Statement on Popular Topics
Outlined below are the primary doctrinal distinctives which form the basis of our teaching and Christian worldview.
Click here for a statement on our position on a number of popular views.
Of God
1. We believe there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, equal in power and glory; that this triune God created all, upholds all, and governs all (Matthew 3:16, 28:18-20); 2. We believe in God, the Father, an infinite, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love; that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men; that He hears and answers prayer; and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9-11);
Of Jesus
3. We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings; His substitutionary atoning death; bodily resurrection; ascension into heaven; perpetual intercession for His people; and personal, visible return to earth. We believe that He is one and the same as God. He was fully human and fully God (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:20-25; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24);
Of the Holy Spirit
4. We believe in the Holy Spirit, who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower in ministry all who believe in Christ. We believe the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Jesus Christ and that He is an abiding Helper, Teacher, and Guide. We believe that Jesus Christ baptizes the seeking believer with the Holy Spirit and power for service, either at the time of or subsequent to regeneration, which is a separate work from the indwelling Spirit for salvation. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and the exercise of all biblical gifts of the Spirit as reflected through the fruit of that same Spirit (John 16:8-11; Romans 8:9);
Of the Bible
5. We believe that all the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, and that they are the infallible rule of faith and practice (2 Timothy 3:16-17);
Of Sin and Salvation
6. We believe all people are by nature separated from God and responsible for their own sin, but that salvation, redemption, and forgiveness are freely offered to all by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. When a person repents of sin and accepts Jesus Christ as his/her personal Lord and Savior, trusting Him to save, that person is immediately born again and sealed by the Holy Spirit, all of his/her sins are forgiven, and that person becomes a child of God, assured of spending eternity with the Lord (Romans 3:23-24; Romans 10:9-10); 7. We believe that just as man must choose to believe on Jesus for his salvation and take up his cross to follow Him, we also believe that man has the free will to decide to turn away from the Truth that he/she once believed. We do not agree with the phrase of “losing one’s salvation,” but we do agree with the Biblical example that sin can harden our hearts to the point where we no longer believe the truth. We believe that under the influence of a hardened heart towards God, man can choose to no longer believe (Matthew 24:9-14; Colossians 1:21-23; Hebrews 3:12-15; Revelation 3:5);
Of the Church
8. We believe in the universal Church, in the living spiritual body, of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members (Colossians 1:18); 9. We believe in the laying on of hands for the sending out of elders and missionaries, and in conjunction with the anointing of oil by the elders for the healing of the sick (Acts 13:1-3; James 5:14); 10. We believe that the title of “pastor” is vague in scripture and is best understood as the role of an elder whose emphasis is on the “pastoring” (or shepherding) of the local body. As already stated, all elders are to be men as well as those whose church functions would require the exercising of authority over men or the teaching over men (1 Timothy 2:12); 11. We believe that the order of the local church assembly is to be led by only male elders. The role of women in the local church assembly is restricted from the following three areas: judging the prophecies of others in the body, teaching over men, or exercising authority over men. However, the role of deacon is open to both men and women and is considered to be a helper in the ministry of the saints (1 Cor. 14:34; 1 Tim. 2:9-15); 12. We believe that the local church body should strive to discern Truth in all things relevant to life including those topics which could be deemed “political” in nature. We know that the lost world purposefully categorizes certain topics as “political” tin an effort to deter the church from discussing them in the assembly. Therefore, we reject that any topic is off-limits for the elders to teach and preach during the gathering of the assembly (Colossians 1: 9-10; Philippians 1:9-10);
Of Church Music
13. We believe that the songs we sing in our gatherings should reflect sound doctrine. We should be zealous for truth in our music and not that of performance. We believe the roles of worship leader, music director, or any other similar function is a teaching function and as such, if at all possible, should only be satisfied under the leadership of a male elder (Colossians 3:16);
Of Christ's Return
14. We await the pre-wrath rapture of the Church, and we believe in the literal Second Coming of Christ with His saints to rule the earth, which will be personal and visible. This motivates us to holy living, heartfelt worship, committed service, diligent study of God’s word, regular fellowship, and participation in water baptism and the Lord’s supper. We believe that we will see the revelation of the anti-Christ and that the church should be alert with their eyes open so that they will not be deceived in his coming (Matthew 24:22; Isaiah 2:12-22; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:50-54);
Of Water Baptism and the Lord's Supper
15. We believe the Lord Jesus Christ committed two ordinances (not sacraments) to the Church: 1) water baptism, and 2) the Lord’s Supper. We practice baptism by immersion and regularly celebrate the Lord’s supper according to the Scriptural guidelines found in 1 Corinthians 11:17-34;
Of Sexuality
16. We believe that marriage is exclusively the union between one man and one woman in a lifetime commitment to each other. Marriage reflects the relationship between Christ and the Church and provides for procreation and intimate companionship, and we believe is the only basis for any form of sexual expression. We believe that any intimate sexual activity outside of marriage is sin (Genesis 2:23-24; Matthew 19:4-6; 1 Thess. 4:3; Ephesians 5:3); 17. We believe that God disapproves of any attempt to alter one’s sex (as revealed at birth) through surgery, medicine, appearance, or otherwise and such an attempt violates God’s creative order. Sex and gender are inseparably determined by God at the moment of creation and may not be legitimately changed by human action (Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:18-22; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20);
Of the Family
18. We believe that God’s design for man and woman is patriarchal in order and that God designed Adam, and subsequently all men who came after him, with specific traits to lead his family as well as the local assembly of the church. Eve was designed, and subsequently all women who came after her, to submit to the leadership of her husband and to be a helper in the ministry. Men and women are equal in their right to become “as sons” of God as it relates to their standing as heirs of His promise. But this sonship equality does not cancel out the earthly order which God ordained at Creation (Galatians 3:27-29); 19. We believe that all abortion of the unborn is sinful and should be avoided at all costs. We understand that children are sometimes conceived under difficult circumstances, but those circumstances do not negate the value of the unborn human life. For those situations where the infant could not be cared for by their natural parents, alternative options such as adoption should be pursued;
Of Creation
20. We believe that God created the known world in six literal days and on the seventh day He rested. Therefore, we agree with the doctrinal ideals established in young-earth Creationism and we follow the concepts that lead to an understanding that the age of the earth is approximately 6,000 years old. We fully reject any form of evolution whether they be theistic or natural in design (Genesis 1);
Of Nations and Government
21. We believe that God established the different nations and that the traits and cultural ideals of each are whole and complete without the influence of others. In addition, we believe that every culture should follow the Biblical instruction for how to live out their lives. We reject the need to contextualize any part of Scripture in order to “persuade” other cultures of the Gospel. We believe that the Word penetrates every man’s heart by the power of the Holy Spirit and will not return void. We also reject the idea that church congregations must be “diverse” to be considered complete (Genesis 11:1-9; Hebrews 4:12-13; John 16:8-11); 22. We believe that God ordained the role of government for the purpose of the protection of its citizens. We agree that God establishes kings and kingdoms and all work in accordance with His plan throughout the past, present, and future of the world. Therefore, we agree that it is the obligation of the believer to obey the commandments of government but only so long as those commandments do not require the believer to align with, agree to, act on, or promote anything that is knowingly false or goes against what is known to be Truth (Genesis 11:1-9).