Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
John 4:10
We Believe
- that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and authoritative Word of God. We believe the Bible is the final authority in every area it addresses for every individual Christian, as well as for the church collectively.
(2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:21, John 10:35)
- there is one God who eternally exists as three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe that all things were created by Him and for Him.
(Deuteronomy 6:4, Isaiah 45:21-22, Matthew 28:19, Colossians 1:16)
- that God the Son became a human being in the person of Jesus Christ. That He was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless life (for He was without sin), died a substitutionary death for all mankind, was raised from the dead the third day, ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God until His enemies are made His footstool.
(John 1:1, 14, Matthew 1:18-25, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Peter 3:18, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Hebrews 10:12-13)
- the Holy Spirit was sent by the Father and the Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. We believe the Holy Spirit regenerates, indwells, and seals believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that He empowers them to live as His witnesses.
(John 14:16-17, John 16:7-11, Titus 3:5-6, Romans 8:9, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Ephesians 1:13-14, Acts 1:8, Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12-14, 1 Peter 4:10-11)
- that God created human beings, male and female, in His own image, according to His purpose and design. He created them sinless, equal in value, dignity, and worth.
(Genesis 1:26-28, Ephesians 5:22-6:4, 1 Timothy 3:1-7)
- that because of the Fall, all people are sinners by nature and in need of a Savior, and that Jesus Christ is the one and only Savior of the world. That salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Him. We believe that all who call on the name of the Lord shall be saved eternally.
(Romans 3:10, Romans 3:23, Romans 5:18-19, Matthew 1:21, 1 John 4:14, John 14:6, Acts 4:12, Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 10:9)
- there is one church, the body of Christ, consisting of men and women from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. We believe that each local congregation is an expression of that universal church. We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.
(Ephesians 4:4, 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, Revelation 5:9, Acts 2:42-47)
- there are two ordinances for the church: Baptism and Communion. While these are not the means of our salvation, they are physical signs of the work of Jesus Christ in the church today.
(Matthew 28:18-20, 1 Corinthians 11:23-29, Ephesians 2:8-9)
- that marriage is an institution sanctioned by God, which joins one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union
(Genesis 2:24, Hebrews 13:4)
- in the physical return of Jesus Christ and the resurrection of the dead. Believers will be raised to life, and unbelievers to shame and everlasting contempt (hell).
(Daniel 12:2, John 5:25-29, Revelation 21:1-22:5)
A few distinct notes
Every church has some unique values and beliefs that shape and mark its identity. These are things, which we consider to be important because they mark who we are and why we feel God has called us together to serve and worship Him. For us, these include:
- We practice baptism by immersion – In the New Testament, whenever someone made a decision to follow Christ, they marked their response to the Gospel by identifying with Jesus in the waters of baptism. Immersion was the practice of the New Testament church. The word “baptism” is simply the Bible’s word for immersion and means “to dip or immerse.”
- We observe the Lord’s Supper every week – We are rather simplistic about things. Whenever possible, we want to follow the practices of Christians in the Bible. The New Testament is clear that whenever the believers came together for worship on the first day of the week, they had communion. It is our responsibility and privilege to do the same.
- We celebrate that Jesus Christ transforms lives! – We haven’t arrived yet. We are all still in the process of becoming more like Christ, and yet we are a new creation in him. Sometimes it can be a pretty rough road, but we know this: when Jesus comes to reign and rule in someone’s life, that person is never the same. We want to point people to Jesus, who heals the broken, rescues the lost, and sets captives free!