We believe in the Triune God

We believe in One God Who has forever existed as Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Deuteronomy  6:4; John  1:1; Romans  8:9).

We believe the Bible is God’s inspired Word

Ours is a Biblical theology rather than a theology that is speculative or merely rooted in tradition. Scripture serves as our final authority for truth and conduct (2 Timothy  3:16-17; Hebrews  4:12).

We believe our actions matter

Faith alone isn’t really faith (Luke  3:8; James  1:26). Christ-likeness, not religiousity, is the true measure of spiritual maturity.

We believe God cares about people

Humankind bears God’s image (Genesis  1:26-27).  We are each “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm  139:13-14) and we are loved by God with a shockingly faithful love (Romans  5:8; Luke  15).

We affirm the necessity of new birth

All of us have sinned and continue to do so (Romans  3:23; Romans  7:14-25; 1 John  1:8-9). We can’t atone for sin through personal sacrifice, self-improvement or good works (Romans  6:23; Ephesians  2:8-9).  God graciously offers to save us and transform us into new creations through faith in Jesus’ accomplished work on the cross and through the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit (John  3:16; Galatians  2:20; 2 Corinthians  5:17).

We affirm a conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit provides both the desire and ability to become the people God created us to be (2 Thessalonians  2:13).  The Spirit helps us (John  14:16-17), guides us (John  6:13; Galatians  5:18), empowers us (Acts  1:8), gifts us (1 Corinthians  14:1) and transforms us (Galatians  5:22-23).

We affirm a commitment to the whole mission of the Church

We are committed to both the Great Commandment (Matthew  22:37-40) and the Great Commission (Matthew  28:18-20).  This includes great attentiveness to matters of compassion and justice (James  1:27; 1 John  3:17-18).

We affirm a commitment to unity in Christ

The Bible warns against two extremes – unnecessary arguments and divisions (reflecting a failure to maintain unity) and unholy compromise and concessions (reflecting a failure to abide in Christ). We purposefully seek to avoid both of these extremes.

God’s Word is profound, rich, textured and nuanced. We choose not to divide over beliefs and practices where the Bible Itself seems to allow for a variety of interpretations. How old you were when you were baptized or the amount of water used won’t keep you from becoming a member. Neither will your beliefs regarding who receives the gift of tongues, the precise nature of the elements during the Lord’s Supper, the circumstances surrounding Christ’s return or the relationship between election and choice.

At the same time, freedom in Christ (Galatians  5:1) is a gift from God that comes with boundaries. The Bible stresses importance of sound doctrine and God-honoring behavior in no uncertain terms (Romans  12:1-2; Romans  14:1-23; Galatians  5:13-17; Titus  1:9). We, as the church, have a responsibility to hold our members accountable to Biblical Christianity.

To learn more about how we walk this out, visit our signatures page.