“If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it. For what will a man be profited, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:24-26
“A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.” Luke 6:40
What We Believe
A. The Bible: We believe that the Bible, consisting of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is God’s infallible inerrant Word, written by men who were uniquely moved by the Holy Spirit1, and that it is our sole authority in all matters2. We affirm our belief in the verbal, complete, and equal inspiration of the Scriptures in their original writing.
B. God: We believe there is one God3, Creator of heaven and earth4, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit5, co-equal in power and glory; identical in their essential nature, attributes, and perfection.
1. God the Father is perfect in holiness6, infinite in wisdom, measureless in power7, and absolute in sovereignty8. We rejoice that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer9, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ10.
2. God the Son, Jesus Christ, is God’s only begotten Son born of a virgin11, lived a sinless life12, and, being Himself true God and true man13, atoned for the sins of the world by His substitutionary death on the cross14. We believe in His bodily resurrection15, His ascension into heaven16, His high priestly intercession for His people17, His Lordship18, and His personal, visible return to the world, and in His Millennial Kingdom according to His promise19.
3. God the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment20. He baptizes believers into the body of Christ21 and permanently indwells them at the time of regeneration22. He is progressively sanctifying23, instructing and empowering the believer for service and godly living24, and preserving believers until Christ’s return25.
C. Mankind: We believe that mankind was created in the image of God26 and was originally without sin. Because of the sin of Adam and Eve, all thereby incurred physical and spiritual death, which is separation from God. All human beings are born with a sinful nature, and are sinners by nature and by choice27.
D. Salvation: We believe that mankind is saved from the eternal penalty of sin by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ28, Who died for our sins as our representative and substitutionary sacrifice29. All who believe in Him are justified by faith alone on the ground of His shed blood, and not by any works or ordinances of man30
E. The Church: We believe that the church is made up of every born again believer since Pentecost, regardless of race, sex, or national origin, and will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air31. The local church is an organized body of believers voluntarily associated together for teaching, fellowship, worship, prayer, the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ throughout the world, and the observance of the Biblical ordinances (believer’s baptism and the Lord’s Supper)32. The church is enabled in its mission by the exercise of spiritual gifts, distributed by the Holy Spirit according to His sovereign will and purposes33 to all believers, to be used to build up the body of Christ34.
F. Eternity: We believe in the bodily resurrection of both the believer and the non-believer. The saved will enjoy the wonders of God’s presence forever, and the lost will be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire35.
G. Satan: We believe that Satan is a person, a fallen angel, the author of sin, and the cause of the fall of man. He is the open and declared enemy of God and man. He will be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire36.
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1. II Peter 1:21
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16. Acts 1:9 23. Titus 3:5 25. Ephesians 1:13 28. Romans 10:9 Titus 3:5-7 |
31. Galatians 3:27-28 |
Mission & Vision
Our Mission
Love God, Love People, Make Disciples
Our mission is to fulfill the Great Commission mandate with a Great Commandment Passion!
GREAT COMMISSION: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19 & 20
GREAT COMMANDMENT: “And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.’” Matthew 22:37-40
Our Vision
Following Jesus Together
A DISCIPLE IS A FULLY DEVOTED FOLLOWER OF CHRIST
“We proclaim Him, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all His energy that He powerfully works within me.” Colossians 1:28-29
Guiding Principles
1. What does the Bible say? We are a people identified by the Word of God, and we want to base all matters of faith and practice on what the Bible has revealed without taking away or adding anything to it.
2. Have we prayed about it? We need to precede, do, and conclude everything in an attitude of prayerful dependence upon the Lord. This is God’s work and needs His leading, His anointing, and His blessing in order for us to accomplish what He wants.
3. Will this support families and bring us closer together as a church body? We are a church that comprises all generations and sees that both biblically and historically, the family of God has always included every generation as disciples of Christ. Our ministry should assist families and members of all generations to become more fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.
4. How does God want this to look? How we get there is as important as our destination. Towards that end, there is the need to promote unity through sharing the truth in love, having a clearly defined decision-making process, and doing God’s will His way as quickly and efficiently as we can with both excellence and a sense of urgency.
5. Who should we bring together to do the work? We value the way we build relationships while we do things together. As part of a church community we appreciate laughing together and enjoying the humor and fun of being a Christian and the life God gives us to live. As such, it is the responsibility of every member to know and use their spiritual gifts, passions, and resources, and learn how to work well together.
6. What can we do to help people in our community hear, understand and apply the unchanging truth of the Bible? Just as a missionary must understand the culture and seek ways to adapt his ministry and manners to reach people for Christ so we must do the same. The message of the Gospel does not change but methods and ministries must be constantly evaluated and adjusted to have the greatest impact on the people we are seeking to reach for Christ.
Our Core Values
Worship
– “Magnify, Exalting Christ, Glorifying God in all we do. Includes Knowing Christ, Growing in Christ, Serving Christ, Sharing Christ, Exalting Christ”
~Glorifying God with everything we’ve got~
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30
Fellowship
– “Membership, Knowing Christ, Fellowship with God and with Each Other. Includes Prayer and The Ordinances (Baptism and Communion), and Membership”
~Sharing truth in context of loving relationships~
”Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.” Ephesians 4:25
Discipleship
– “Maturing, Growing in Christ. Includes Bible reading and teaching.”
~Pursuing Christ-likeness as evidenced by a changing life~
“We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.” Colossians 1:28 & 29
Ministry
– “Serving Christ, Equipping. Includes SHAPE, serving / ministry in the body of Christ.”
~Serving our church according to spiritual gifts and passions~
”Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others…” I Peter 4:10
Evangelism
– “Missions, Sharing Christ. Includes locally (witnessing) and globally (missions).”
~Testifying to the saving work of Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to the Heavenly Father~
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” Acts 1:8