Statement of Faith
We know that "for now, we see in part, and know in part" therefore we hold to a policy that states "In essentials, unity; in the rest, freedom, but in all things, love", and potential theological differences notwithstanding, we are able to remain in spiritual fellowship with every Christian church.
We consider it to be important to set forth our articles of faith as follows:
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son].
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.
Amen
The Bible
We believe that the Bible consists of the 39 books contained in the Old Testament, and the 27 books contained in the New Testament. We believe that the entire Bible was inspired by God, and without error in its original form. Its teachings are the standard for faith and questions of practice; and its statements about every facet of life are completely trustworthy. We believe that God's pronouncements are in all ways superior to those of men, and that in the future, future pronouncements of men, will agree with the Bible.
The Three-in-One God
We believe in one single, true and perfect God, who exists in an everlasting Holy Trinity; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe that the Almighty God is the creator, sustainer and Lord of every living and non-living thing.
Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is the promised and manifested Messiah. We believe that in Him, God became a man, and therefore Jesus Christ was completely God and completely man; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of a virgin, and lived a sinless life. We believe in His miracles and His teachings. We believe that He died on the cross as an atonement, paid the cost of redemption for our sins, and as such, He is our redeemer and Lord of our lives. We believe that He rose from the dead in bodily form on the third day, and then ascended to the right hand of the Father, where He lives forever, intervening for us as the High Priest, and one day will return to the earth with great power and glory, to rule as King.
The Holy Spirit
We beileve that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, that He convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgement. He gives birth to new life, sanctifies and equips for ministry all those who believe in Jesus. We believe that the Holy Spirit resides in every person who believes in Jesus Christ, and that he is the Helper, Teacher, and Leader of the church, and the one who gives gifts for the ministry to the saints.
Man
We believe that God created man, so that man could live in fellowship with Him, that man would know and love Him more and more, as well as worship Him in spirit and in truth. We believe that that God has invested man with a free will, therefore he is resposible for his actions. We believe that as a result of the first man's sin, every man is naturally sinful, dead in sins, and is under judgement.
Redemption
We believe that salvation is exclusively by God's grace, and that it results from faith in Jesus Christ's finsihed work of redeption. We believe that Jesus took the sin of every man upon Himself, and that his sacrifice is capable of covering every sin of every believer. Therefore those who have resisted God's words calling them to repentance, who now regret their sins, and receive Jesus Christ as their personal redeemer and Lord; in that very moment receive forgiveness of sins, new birth, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit, they become children of God, and will receive an eternal inheritance with the Lord.
The Church
We believe in the universal church, the living body of Christ, of which He is the head, and of which every born-again believer is a member. We believe that the most important work of the church is the proclamation of the gospel and the complete teaching of the Bible. We believe that the pastor is responsible for the leading of the church, and that he has received this work from God so that he might faithfully feed and love God's people. We believe that God ordains presbyters and deacons for the assistance of the pastor and the church.