Doctrinal Statement

We believe that the Bible, consisting of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is the only authoritative, sufficient, infallible Word of God, verbally inspired and without error in the original manuscripts. We hold to a normal, literal interpretation of Scripture. 

We believe in one God, existing in a unity of three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – who are coequal, coeternal and consubstantial. He is the Creator of all things, holy, sovereign, loving and infinitely perfect in every way.

We believe in the eternal deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His becoming a man without ceasing to be God, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His substitutionary and atoning death through His shed blood on the cross, in His bodily resurrection and in His ascension to the right hand of the Father. We believe He ever lives to make intercession for His saints, and that He is coming again to rule and reign in power and glory.

We believe that the Holy Spirit convicts men of sin, righteousness and judgment. He regenerates sinners and places them into the body of Christ. He also comforts, indwells, illuminates, guides, equips and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service. He gives gifts for the building up of the Church. Every Christian is gifted by the Spirit of God for the purpose of edifying the Church and doing the work of the ministry 

We believe that man was created sinless in the image of God and that through transgression he incurred physical and spiritual death. As a result, all human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God and under His wrath. Apart from God’s gracious intervention, man is without help, hope and completely depraved.

We believe that the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life is a miraculous work of God by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. It is the unmerited demonstration of God’s love, available to all those who turn from their sin and trust in Jesus’ atoning death and victorious resurrection. It is only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ that man can be justified, sanctified and ultimately glorified.

We believe that God’s justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. This should result in a life that is separate from sin and set apart to God. He commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith in growing obedience to the Word and Holy Spirit such that we are progressively changed into the likeness of Christ. Growing Christians use their God-given gifts for the purpose of edifying the Church, doing the work of the ministry, and obeying our Lord’s command to make disciples.

We believe in the imminent return of Christ and the gathering up of his Church known as the blessed hope. We believe in the tribulation, the personal and physical second coming of Christ to establish His millennial kingdom and the eternal state wherein the unsaved are judged and condemned to a literal hell and the saved are glorified to enjoy everlasting blessing in the presence of God.

We believe that the Church is the body and bride of the Lord Jesus Christ into which all true believers of the present age are placed and that the members of this spiritual body should assemble themselves together in local churches which consist of committed, baptized believers. We believe that the New Testament describes congregational church government as being pastor/elder led and deacon served. We believe that the commission of the Church is to make disciples, baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and teach them to obey Christ’s commands. The fulfillment of this commission eventuates in the perpetual, intentional, establishment of new local churches. We believe that the Church must maintain its purity by practicing biblical discipline and separation from false teaching.

We recognize believer’s Baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper (Communion) as the Scriptural ordinances for the church in this age. Both of them visibly and tangibly express the gospel, and though they are not means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in faith-filled obedience, these ordinances spiritually nourish the believer and bear witness to the work of our Savior.

We identify with a rich heritage of those who have held to the following scripturally derived principles: biblical authority, autonomy of the local church, priesthood of the believer, two ordinances, individual soul liberty, saved and baptized church membership, two church offices and separation of church and state.