AUTHORITY OF OUR STATEMENT OF FAITH 

The human phraseology employed in this Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself is the sole and final source of all that we believe. We do believe, however, that the foregoing Statement of Faith accurately represents the teaching of the Bible and, therefore, is binding upon all members. All literature used in the church shall be in complete agreement with the Statement of Faith.

STATEMENT OF FAITH

BASIC THEOLOGY 

(A) We believe the Bible is God-inspired (2 Timothy 3:16,17). 

(B) We believe God is triune: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 13:14; Matthew 28:19). 

(C) We believe that God created the universe in six sequential periods, which can be considered 24-hour ages or epochs. We reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin (Genesis 1-2; Exodus 20:11).

BECOMING A CHRISTIAN 

(A) We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that by voluntary transgression he fell from grace, bequeathing sin’s nature and consequences to all mankind, with their accompanying loss of intended meaning and purpose (Genesis 1:27; Romans 5:12-21). 

(B) We believe that salvation is wholly and totally by grace alone; that no human righteousness can contribute to our receiving God’s unmerited favor and love (Ephesians 2:8). 

(C) We believe that Jesus is God’s chosen savior of all mankind, that he was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, very God and very man, and that he died for the pardon of the sins of all mankind (John 3:16,14:6; Romans 5:8-11). 

(D) We believe that all men remain sinners by their own, and therefore, only through sincere repentance, exemplified by a verbal confession and whole-hearted acceptance of Christ, can sinners be saved, pardoned and justified before God (Romans 10:9-10; 1 John 1:9).

DOCTRINE 

(A) We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Jesus Christ from the moment of salvation to seal them until the day of redemption by sanctifying and teaching them, revealing to them all truth, and empowering them for ministry (John 14:26,16:13; Ephesians 1:13-14,4:30; 2 Corinthians 7:1). 

(B) We believe in the Baptism in the Holy Spirit for the purpose of enduing the Christian with power for ministry and empowering believers to exalt Christ and live lives of holiness. (Acts 1:5-8, 2:4). 

(C) We believe that the Holy Spirit has gifts to bestow upon the Christian, as manifested in the early church; and that we should show spiritual fruit as evidence of a Spirit-filled life, the most excellent evidence being love (John 13:15; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11,13:1,13; Galatians 5:22). 

(D) We believe in the laying on of hands to invoke the faith of the believer to acknowledge, believe, and release the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit; for the ordination of ministers; and for healing the physically sick (Isaiah 63:4-5; Mark 16:18; Acts 8:14-17,19:1-6; 1 Timothy 4:14; James 5:14-16). 

(E) We believe that being baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is an essential response to Jesus’ command, testifying to His lordship as Christ and King (Romans 6:4). We believe in observing the Lord’s Supper, receiving the broken bread and the fruit of the vine with joy and faith as we partake anew of the life and triumph of Christ’s Cross (1 Corinthians 11:24-26) 

(F) We believe in the ordination and commissioning of women for ministry as it was in the New Testament church (Romans 16:1; Galatians 3:28; Philippians 4:2). 

THE CHURCH 

(A) We believe in one universal church that is made up of genuine believers and is composed of many local churches in given localities, all of which are under the sovereign headship of Christ (Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 2:20). 

(B) We believe that church is governed by apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, in such order, administering all its local affairs and ministry, as well as the propagation of the Gospel (1 Corinthians 12:28-29; Ephesians 3:5,4:11-12). 

(C) We believe that the Great Commission of the church is soul winning and disciple making (Matthew 28:19; James 5:20). 

(D) We believe that the church is called to be an advocate of social justice and truth, restoring the broken, and reconciling both victims and violators to live under the authority of God (Proverbs 31:9; Luke 4:16-18). 

(E) We believe that the method ordained by God for the support and spread of His cause is by giving of tithes and free-will offerings (Malachi 3:10; 2 Corinthians 9:7). 

CHRISTIAN LIVING 

(A) We believe that faith is necessary to please God and live a victorious life (Matthew 17:20; Romans 5:1-5; Hebrews 11:1-6). 

(B) We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: 1) the home, 2) the church, and 3) the state. Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific Biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, the church, and the state are equal and sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God (Romans 13:1-7; Ephesians 5:22-24; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 2:13-14). 

(C) We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between one man and one woman. Scriptural marriage is the joining of one man and one woman (Genesis 2:24; Romans 7:2; Hebrews 13:4). 

(D) We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and/or pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex (Genesis 19:5,13; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1: 26-29; 1 Corinthians 5:1,6:9) 

(E) We believe that God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance (1 Thessalonians 4:1-8). 

(F) We believe that God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. The husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the church. The wife is to submit herself to the Scriptural leadership of her husband as the church submits to the headship of Christ. Children are a heritage from the Lord. Parents are responsible for teaching their children spiritual and moral values and leading them, through consistent lifestyle example and appropriate discipline, including Scriptural corporal correction. (Genesis 1:26-28; Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Psalms 127:3-5; Proverbs 19:18; 22:15; 23:13-14; Mark 10:6-12; 1 Corinthians 7:1-16; Ephesians 5:21-33; 6:1-4, Hebrews 13:4; 1 Peter 3:1-7) 

(G) We believe that God disapproves of and forbids divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. Divorce and remarriage is regarded as adultery except on the grounds of fornication or abandonment. Repentant divorced and remarried persons or divorced persons, who submit to reconciliation counseling, may hold positions of service in the church and may also be considered for the offices of the church (Malachi 2:14-17; Matthew 19:3-12; Romans 7:1-3; 1 Corinthians 7:10; 1 Timothy 3:2,12; Titus 1:6). 

(H) We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life. We reject any teaching that abortions of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, population control, or the physical or mental well being of the mother, are acceptable (Job 3:16; Psalms 51:5,139:14-16; Isaiah 44:24,49:1,5; Jeremiah 1:5,20:15-18; Luke 1:44). 

(I) We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the church to resolve personal disputes. We believe the church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation for injuries from another Christian’s insurance company as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander (1 Corinthians 6:1-8; Ephesians 4:31-32). 

THE FUTURE 

(A) We believe that the resurrection of those who have fallen asleep in Christ and their translation, together with those who are alive and remain unto the Lord, is imminent and is the blessed hope of the church (1 Thessalonians 4:16; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52). 

(B) We believe that all shall stand some day before the judgment seat of God, and there receive eternal life or death (2 Corinthians 5:10). 

(C) We believe that heaven is the glorious eternal home of born-again believers (John 14:1-3; Revelation 7:15-17). (D) We believe that hell is the place of eternal torment for all who reject Christ as the Savior. Satan, the open and declared enemy of God and man, shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:10,15).