Our Church Covenant
Statement of Faith
We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and the Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide. John 14:16-17, 26; 15:26-27; 16:9-14; Romans 8:9, 1Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; Galatians 5:22-26
F. Man
We believe that man was created by God in His own image; that he sinned and thereby incurred physical, spiritual and eternal death, which is separation from God; that as a consequence, all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are sinners by choice and therefore under condemnation. All persons are corrupt by nature, enslaved to sin, and morally unable to delight in God and overcome their own preference for the fleeting pleasures of self-rule. Gen 1-3; Romans 1 -5
We believe that those who by God’s free grace are regenerated by the Holy Spirit, become new creatures and thus are enabled to repent and forsake sin and trust Jesus Christ as Savior, and are delivered from condemnation and receive eternal life. Those who are thus regenerated will be kept by God’s power and will persevere as Christians until the end of their lives, and that only those who persevere until the end have been truly born again. Genesis 1:26; 2:17; 3:19; 5:2; Psalms 51:7; Proverbs 28:13; Ecclesiastes 2:11; Jeremiah 17:9; John 1:13; 3:5, 14, 16; 5:24, 30; , 6:38-40, 44, 65; 8:12; 10:27-29; Romans 3:19; 5:19; 8:1; 9:22; 2Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 1:13-14; 2:4-5; Col 2:13; 2Thessalonians 1:9-10; James 1:14; 1John 1:9; Revelation 19:3, 20; 20:10, 14-15
We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of faith, and associated for worship, work, and fellowship. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world. Acts 1:8; 2:41; Ephesians 2:19-22; 5:19-21; Hebrews 10:23-25
We believe that a Christian should live for the glory of God and well-being of his fellowmen; that his conduct should reflect Scriptural standards and be blameless before the world; that he should be a faithful steward of his possessions, and that he should seek to realize for himself and others the full stature of maturity in Christ. John 14:15, 23-24; Romans 12:1-3; 1Corinthians 4:2; 10:31; 2Corinthians 9:6-9; Colossians 1:9-10;Ephesians 4:17-5:4; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1John 2:3-6
We believe that the term “marriage” has only one meaning, and that is marriage sanctioned by God, which joins one man and one woman in a single, exclusive, covenantal union, as delineated in Scripture.
We believe God intends sexual intimacy to only occur between a man and a woman who are married to each other. We believe any form of sexual immorality, such as adultery, fornication, homosexual conduct, bisexual conduct, incest, use of pornography or any attempt to change one’s biological sex or to otherwise act upon any disagreement with one’s biological sex, is sinful and offensive to God.
We believe God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. We believe every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect and dignity. Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of this church. Genesis 1:27-28; Genesis 2:18-25; Exodus 20:14; Matthew 19:3-12; Romans 1:26-27; 1Corinthians 6:9-20; Ephesians 5:22-33; Hebrews 13:4
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that Christian Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water into the name of the triune God. We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 6:3-5; 1Corinthians 11:23-26
L. Religious Liberty
We believe that every human being has direct relations with God, and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; that each church is independent and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority; that therefore Church and State must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its duties free from dictation or patronage of the other. Romans 14:7-9, 12; 1Timothy 2:5
We believe that local churches can best promote the cause of Jesus Christ by cooperating with one another in a denominational organization. Such an organization, whether a regional or district conference, exists and functions by the will of the churches. Cooperation in a conference is voluntary and may be terminated at any time. Churches may likewise cooperate with interdenominational fellowships on a voluntary basis.
Acts 15:36, 41; 16:5; 1Corinthians 16:1; Galatians 1:1-3; Revelation 1:4, 10-11