- We believe in God the Eternal Father, Creator of heaven and earth, perfect in wisdom, holiness, and power; That He hears our prayers and saves from sin, judgment and condemnation those who come to Him through Jesus Christ.
- We believe that God is the one and only living true God. He reveals himself as triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.
- We believe in Jesus Christ, the only Son of the Father, conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin; That He lived without sin and that He gave Himself on the cross to die for the sins of the world.
- We believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, ascended to heaven where He is the only Mediator between God and man, and He intercedes for His people.
- We believe that Jesus Christ will visibly return to earth.
- We believe in the Holy Spirit, an equal member in the trinity of God, who came forth from God to convince the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to reign, teach, sanctify, and encourage those who believe in Jesus Christ.
- We believe that all men are by nature and sinful choices, but God has sent his only son into the world so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. Those who repent of their sins, accept the atoning work of Jesus Christ, and unite with Him by faith, are saved; This union produces justification.
- We also believe that true faith always manifests itself in men through works acceptable to God. He who refuses Jesus will be judged and eternally separated from God; He who believes receives eternal life and dwells eternally in divine gladness.
- We believe that the Church is a spiritual and living body of which Christ is the head.
- We believe that a local church, according to the Word of God, is an assembly of believers regenerated, baptized, and associated together for worship, service, and fraternal communion.
- We believe that God has commanded these churches to observe the two ordinances: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
- We believe that every human being is accountable to God for matters of faith.
- We believe that the local church is autonomous and must be free to direct by the decision of its active members.
- A New Testament church of the Lord Jesus Christ is an autonomous local congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel; observing the two ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word, and seeking to extend the gospel to the ends of the earth. Each congregation operates under the Lordship of Christ through democratic processes. In such a congregation each member is responsible and accountable to Christ as Lord. Its two scriptural offices are that of pastor/elder/overseer and deacon. While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor/elder/overseer is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.
The New Testament speaks also of the church as the Body of Christ which includes all of the redeemed of all the ages, believers from every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation.
Matthew 16:15-19; 18:15-20; Acts 2:41-42,47; 5:11-14; 6:3-6; 13:1-3; 14:23,27; 15:1-30; 16:5; 20:28; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 3:16; 5:4-5; 7:17; 9:13-14; 12; Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 3:8-11,21; 5:22-32; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:18; 1 Timothy 2:9-14; 3:1-15; 4:14; Hebrews 11:39-40; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Revelation 2-3; 21:2-3.
- We believe that the Bible is the word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and written by holy men and that it is worthy to be the sole authority for faith and practice.
- We believe that Man is the special creation of God, made in His own image. He created them male and female as the crowning work of His creation. The gift of gender is thus part of the goodness of God’s creation. By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore, every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.
- We believe that Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.
- THE TWO ORDINANCES: BAPTISM AND THE LORD’S SUPPER
- Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord’s Supper.
The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.
Matthew 3:13-17; 26:26-30; 28:19-20; Mark 1:9-11; 14:22-26; Luke 3:21-22; 22:19-20; John 3:23; Acts 2:41-42; 8:35-39; 16:30-33; 20:7; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 10:16,21; 11:23-29; Colossians 2:12.
- THE LORD’S DAY
- The first day of the week is the Lord’s Day. It is a Christian institution for regular observance. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should include exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private. Activities on the Lord’s Day should be commensurate with the Christian’s conscience under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
- Exodus 20:8-11; Matthew 12:1-12; 28:1ff.; Mark 2:27-28; 16:1-7; Luke 24:1-3,33-36; John 4:21-24; 20:1,19-28; Acts 20:7; Romans 14:5-10; I Corinthians 16:1-2; Colossians 2:16; 3:16; Revelation 1:10.