Mission Statement:

 

To be formed and compelled by Jesus to embody His presence in loving service to our neighbors.

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Vision Statement:

 

To enjoy a healthy connection to Jesus that produces abundant missional fruit in our communities for generations (John 15:1–8).

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What We Believe:

 

We affirm the foundational and universal beliefs of the historic Christian faith as presented succinctly and confessed in the Apostle's Creed. What follows is a fuller explanation of our distinctive understanding and expression of our faith in Jesus. 

 

The Gospel—The Good News of the Kingdom

The Gospel, or "good news," is the story of how God has established his kingdom through the death, resurrection, and exaltation of Jesus Christ as Lord of the cosmos and by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on his people.  In response to the Gospel, all people are invited to follow Jesus Christ's kingdom way (Matthew 5–7), the only path to true human flourishing. By entrusting ourselves to Jesus, we receive forgiveness of their sins and reconciliation to God.  We declare our allegiance to Jesus and his kingdom through faith and repentance expressed through and baptism. 

 

God—The Righteous and Loving Creator

There is only one eternal, uncreated, and transcendent God. He is the creator of heaven and earth and all that is. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  He is the God and Father of Jesus Christ our Lord. He has revealed his name to his people in the Holy Scriptures as Yahweh.  His acts in history reveal that He is holy, loving, gracious, compassionate, merciful, forgiving, righteous, just, true, sovereign, all-powerful, and all-good. Although God is one, he exists eternally as a community of three distinct persons who are co-equal and co-eternal—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

 

Jesus—The Messiah and Lord of All

Jesus Christ is God’s eternal Son. He is the Word of God who became flesh. He was virgin-conceived and born of Mary. He is the perfect representation of God and in Him all the fullness of divinity dwells in true humanity.  He is the creator of all things and the one who sustains the cosmos.  He is the Messiah of Israel and the only Savior.  Jesus died for the sins of His people, rose from the dead three days later, and was exalted to God’s right hand in heaven where He intercedes on behalf of his people and reigns in power as the universal Lord of all. He is King of kings and Lord of Lords. Jesus' death alone effects 

 

The Holy Spirit—God's Empowering Presence

The Spirit is the presence of God the Father and God the Son within his people.  He manifests God's love to the church and empowers us to witness to the goodness and beauty of Jesus' kingdom.  He gives God’s people gifts to strength the church so that we can embody Jesus' presence in the world. 

 

Salvation—God's Rescue

By God’s incongruent grace extended to humanity in the gospel, He rescues those who entrust themselves to Jesus from the hostile powers of darkness in this world, forgives their sins, and reconciles us to himself.  Through the message of the gospel, God calls people into Christ's kingdom where they are given the new creation life.  Those reconciled to God through faithful allegiance to Jesus respond to God's mercy and work out our salvation by becoming living sacrifices as our minds and desires are renewed. 

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It was through Jesus' death and resurrection that God has defeated the powers of the Devil, Sin, and Death that enslave all people who do not live under Jesus' lordship. God's rescued people have been forgiven of their disobedience and reconciled to enjoy a loving relationship with God as their Father.  Jesus' bloody death was a sacrifice that purifies God's people from their sin so we can come near to God to enjoy the fullest intimacy of his life-giving presence. 

 

Scripture—God's Word is Truth

The sixty-six books of the Protestant Bible are the only infallible revelation of God and His intention in creating the world and redeeming his people.  The Bible is God’s very word, and as such, it is true in all that it affirms. The authoritative meaning of Holy Scripture is found through discovering the human authors' intended meanings through proper historical interpretation, in light Scriptures unfolding story, and through the Holy Spirit’s enlightening.  The Bible is the final authority for the church and the standard by which we must norm our theology, mission, practice, and ethics. 

 

Humanity—The Image of God

Humanity was created as the image of God. This means that all human beings are sacred. We were created to reflect God’s glory in the world, and thereby, to extend his good reign on earth as it is in heaven. Through Adam and Eve's disobedience this image was corrupted and humanity was exiled from God’s presence.  Only through new life in Jesus Christ—the new Adam and the image of God—is the image of God fully restored.  God’s purpose in creating humanity that we would enjoy intimate communion and fellowship with Him when the entire creation is filled with his life-giving presence. 

 

God created humankind as male and female in his image from the beginning. Therefore, human sexuality is ultimately an act of worship that reflects the divine image. Sexuality is a gift from God that is only rightly experienced in the context of covenantal marriage between one man and one woman, where the two are made by God into one singular flesh. The love between a husband and wife is intended to display vividly the unwavering love of God for His people.

 

The People of God—Israel, The Church, and the Mission of God

To remedy humanity's fall into sin, God chose Abraham and his family—Israel—to be his elect covenant nation through whom he would reconcile all peoples to himself. Although Israel was blessed with God's special revelation and presence, because of their persistent disobedience they too were disciplined and exiled.  Because of God's unwavering faithfulness to Israel and the world, Jesus came to die and rise again in order to renew the covenant and give the Holy Spirit empower them to obey and fulfill their vocation as God's royal priesthood to the world. 

 

By turning to Jesus in faithful allegiance, people of every nation can be reconciled to God and receive the blessing God promised to Abraham.  Those who live under the lordship of Jesus Christ, Jew and Gentle alike, now form a single new humanity.  Local church communities are Christ's kingdom spaces in the world, like embassies in foreign lands, where the people of Jesus serve his interests.  The church is commissioned to expand kingdom's influence in the world by preaching the Gospel to all people and making disciples by baptizing those who believe, and training them to obey all that Jesus taught.  As such, there is ultimately only one church (though with diverse expressions), made up of all people in every nation who worship God under the lordship of Jesus Christ and by the Holy Spirit.  The church is the body of Christ, his hands and feet and the place where his presence and works are embodied in the world. 

 

By the Spirit, God calls, gifts, and empowers everyone in the church to serve in Christ's kingdom. He gifts some to lead the church in the functions of elder/overseer/pastor-teacher and deacon/deaconess (meaning “minister” or “servant”). The office of elder includes servant-leadership, preaching, and teaching of Scripture and doctrine.  Pastors are charged to train all others in the church to exercise their spiritual gifts for the strengthen the whole body.  Pastors guide the church through prophetic preaching warns against idolatry and unfaithfulness and spurs the church community to be fulfill the mission. All functions are mutually open to both men and women who are qualified to serve as pastors. Since everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation has God’s Spirit, all are members of the priesthood of God’s kingdom.  They are, therefore, charged to participate in the life of the church through worship, fellowship, sharing in the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and in the proclamation of the Gospel to those who do not believe. 

 

The Last Things—New Heavens and Earth

At the time God the Father has determined, Jesus will return.  At his coming, Jesus will fully vindicate and rescue them from their enemies.  All of humanity will rise from the dead bodily to stand before Jesus the righteous judge.  The wicked will be judged according to their deeds and sentenced to eternal punishment exiled away from God's life-giving presence. Those who entrusted themselves to Jesus will be ushered into the eternal kingdom of the new heavens and earth where they will enjoy eternal life through their unhindered enjoyment of God's presence.To be shaped by our connection to Jesus' in worship and to embody Jesus' presence by loving and serving our neighbors.To be shaped by our connection to Jesus' in worship and to embody Jesus' presence by loving and serving our neighbors.