The Authority and Power of the Bible
We affirm the divine inspiration, truthfulness and authority of both Old and New Testament Scriptures in their entirety as the only written word of God, without error in all that it affirms, and is the only infallible rule of faith and practice. We also affirm the power of God’s word to accomplish his purpose of salvation. The message of the Bible is addressed to all mankind. For God’s revelation in Christ and in Scripture is unchangeable. Through it the Holy Spirit still speaks today. (II Tim. 3:13-17; John 10:35; Heb. 4:12; Psalm 119:89, 105; I Pet. 1:23-25; Gal. 1:8, 9; Matt. 5:18; Isa. 40:8; II Pet. 1:21)
Knowing God the Father through His Son Jesus Christ and living by His Word is the foundation of life.
We believe that the basis of the Christian faith is to know God through repentance for sin, receiving Jesus Christ as Lord, building an intimate relationship with Him, and being conformed into His image. God has declared us righteous through faith in Jesus Christ (John 1:12, John 17:3, Rom. 8:29, II Cor. 5:21).
It is essential for every believer to be baptized with the Holy Spirit and be completely dependent on Him.
We believe in the present infilling of the Holy Spirit to all believers who desire it. The Holy Spirit’s ministry to the body of Jesus Christ gives power to live, witness, proclaim the gospel and to make disciples. We recognize that we desperately need the person and power of the Holy Spirit to minister effectively to our generation. The Holy Spirit gives us power to cultivate a Christ-like character through the Fruit of the Spirit and to build up and mature the church through the miraculous gifts and ministries in this present day. Changed lives are not the product of men’s wisdom, but in the demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit as modeled in the New Testament church (I Cor. 2:2-5, John 15:5). We believe it is essential for every believer to be baptized with the Holy Spirit and to pursue spiritual gifts (II Cor. 13:14, John 4:23-24; John 15:8-10; I Cor. 12:13; John 3:5, 6; Acts 1:4-8; Acts 2:1-4; Acts 2:38, 39; Luke 11:9-13; Joel 2:28, 29; I Cor. 12, 13, 14; Heb. 2:4).
With the baptism in the Holy Ghost come such experiences as an overflowing fullness of the Spirit (John 7:37-39; Acts 4:8), a deepened reverence for God (Acts 2:43; Hebrews 12:28), an intensified consecration to God and dedication to His work (Acts 2:42), and a more active love for Christ, for His Word, and for the lost (Mark 16:20).
The Great Commission
We believe that Christ has commissioned the church to go into all the world and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them, and teaching them to observe His commandments. Jesus entrusted to the church the stewardship of the Gospel, and promised the power of the Holy Spirit for the work of evangelism and missions. (I Cor.3:6-9, Matt. 11:12, II Cor. 10:3-4, Acts 14:21-23).
Build the kingdom together with the entire body of Christ
Our focus is on the kingdom of God, recognizing our small group, our local church, and our fellowship is just one small part of God’s kingdom. We are called to link together with other groups in the body of Christ and pursue unity in His church as we reach the world together (Matt. 6:33, Eph. 4:1-6, John 17, Ps. 133).
Human Sexuality
We believe that God has given to us the gift of sexuality which must be exercised only within the boundaries of covenanted, lifelong, and heterosexual marriage. Intimate sexual relationships outside of marriage and sexual relationships between persons of the same sex are immoral and sinful. 1 Cor. 5, 1 Cor. 6:9-11, Rev. 21:8
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The Statement of Faith is not a complete representation of all that we believe or practice. The Bible itself, as revealed through the Holy Spirit, is the final source of all that we believe.
We appreciate the faith of our forefathers that connects us back to the birth of the church at Pentecost. We deeply appreciate their interpretation and teaching, recognizing the Dordrecht Confession of Faith which was written in 1632, by Dutch Anabaptists in Dordrecht, Holland to be a close interpretation of our beliefs.