STATEMENT OF FAITH
This doctrinal statement reflects the broad, mainstream, conservative evangelical tradition which is
consistent with the teachings of the Bible and which has stood the test of history and experience.
We specifically affirm the following doctrinal truths:
1. The Scriptures
We believe that the entire Bible is the inspired Word of God and that men of God “were
moved by the Holy Spirit” to write the very words of Scripture. The Bible is therefore without error
(inerrant) in its original manuscripts. God has supernaturally preserved the Bible and it is the sole
and final authority for faith and life providing encouragement, guidance, comfort and instruction for
training in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21).
2. The Godhead (Trinity)
We believe in one true God eternally existing in three distinct persons (Father, Son and Holy
Spirit) each of Whom is fully and equally God; possesses all of the divine nature and attributes, and
is totally worthy of our worship and service (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; John 1:14, 10:30; 2 Cor. 13:14).
3. God the Father
We believe that God the Father is the first person of the Trinity and is the eternal, unchanging,
all-powerful, all-knowing, all-wise, all-loving, completely just and perfectly holy, sovereign Ruler
and Sustainer of the universe. He is the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the Father of
all true believers (Gen. 1:1; Eph. 4:6; John 1:12-13, 5:19-21, 17:1-5; Is. 40:21-28, 43:10-13, 46:8-11;
Rom. 8:14-16).
4. God the Son
We believe that Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity and is the only begotten eternal
Son of God Who became flesh to reveal God to man, to fulfill prophecy, and to become the Savior of
the lost world. In becoming man Jesus did not cease in any way to be God so that He is fully God and
fully man inseparably united in one person forever. Jesus was miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit; born of the Virgin Mary; lived a sinless life; died on the cross as the substitutionary, all-sufficient atoning sacrifice for all of the sins of all men of all time; was buried; bodily rose from the dead; physically ascended into heaven in His
glorified, resurrected body; is seated at the right hand of the Father performing His ministry of
intercession; will return in the air to claim His bride the church; and will come again to earth in
bodily form, personally and visibly, to conclude human history and consummate God’s eternal plan
by executing judgment and ushering in His Millennial Kingdom reign to be followed by the eternal
state (John 1:1,14,18, 3:16; Luke 1:30-35; Phil 2:5-8; Col. 2:3,9; Mark 10:45; Acts 2:22-24; John 1:29;
Rom. 3:25-26; Heb. 10:5-14; 1 Pet. 2:24, 3:18; John 20:20; Phil. 3:20-21; Heb. 1:3; Rom. 8:34;
1 John 2:1; Acts 1:11; Heb. 9:28; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 2 Thess 2:7; Matt. 24:44; Rev. 19:11-21; Rev. 21-22).
5. God the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity Who specially came into the
world on the day of Pentecost to glorify Christ and to enable men to appropriate
the salvation wrought by Christ. He is the primary agent for the conviction of sin and for regeneration.
Simultaneously with salvation, the Holy Spirit imparts new life, baptizes
the believer into the body of Christ (His church), permanently indwells the believer, and securely
seals the believer unto the day of redemption. The Holy Spirit fills (directs and controls) those
believers who are yielded to Him, enables believers to bear fruit, and empowers believers to live a
life free from sin’s dominion. We also believe that the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to believers for
the purpose of edifying the church in accordance with the teachings of scripture. (1 Cor. 13:8, 14:22;
John 16:7-15; 1 Cor. 6:19, 12:13; Eph. 1:13-14, 4:30; Gal. 5:16-17, 22-23; Rom. 8:5-13; 1 Pet. 4:10-11;
Rom. 12:3-8).
6. Man
We believe that man was created in the image of God by direct act of God and did not come
into being as the result of evolution. Man was created to glorify God, worship and serve Him, and
have fellowship with Him. Man fell through sin by disobeying God, thus incurring both physical and
spiritual death, which alienated him from God. Man’s nature was thus cor rupted and he is utterly
lost, “dead in trespasses and sins,” and totally incapable of saving himself and coming back into right
relationship with God by his own merit or effort (Gen. 1:26, 2:6,17, 3:17-24; Is. 59:1-2; Rom. 3:9-
19,23, 5:6-8; Luke 18:26-27; Eph. 2:1-3).
7. Satan
We believe that Satan is the instigator of evil and a real spirit being, not simply the personification
of evil. He is a fallen angel who, under the sovereign permission of God, has been given temporary
rulership of the earth. He was utterly defeated at the cross, but the exe cution of his judgment has
been postponed by God until after the Millennial Kingdom when he will be cast into the eternal
lake of fire. In the meantime, he deceives the world and seeks to establish his counterfeit kingdom
on earth to discredit and blaspheme God and to tempt, accuse, attack and destroy believers. He can be
resisted by the believer through faith and reliance on the power of the Holy Spirit (Gen. 3:1-5; Is. 14:12-
17; Ezek. 28:11-19; Job 1-2; 1 John 5:19; 2 Cor. 11:14; 1 Tim. 3:6; 1 Pet. 5:8-9; James 4:7; Rev. 12:9,
20:1-3, 7-10).
