NATURE OF THE CHURCH

All power of the Church belongs to our Lord Jesus Christ, it's head. All actions of this congregation are to be carried out under His rule and authority. This congregation believes in the Holy Bible as the complete written Word of God and preserved to us by the Holy Sprit for our salvation and instruction. The Church exists both as a universal fellowship and as local congregations who gather for worship and Christian service.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The Church is a people created by God in Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, called and sent to bear witness to God's creative, redeeming and sanctifying activity in the world. To participate in God's mission and to fulfill the purposes of the Church, this congregation as a part of the Church Shall:

a) Worship God in proclamation of the Word and administration of the sacraments and through services of worship at which the Word of God is preached and the sacraments are administered, and through the lives of prayer, praise, thanksgiving, witness and service.

b) Proclaim God's saving Gospel of justification by grace for Christ's sake through faith alone, according to the apostolic witness in the Holy Scripture, preserving and transmitting the Gospel faithfully to future generations by teaching the Word of God.

c) Carry out Christ's Great Commission by reaching out to all people to bring them to faith in Christ and by doing all ministries with a global awareness consistent with the understanding of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

d) Serve in response to God's love to meet human needs, caring for the sick and aged, the poor and powerless, advocating dignity and justice for all people, and participating responsibly in society.

e) Nurture its members in the Word of God so as to grow in faith, hope and love, to see daily life as the primary setting for the exercise of their Christian calling, and to use the gifts of the Spirit for their life together and for their calling in the world.

f) Manifest the unity given to the people of God by living together in the love of Christ and by joining with other Christians in prayer and action  to express and preserve the unity, which the Spirit gives.

g) Provide pastoral care and encourage and assist all members to participate in this ministry.

h) Motivate its members to provide financial support for this congregation's ministries.

i) Foster and participate in relationships with other congregations within the Christian community.  

STATEMENT OF FAITH

We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament and New Testament are the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God. God’s Word is the final authority for faith and life.

We believe there is only one God, and He has chosen to reveal Himself as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

We believe man was created in the image of God and the sin of Adam (the first man) marred that image, creating an eternal divide between God and man. Every person is born in sin.

We believe the only way a person can have a true, forgiven relationship with God is through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary and conceived by the Holy Spirit. Jesus became man without ceasing to be God. Our right standing with God is made sure because of His literal, physical resurrection.

We believe in the literal, physical return of Jesus to judge the living and the dead.

We believe God offers eternal life as a gift and that it must be received by faith alone through God’s grace alone.

We believe the church of the Lord Jesus Christ is the body of believers on a mission to enlarge God’s kingdom. Our church is autonomous, free of any worldly external authority or control.

We believe that Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are the two formal religious acts that are sacred signs or symbols of a spiritual reality that have been instituted by Jesus Christ. If baptism by immersion is impossible or impractical, the mode of baptism will be determined by the Board of Elders.

God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female.  These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God (Genesis 1:26-27).  Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person.  The term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one man and one woman in a single exclusive union, as defined in Scripture (Genesis 2:18-25).  We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other (1Corinthians 6:18, 7:2-5; Hebrews 13:4).  We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.  Any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, and use of pornography) is sinful and offensive to God (Matthew 15:18-20, 1Corinthians 6:9-10).  In order to preserve the function and integrity of the Congregation as the local Body of Christ, and to provide a biblical role model to those served by the Congregation and the community, it is imperative that all persons employed by the Congregation in any capacity or who serve as volunteers, live in a manner consistent with this statement on marriage, gender, and sexuality (Matthew 5:16, Philippians 2:14-16, 1Thessalonians 5:22). 

This Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our beliefs.  The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind, is the sole and final source of all that we believe.  2Timothy 3:16.   For purposes of the Congregation’s faith, doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, our Board of Elders is the Congregation’s final interpretive authority on the Bible’s meaning and application.