When visiting or joining a church, it's important to know what that church believes. People routinely get different understandings from their reading of the Bible, so it's important that a church is open and honest about what it stands for.

We've created the following statement to convey those beliefs that are the most central to our congregation. If you desire a shorter document, simply read the bolded words in each item.

What We Believe...

About God

We believe that God is triune, having manifested Himself eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There's no brief or easy way to explain the tri-unity of God; but let it suffice to say that we believe in one God who has revealed Himself as the eternal Father (often simply called "God"), the eternal Son (who we came to know as Jesus, the Christ/Messiah), and the eternal Holy Spirit (our personal guide, teacher, and comforter who lives in every believer and empowers us for Kingdom service).

We believe that Jesus, the Son died to free us for our enslavement to brokeness, and was resurrected from the dead by the Father as a sign that we can have the hope of eternal life. It is because of Him–the Lord and head of the Church–that we have right-standing with our Heavenly Father.

We believe that all believers receive God's promise—the Holy Spirit—at the moment we are born again. It is this Spirit that awakens our spirit, transforming it into a "new creation" and empowering us to live into the fullness of our heritage as citizens of the supernatural Kingdom of God.

About Scripture

We believe that the Bible is the foundational revelation of God to humankind, the purpose of which is to point to The Word, Jesus (Jn. 1:1, 14). Although this sacred text is not the be all and end all of our Christian experience, it's an important guidepost by which we come to understand God's character, purpose, and heart.

About Humanity

We believe that human beings are comprised of three basic parts—spirit, soul, and body. The spirit is our life force (with which we interact with the spiritual world), the soul is our consciousness (including our intellect, emotions, and will), and the body is our physical being (with which we interact with the physical world). Only the body dies; and for believers, it will eventually be resurrected in a perfect state (without its current ailments and frailties).

We believe that salvation (redemption) from the bondage of human brokenness is a free gift to all who confess Jesus as Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead. We're not saved by anything we've done. Salvation cannot be earned. It has been freely offered to all humankind through the death of Jesus, and is received by faith alone. Likewise, it cannot be revoked by anything we can do; only by a rejection of the faith that was required to receive it in the first place.

We believe that if we confess our sins to God, He will forgive and cleanse us of their stain. We do not believe that penances are required to receive (forgiveness). Jesus revealed God's grace to forgive us 2,000 years ago. All we have to do to receive it is ask!

We believe that it is our responsibility before God to affirm all people, regardless of race, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, ableness, or any other inherent characteristic or trait. We embrace people for who they are, and celebrate (not just tolerate) their sacred uniqueness, which adds to the beautiful diversity that is God's creation. (And yes, we do recognize and perform same-sex marriages.)

About The Christian Experience

We believe that water baptism by full submersion is an important part of the Christian experience, symbolizing our fellowship with Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection. While we do not believe it is a part of the process of receiving salvation, it does represent in a visible way the washing away of our sins that took place when we got saved (born again). Consequently, it should only take place after a person has been born again; otherwise, its symbolic nature points to something that hasn't happened yet, making the act meaningless.

We believe that the spiritual gifts given by God are still in operation today, including the 7 gifts given by the Father (Ro. 12:6-8), the 5 gifts given by the Son (Eph. 4:11), and the 9 gifts given by the Holy Spirit (1Co. 12:8-10).

We believe that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is available to every believer, being initially evidenced by speaking in tongues. While every believer has the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, the subsequent experience and lifestyle of supernatural empowerment—which is referred to in the Bible as the baptism of the Holy Spirit, being filled with the Holy Spirit, or as the gift of [given by] the Holy Spirit—is available to all believers. One knows that they have received this empowerment when they exercise the initial sign of speaking in tongues.

We believe that the Church is the Body of Christ, a spiritual family of believers bound together by the blood of Jesus. Although local congregations may take in new members and maintain a membership role, one is truly a part of the universal Church (Body of Christ) when they are born again.

We believe that the Lord's Supper is the time that believers remember Jesus, who is the New Covenant between God and His people. This Supper (Holy Communion) contains two elements that symbolically represent Jesus' payment for our sins through His brutal death. The bread represents His broken body, and the wine (or grape juice) represents His shed blood.

We believe that the church is to be financially supported by tithes and freewill offerings. We do not believe in imposing any financial obligations on people, whether by official dues or other fees, or by guilting people into giving.

We believe that as Christians, we should pursue a holy life through loving and obeying God, and loving our neighbor as ourselves. As the "new commandment" given by our Lord, love for God and neighbor provides us with the only standard by which we need to measure ourselves. If it is not consistent with love, it is unholy.

We believe that our chief adversary (the devil, Satan) is a real and active being working to thwart God's purpose and desire for our lives. He and his minions are the instigators of evil, the accusers and tempters of the believers, and work to blind us to the liberation and empowerment freely made available in God's Kingdom because of and through Jesus.