WHAT WE BELIEVE
We believe that God loves you. There is nothing more important we could list first!
We believe that God desires every person to search for Him. We believe you can seek and find God, because He is not far from anyone. And at the same time, He is also relentlessly pursuing you. We believe God wants to connect you to His story.
Our places in this story look different, because we are all different. But we are all in this story, on this journey, together. Belief in God is not the end of that journey, but merely the beginning.
We believe God sent Jesus into this world in human form. He was sent to preach good news to the poor, to heal and comfort the brokenhearted, to announce a new arrival of the kingdom of God, to restore our fractured world. His message was a breath of fresh air to those enslaved by the systems in place. Likewise, His message was rejected by many who wished to hold on to the status quo, as He stood up to the oppressive nature of both the RELIGIOUS elite, and the Roman Empire. Because of this confrontation, Jesus was made an example...
We believe God inspired the writers of the Bible to speak to people of all generations, including this one.
The Bible was written as a sort of road map to help us along our journey. God calls us to engage this road map both individually and with others; in fact, perhaps the best way to figure the road map out is to have many pairs of eyes looking at it together. We learn about the story thus far and our place in it today, from the Bible.
We believe in the beginning, what God created was good. Humanity was created to be in community with God, each other, and all of creation. But through our own mistakes, darkness and evil entered into the story and are now a part of the world. This devastating event led to our relationships with God, ourselves, others and creation being fragmented – a shadow of what they were meant to be – and in desperate need of redeeming.
We believe God did not leave us behind to wallow in our mess. Instead He promised to heal this broken world.
We believe Jesus’ path of suffering, crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection is what brings life to all of creation. Through Jesus we have been forgiven, and restored to full community with God. Because of this, God is now likewise restoring us to each other, ourselves, and creation. Jesus calls His followers, His church, to be a blessing to the rest of the world.
We believe when the church gets it right, it is the hope of the world. We believe church should be a breath of fresh air, as Jesus was, instead of oppressive as the empires and RELIGIOUS elite who fought against Him.
And we are giving our lives to living this out!!!
GOD
We believe God is the creator and ruler of the universe. We believe in one God who exists in three distinct persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). We believe that Jesus Christ is the second member of the Trinity (the Son of God). We believe Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all men by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to heaven and will one day return to earth to fulfill history and the eternal plan of God. The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son as God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. The Christian seeks to live under His control daily.
Genesis 1:1, 26-27; 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14
Matthew 1:22-23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5, 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14-15; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 1:3-4; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Timothy 6:14-15; Titus 2:13
2 Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-13, 14:16-17; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 5:1
THE BIBLE
We believe God inspired the writers of the Bible under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to speak to people of all generations, including this one. We believe its words and stories are truth and are meant to guide our relationship with God and others. We hold that the scriptures, in their original manuscripts, are infallible and inerrant, they are unique, full, and final authority on all matters of faith and practice.
2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Timothy 1:13; Psalm 119:105,160, 12:6; Proverbs 30:5
MANKIND
We believe that man was created in the image of God to have fellowship with Him, but became alienated from that relationship through sinful disobedience. As a result, man is totally incapable of coming back into a right relationship with God by his own effort.
Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59:1-2
SALVATION
We believe that the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross provides the sole basis for the forgiveness of sins. Therefore, salvation only occurs when a person places his faith in the death and resurrection of Christ as the sufficient payment for his sin.
Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 14:6, 1:12; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1
John 3:16
HUMAN DESTINY
We believe that death seals the eternal destiny of each person. All humanity will experience a bodily resurrection and a judgment that will determine the fate of each individual. Having rejected God, unbelievers will suffer eternal condemnation apart from Him. Believers will be received into eternal communion with God and will be rewarded for works done in this life.
John 3:16; John 2:25; John 5:11-13; Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:15; 1 John 5:11-12; Matthew 25:31-46
BAPTISM
Baptism is actually really simple. For someone to be baptized (literally: washed, dunked, or dipped) simply means someone is showing the world that they have decided to be a follower of Jesus.
Being baptized (immersed) in water allows you to identify with Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. It’s an outward expression of an inward commitment to a personal relationship with Christ.
Colossians 2:12; Acts 2:41; Ephesians 2: 8-9; Matthew 28:19-20
COMMUNION
During Jesus's last days, He gathered His disciples in a room and asked them to consume bread and wine “in remembrance” of Him. Two thousand years later, we regularly observe communion as a church for the exact same reason: to remember our Savior, who sacrificed Himself for our sins.
Matthew 26:26-30; Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-29