What We Believe

We are a multiethnic, intergenerational church, called out as the presence of Jesus in our world, pursuing His mission of reconciliation.

We recognize that as people we have differences about many things, and also that we are guided by our value of pursuing unity. We will not create or continue division but instead work for unity that goes deeper than our differences. The statements here were written by our elders to clarify our common, foundational beliefs.

There is one true, living, and eternal God who created and sustains all things. He has absolute power and is infinitely perfect in all His attributes. He exists fully in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God is love.

Genesis 1:1, Jeremiah 10:10, Jeremiah 32:17, Psalm 18:30, Matthew 28:19, 1 Corinthians 8:4, Hebrews 1:3, 1 John 4:16.

Salvation is God's free gift to us, but we must accept it. We can never make up for our sin and establish a relationship with God by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God's offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin's penalty. When we turn from our self-ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith, we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into their life by faith.

John 1:12, John 14:6, Romans 5:1, Romans 6:23, Galatians 3:26, Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5.

People are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. People are the supreme object of God's creation. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us have disobeyed God and sinned against Him. Our sin separates people from God and causes many problems in life.

Genesis 1:27, Psalm 8:3-6, Isaiah 53:6, Isaiah 59:1-2, Romans 3:23, Galatians 5:19-21.

The Bible is God's revelation of Himself to people, written by human authors who were inspired by the Holy Spirit. It is completely authoritative for matters of life and faith. The Bible's message is true and without error.

Psalm 119:105, Psalm 119:160, Proverbs 30:5, 2 Timothy 1:13, 2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:20-21, 1 Thessalonians 2:13.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and the third person of the Trinity—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He is present in the world making people aware of the need for a relationship with Jesus Christ. He is also present in each person who has received salvation through Christ. He empowers us to live according to God's purpose and provides guidance concerning God's truths through understanding and wisdom.

John 16:7-11, John 16:13-14, Acts 5:32, Romans 15:13, 1 Corinthians 2:12, 1 Corinthians 3:16.

Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the second person of the Trinity—God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He was sent to earth by God the Father through the virgin birth. He lived a sinless, human life and then gave himself as a sacrifice for the sins of all people. He was crucified, died, and was buried. To show His power over sin and death, He rose from the grave after three days. He ascended to heaven and will return someday to gather those who have believed in Him to live with Him forever.

Matthew 1:23, Matthew 16:15-16, John 1:29, Acts 1:11, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Hebrews 4:15, 1 Thessalonians 4:17.

Baptism is the clear command of Christ and was the clear practice of the New Testament Church. It publicly identifies a person as a follower of Christ; as such, it is a powerful testimony to one's self and to significant others. It reminds the church body over and over again that we "... are buried with Christ and raised to walk in newness of life"(Romans 6:1-4). Christ was baptized through water as an example for us to follow. Baptism spurs us all to remember the significance of Christ's death, burial and resurrection. It points to the past (when we believed in Christ and when He died for our sins) and to the future (when we will be raised with Him in glory and when He arose from the dead).

A note about practices: Although we do practice baptism by immersion and do not practice the baptism of infants, we do honor other traditions and their practices. We place no requirements on the way that a person may have been baptized previously, nor do we require baptism for membership. Also, we hold Baby Dedication services so that parents can declare their good desire to dedicate their children to the Lord and their intent to raise their child to come to know, love and serve the Lord. In no way do we do these things to lower our esteem of baptism; we believe that every believer should be baptized and to neglect baptism is to disobey the clear instructions of the Scriptures. Our only intent is to allow diversity in the expression of this act.

Matthew 3:13-17, Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 8:12, Acts 8:36-38, Acts 16:31-34, Romans 6:4.

Heaven and Hell are real places created by God and are the eternal destination of all humanity. Heaven is a place of eternal joy for those who choose to follow Christ, while Hell is a place of eternal torment for those who reject Him.

Luke 16:23-24, John 3:17-18, 1 Peter 1:3, 2 Peter 2:4,9, Revelation 20:14-15, Revelation 21:1-4.

Elders are called by God to serve as shepherds, responsible for caring for and guiding His flock, the church. This is done through teaching God's Word, serving the church in ministry, shepherding the body with love and affection, and praying regularly for the church people.
The Bible lists several requirements and responsibilities for those who serve as elders. While there is no expectation that elders should be perfect in each area, they should be consistently growing in these areas and be quick to repent and seek forgiveness when they fall short.

Acts 20:28, Ephesians 4:11-13, 1 Timothy 3:1-12, 1 Timothy 5:17, Titus 1:6-9, James 5:14, 1 Peter 5:1-3.

Grace is God's free and undeserved gift. It is seen in His daily provisions and, most importantly, in the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. Grace is summed up as "God's Riches At Christ's Expense."

Psalm 86:15, Isaiah 30:18, John 1:16, Ephesians 1:7-8, Ephesians 2:6-9, Romans 8:32, Titus 2:11.

Anything alive and healthy experiences growth. Spiritual growth is the process of becoming more like God. God changes us to be more like Him as we obey Him and seek to know Him. Spiritual growth is an ongoing process and is manifested in areas such as faith, knowledge of God, love for others, good works, and godly character.

Psalm 92:12-13, John 14:21, Ephesians 4:15-16, Colossians 1:10-12, 2 Thessalonians 1:3, 2 Peter 1:5-8.

As Christians, we are called to grow and mature in our faith. One of the best ways to do this is in a group setting with other Christ-followers. Meeting with Christ-followers who share this common goal provides an atmosphere of community, acceptance, authenticity, support, encouragement, discipline, and accountability. Christ Himself modeled the use of the group structure with His followers.

Matthew 18:20, Mark 3:14, Acts 2:46, Galatians 6:2, Hebrews 3:13, Hebrews 10:24-25, 2 Peter 3:18.

Spiritual gifts are special abilities that God gives to Christ-followers to build and serve His Kingdom. God has endowed every Christ-follower with one or more spiritual gifts. It is His desire that we work together with our unique gifts to serve and strengthen the body of Christ (the church). The Holy Spirit calls us to use these gifts in our church, community, and throughout the world as we are inspired and led by Him. As we use our spiritual gifts to do the work of His Kingdom, we become effective witnesses to the glory and power of God in the world.

Romans 12:6-13, 1 Corinthians 7:7, 1 Corinthians 12:4-12, Philippians 2:13, Ephesians 2:10, Ephesians 4:7, Ephesians 4:11-13, James 1:17, 1 Peter 4:10.

As Christ-followers, we recognize that God owns everything and therefore everything we have is His. We acknowledge God's ownership by giving a portion of what we have back to Him. He gives us the ability to acquire wealth and possessions. He also expects us to manage and care for His creation and all that we have. Good stewardship is the careful and responsible management of the things God has entrusted to us.

Genesis 1:26, Deuteronomy 8:17-18, 1 Chronicles 29:11-12, Psalm 24:1, Proverbs 3:9-10, 2 Corinthians 9:6-8.