Statement of Belief

We Believe:

• The Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, to be the inspired, inerrant Word of God, the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men and the Divine and final authority for Christian faith and life.

• In one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

• That Jesus Christ is true God and true man, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He died on the cross, a sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. Further, He arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, where, at the right hand of the Father, He is now our High Priest and Mediator.

• That the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and, during this age, to convict men, regenerate the believing sinner, and indwell, guide, instruct and empower the believer for godly living and service.

• That man was created in the image of God but fell into sin and is, therefore, lost, and only through regeneration by the Holy Spirit can salvation and spiritual life be obtained.

• That the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His Resurrection provide the only ground for justification and salvation for all who believe, and only such as receive Jesus Christ are born of the Holy Spirit and, thus become children of God.

• That water baptism and the Lord's Supper are sacraments to be observed by the Church. They are, however, not to be regarded as means of salvation.

• That the true Church is composed of all such persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and are united together in the Body of Christ of which He is the Head.

• That only those who are, thus, members of the true Church shall be eligible for membership in the local church.

• That Jesus Christ is the Lord and Head of the Church and that every local church has the right, under Christ and His Word, to decide and govern its own affairs.

• In the personal and imminent coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and that this "Blessed Hope" has a vital bearing on the personal life and service of the believer.

• In the bodily resurrection of the dead; of the believer to everlasting blessedness and joy with the Lord; of the unbeliever to judgment and everlasting conscious punishment.

 

• We are a church that is Reformed in its doctrinal stand. Reading any or all of the following confessions can best sum up this doctrine.

• The Belgic Confession (This confession is attached)

• The Westminster Longer and Shorter Catechism

• The Canons of Dort

• The Heidelberg Catechism

 

• We are called to give glory and honor to God corporately, as families, and individually by ordering our worship as God has commanded, by confessing our sins, by giving Him praise and adoration for his divine perfections, by offering Him thanks for his untold mercies, and by faithfully reading and preaching the whole counsel of God’s word, seeking to do all in a manner pleasing to Him (Ps. 7:17; Ps. 30). To glorify God and advance Christ’s kingdom on the earth, by faithfully proclaiming the gospel of Christ to the lost (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8), by faithfully instructing His Church in the whole counsel of God’s Word (2 Tim. 3:16), and by seeking to raise up godly children for it is truly the responsibility of the parents to train up their children in the way they should go (Deut. 11:18-21; Prov. 22:6).

 

• God has called us to be a church of the Word of God (2 Tim. 3:16).

• Everything we do, and say must be tested against the Bible.

• If there is no basis in the Bible for our actions or words we will adjust them until they are in line with the Bible.

• We are also called to test, with the Word of God, the words and actions of all other believers (1 Thess. 5:21; 1 John 4:1).

 

• We believe that we have been called away from the path of the modern evangelical church. We have been called to not follow the ways and ideas of men, but the ways and ideas of God (1 Cor. 2:12-16).

 

• We are not lead by the Holy Spirit to be a church that is Charismatic or Pentecostal in nature.

 

• We denounce the modern “Church Growth” (Purpose Driven) movement because of it’s departure from the ways of God into the ways of men (1 Cor. 2:1-6).

 

• We denounce the Emergent Church (postmodern) movement as mysticism (2 Kings 1716-18):.

 

• We also denounce the Word Faith Movement (also known as Health-Wealth, Name-it/Claim-it) and by the Word of God call it false (2 Cor. 11:24-33).

 

• We believe that the Bible teaches male only leadership in the church. Both men and women have equal value to God but have been given different roles (1 Tim. 2:12-14).

 

• In this fellowship the leadership is in the form of elders and deacons. Currently there is one elder and one deacons. Additional elders or deacons may be brought before the congregation, by the current leadership, for the congregation’s confirmation.

 

• We believe that the Bible is very clear on how a Christian is to live their lives. Based on that idea the leadership of this fellowship will use scripture to discipline, if and when necessary, the members of this fellowship (Heb. 12:5-15).

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• Marriage and Family:

  • We believe that the term 'marriage', as sanctioned by God, has only one meaning: the union between one man and one woman, as biologically defined by their natural birth, in an exclusive union, as defined in the Bible.

  • We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to only occur between a man and a woman who are married to each other.

  • We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.

  • We believe that any form of sexual immorality, such as adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bisexual conduct, incest, pornography or any attempt to change one's sex, or disagreement with one's biological sex, is sinful and offensive to God.

  • We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

  • We believe that 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 the church.

  • Gen. 2:24; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1: 26-32; 1 Cor. 5:1-2; 6:9; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4; 1 Cor. 7:10; Eph. 5:22-23; Mark 10:6-9

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• We do recognize some topics carry more probability of controversy than others. Without violating the conscience of families and individual members, we will offer fair representations of all sides of the issues with regard to scriptural support, historical background, potential problem areas, and reasons for concerns.

 

 

 

 

First adopted-3/7/2008

Revised-11/15/2015