Our Beliefs

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 Statement of Faith accurately represents the teachings of the Bible and, therefore, is binding upon all members, staff, Trustees, and volunteers. All literature, whether print or electronic, used in the church shall be in complete agreement with the Statement of Faith. All activities permitted or performed in any facilities owned, rented or leased by this church, or engaged in by any member of the church staff (volunteer or paid), and all decisions of the administration of this church shall not conflict with the Statement of Faith. In all conflicts regarding interpretation of the Statement of Faith, the Elders, on behalf of the church, have the final authority.

Furthermore, we adhere to the summary of beliefs as stated in both the Nicene Creed and Apostles’ Creed.

Section 1: The Bible – We believe the Bible, consisting of sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, is the verbally inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God. The Bible is God-breathed (II Tim. 3:16) and is to be the final authority in all matters of faith and practice.

We further believe that God has preserved His Word through the manuscripts of the Textus Receptus and Maseoretic texts. For English-speaking people, these texts are most accurately reflected in the King James Version (KJV). Therefore, the King James Version of the Bible shall be the official and only translation used for the public teaching or preaching of this church and its ministries (II Tim. 3:16-17; II Pet. 1:20-21). However, we do not make the translation issue a test of orthodoxy, fellowship, or spirituality, and will be charitable toward those who differ.

Section 2: The Godhead – We believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit eternally existing as three persons, and yet are still One. These are co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and have the same attributes and perfections (Gen. 1:26; Deut. 6:4; Isa 6:3).

Section 3: The Person and Work of Jesus Christ – We believe that the Lord Jesus, the eternal and only begotten Son of God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, became man, without ceasing to be God (Phil. 2:5‑8). Jesus Christ is full deity because He is God, and He became fully human as a man. He did this in order that He might reveal God in His righteousness and redeem man in his sinfulness (John 1:1; 14:9; Isa. 7:14; I John 4:14).

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemp­tion through His literal death and shed blood on the cross as a representa­tive, vicarious, and substitutionary sacrifice. Our justifica­tion is made sure by His literal physical, bodily resurrec­tion from the dead (I Cor. 15:1‑4).

We believe the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father (Heb. 12:2) where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Mediator, Advocate and Intercessor (I Tim. 2:5; I John 2:1; Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25).

We believe in that “blessed hope,” which is the personal, immi­nent, pre­tribulational, premillennial coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones. We further believe in His subsequent return to earth with His saints, at the end of the tribulation period, to establish His millennial kingdom (I Thess. 4:13‑18; Rev. 19:11‑20:6).

Section 4: Salvation – We believe all men are sinners (Rom. 3:10,23) and in need of the saving work provided by Jesus on the cross. This salvation is a free gift from God (Rom. 6:23) and is available to those who will believe (Rom. 10:9‑13; John 1:12). Salvation is by grace alone through faith (Eph. 2:8-9). The conditions, which bring a person to the point of salvation, are repentance and faith (John 3:16; Eph. 2:8‑9; Gal. 2:16). We further believe that justification by faith establishes an eternal relationship that can never be broken (Jn. 3:16, 36; 10:29).

Section 5: The Church – We believe the Church is the body and bride of Christ (Col. 1:18; Eph. 5:25‑29). This body is a spiritual organism that is made up of born-again believers (Acts 2:47; I Cor. 12:13).

We believe the local church is autonomous (i.e. free from any external authority and control), and self-governing under the control of Jesus Christ, who purchased the church with His own blood (Acts 20:28).

We believe the church has been commissioned to spread the Gospel throughout the world (Matt. 28:18‑20; Mk. 16:15).

The two ordinances of the church are the Lord’s Supper and Baptism.

The two recognized positions of the church are those of Bishops and Deacons (Phil. 1:1). It is understood that the position of Bishop includes all the biblical terms that describe that position, which also include pastor, elder, shepherd and overseer. These terms all describe the ruling leadership of the church. For the purpose of this document it is understood that the term “pastor” is included in the usage of the term “elders.” The senior pastor of the church serves as the “teaching elder,” “lead elder,” or “the first among equals.” Therefore, the term “elders” will refer to the senior pastor and the elders as a whole. It is understood that the term “elders” includes the Lead Elder.

Deacons are appointed to care for the temporal needs of the church ministry, as they assist the elders (cf. Acts 6:1-6). They are not to assume any ruling authority.

Section 6: Satan – We believe Satan is a real being, the author of sin, and the direct cause of the fall; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and that he will be eternally punished along with the fallen angels in the Lake of Fire (Gen. 3:1; Matt. 25:41; Rev. 20:2,10).

Section 7: Eternity – We believe in the everlasting blessedness of the saved in a literal heaven (Rev. 21-22), and the everlasting punishment of the lost in a literal Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:11-15).

Section 8: Separation – We believe all Christians should live in a manner that does not bring reproach upon the Lord’s name, and that separa­tion from religious apostasy and sinful practices is commanded by God (Rom. 12:1-2; II Cor. 6:17; Rom. 16:17; I John 2:15-17).

Section 9: Missions – We believe it is the obligation of the saved to witness by life and by word the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Matt. 5:16; 28:19‑20; Mk. 16:15; John 15:16).

This obligation is carried out, at home and abroad, by those who are believers. Thus, each believer is to be involved with the propagation of the gospel by actively being a witness, by actively engaging in biblical methods of spreading the gospel to the unreached, and by actively supporting those whom God has called to give their lives on the foreign locations of the field.

Section 10: Creation – We believe God created the universe in six literal, 24-hour periods. We reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of the origin of the universe, earth and mankind (Genesis 1-2; Ex. 20:11).

Section 11: Human Sexuality

  1. We believe that God has commanded that no sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex (Gen. 2:24; 19:5,13; 26:8-9; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1:26-29; I Cor. 5:1; 6:9; I Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4).
  2. We further believe that God created people as “male and female” (Gen. 1:27), These two-distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God and any attempt to remove the distinction of the genders is unbiblical. Therefore, all forms of transsexualism and transgenderism are man’s sinful rebellion against the plan and purpose of God.
  3. We believe that the only legitimate marriage is the joining of a biological man and a biological woman (Gen. 2:24; Rom. 7:2; I Cor. 7:10; Eph. 5:22-23). For clarification, this statement refers to men (male) and women (female) as determined by their biology at birth.
  4. No church official, elder, or pastor shall perform any wedding ceremony for anyone who does not conform to the above statement (point #3) and has not been a current active member of this church for the previous six months. No church property shall be used for any wedding ceremony that does not meet this qualification.
  5. We believe that men and women are spiritually equal in position before God, but that God has ordained distinct and separate spiritual functions for men and women in the home and the church. The husband is to be the leader of the home, and men are to be the leaders (elders and deacons) of the church. Accordingly, only men are eligible for licensure and ordination by the church as either elders or deacons (Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:18; I Tim. 2:8-15; 3:4-5, 12).

Section 12: Divorce and Remarriage – We believe God intends marriage to be a lifetime commitment and desires it to last until a spouse dies. Divorce and remarriage is regarded as adultery except on the grounds of fornication (Matt. 5:32) or desertion by an unbelieving spouse (1 Cor. 7:15). If a divorce is according to biblical grounds, then remarriage is permitted (1 Cor. 7:27-28).

Section 13: Abortion – 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. Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that teaches abortion of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the mental well-being of the mother are acceptable. If an abortion is medically required to save the life of the mother, it then becomes a decision for the mother and father (Job 3:16; Psalm 51:5; 139:14-16; Isa. 44:24; 29:1,5; Jer. 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44).