation of families, and much more. We believe that any sexual activity outside of the marriage relationship is immoral and therefore sin.
Salvation
1
We believe that because of sin, its results, and the character of God, all of humanity needs salvation.
2
We believe that salvation is entirely the work of God and that it was affected by the bloody death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
3
We believe that salvation is received through faith in Jesus Christ, that it is given by grace (apart from any human work or effort), and is offered freely to all.
4
We believe that there are three essential stages of salvation.
a
b
c
Justification: the act whereby God declares an individual righteous based on the work of Jesus Christ
Sanctification: the cooperative, faith-filled act of the saved individual and God, whereby we are made more like Jesus
Glorification: the final perfecting work that purges us from all sin, making us like Jesus when we see Him, either at our death or when He returns
5
We believe that due to our sin nature, we are unable to be perfect in this life, but we are still called to pursue Christlikeness in obedience to God’s command to be holy as He is holy.
The Church
1
We believe that the Church is both local and universal. We believe that the universal Church includes all who have been saved since Pentecost in the book of Acts. We believe that the local church is a body of believers who covenant together for the purposes of doctrinal purity, disciple-making, and worship.
2
Doctrinal Purity
a
b
c
We believe that the local church has the right to govern itself, free from any hierarchy, individual, or organization. We believe that the local church has the right and responsibility to examine Scripture for itself, and then covenant together in agreement to what the Scripture says.
We believe that associations, networks, and fellowships can be beneficial. We associate with Northwest Baptist Missions and the Arch Network.
We believe that if an individual member of our church begins to reject clear biblical doctrine, the local church has the right and responsibility to attempt to correct the individual. If they do not heed personal and group accountability, the church must expel that person from membership and engage with them as though they are unbelievers, sharing the Gospel and praying for their salvation.
3
Disciple Making
a
b
We believe that the primary calling for the local church is making disciples. We believe that Jesus commands each individual to seek out an unbelieving friend and lead them to faith in Christ. We believe that disciplemaking does not end with professions of salvation, but that Jesus commands individual members of the church to lead one another towards Christlikeness.
We believe that both pastors and laypeople are under this Great Commission.
4
Worship
a
b
c
We believe that there are two offices in the church, Pastors or Elders, and Deacons.
We believe that God designed these offices with specific qualifications and duties as clearly defined in Scripture.
We believe that Jesus left two ordinances for the church to administrate: baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
1
2
We believe that the Bible teaches believer’s baptism by immersion and that it conveys no saving grace, instead of symbolizing Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.
We believe that the Lord’s Supper is a periodic remembrance for believers of what Christ did for us.
d
We believe that the Bible teaches the church to meet regularly, sing, pray, give, publicly read Scripture, preach the Word, administer the ordinances, and meet the physical needs of individual members as it has the ability. We believe that the Bible teaches that each of these actions individually is acts of worship.
Civil Government
We believe that God appointed civil government for the benefit of human society. Christians are commanded in Scripture to obey, honor, and pray for government leaders. The exclusion to obedience is when believers are ordered to act contrary to the Word of God