What We Believe
Gospel
We believe that the gospel is the central truth of the Bible, the foundation of our faith, and the fuel for the Christian life. The gospel is the good news that while we were dead in our sin, God sent his son Jesus to live a perfect life on our behalf, die a substitutionary death to pay the penalty for our sin, and rise again from the grave to offer us new life in his Spirit.
God
We believe that God is the Creator of everything and that he exists eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Scripture
We believe the Bible to be God’s Word, a true and fully accurate account of God’s love for us. Its purpose is to teach us how to have a relationship with him, worship him, and bring him glory.
Humanity
We believe that God created us in his image to worship him and give him glory. This is true of both men and women, who are equal and complementary partners in God's mission and reflect his beauty, goodness, and creativity.
Sin and Salvation
We believe that sin has kept us from knowing God and worshiping him but that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin, was physically resurrected, and now offers a restored relationship with God as a free gift to all who believe in him.
Church
We believe that the church is the body of Christ on earth and a movement of disciple-making disciples. As such, every believer should be identified with a local church for the purpose of mutual encouragement, spiritual growth, and accountability.
Discipleship
We believe that all disciples should continually grow as (1) worshipers, knowing, loving, and obeying God above all else; (2) family members, committed to our aspiring multiethnic family; (3) servants, gladly giving of themselves for the good of others; (4) stewards, managing God’s gifts for God’s purposes; and (5) witnesses, proclaiming Christ in word and deed.
Baptism
We believe that baptism by immersion is a church ordinance that represents a person’s first public act of confession, repentance, and faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.
Deacons and Elders
We believe that Jesus ordained two distinct offices within the local church: (1) Deacons are a group of qualified men and women who serve the church in practical ways, often by caring for church members with physical needs; (2) Elders—also called “pastors” or “overseers”—are a group of qualified men who bear a special responsibility to preach the Word and protect the church from false teaching.
Mission
We believe that God cares about the needs of all people and that the church, as Christ’s body, is to show his love and care for others. Every member of the church is sent out by Jesus as a minister of the gospel, declaring the love of Christ with our lips and demonstrating the love of Christ with our lives—not only in our communities but also to the farthest and most unreached places of the world.