8. Salvation
We believe that the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross provides the sole basis for forgiveness
of sins and salvation, which is the free gift of God’s grace. Salvation is effected by the regenerating
work of the Holy Spirit and cannot be secured by man’s works or per sonal merit. Salvation is
only appropriated by a person placing his faith in the finished work of Christ. Repentance is a turning
toward God and away from sin and is a part of but not sep arate from believing faith. “The Gospel
is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” and those who receive Jesus Christ by
faith are born again, have their sins forgiven, become children of God, are a new creation in Christ,
and “are sealed by the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption”, being kept by the power of God
(Eph. 1:7; 13-14; John 1:12-13, 3:1-7, 14-16; 2 Cor. 5:17; Rom. 1:16, 10:9-10; Eph. 2:8-10;
Rom. 8:14-17, 31-39; John 10:27-29, 14:6; Acts 26:20; 1 Pet. 1:3-5).
9. The Christian Life
We believe that every Christian should live for Christ and not for himself and should, by the
power of the indwelling Spirit, allow Christ to manifest His life through him to God’s glory. By ever
increasing obedience to the Word of God, each believer should mature and progressively become
more like Jesus. In the power of the Spirit, each believer should live a holy life; not fulfill the lusts of
the flesh; exercise his spiritual gifts to build up the body of Christ; witness for Christ; be personally
involved in making disciples to fulfill the great com mission; perform good works and bear fruit to
the glory of God (Gal. 2:20; 1 Pet. 1:15-16, 2:11; 2 Cor. 5:14-15; Rom. 6:11-13; Eph. 2:10, 4:11-12,
4:22-24; 1 Pet. 4:10-11; Acts 1:8; Matt. 28:18-20; Col. 1:10; John 15:8, 16).
10. The Church
We believe that the church is the body of Christ of which Jesus is the Head and whose
members are those who have truly received Christ by faith. The local church is a tangible expression
of the body of Christ in a particular location. Since all members of the body of Christ are united
in Christ by the same Spirit, they should live in love, harmony and unity, being intent on the same
purpose and accepting those sectarian or denominational practices which are based on a sincere
interpretation of the Bible, which do not relate to substantive doctrinal matters, and which do not in
practice cause disunity or hinder the ministry. The purpose of the church is to make Christ known to
lost men, to make disciples, and glorify God on earth (Acts 1:8;1 Cor. 12:12-27; Eph. 1:20-23, 4:1-6,
4:12-16; Matt. 28:18-20; John 17; Col. 1:24-29).
11. The Ordinances
We believe that the only two ordinances of the church recognized by Scripture are water
baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Water baptism by immersion is an act of obedience following
salvation which symbolically pictures the believer’s death to sin, burial of the old life, and resurrection
to new life. The Lord’s Supper celebrates fellowship and communion with Christ, symbolically commemorates His death, and anticipates His second coming (Matt. 28:19; Acts 10:47-48; Luke 22:19-20;
1 Cor. 11:23-28; Rom. 6:3-4).
12. Eternal Destiny of Men
We believe that at death every believer consciously and immediately enters into the presence
and fellowship of the Lord to wait for the physical resurrection and glorification of his body
at Christ’s return. The believer will thus enjoy life eternal with God—fellowship ping, serving and
worshipping Him forever (2 Cor. 5:6; 1 Cor. 15:12-58; Luke 23:39-43; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; John 3:16;
Rev. 21–22).
We believe that at death every unbeliever consciously and immediately enters into separation
from the Lord to wait for the physical resurrection of his body to everlasting con demnation, judgment
and punishment (Luke 16:19-31; John 3:18, 36; Rev. 20:5, 11-15; 2 Thess. 1:5-10).
13. Future Things
We believe the next prophetic event will be the rapture of the Church when the Lord Jesus
Christ will return in the air to receive unto Himself all Church Age believers (John 14:1-3; Titus
2:11-14; 1 Cor. 15:51-52; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Phil. 3:20-21). The rapture of the Church will be
followed by the seven-year Great Tribulation period in fulfillment of Dan. 9:24-27 and as described
in Rev. 6:1–19:21 during which Israel will be purified, the whole world tested, and the wrath of God
poured out against sin (Jer. 30:7; Matt. 24; Rev. 3:10; 1 Thess. 5:9-11).
We believe that at the end of the Great Tribulation the Lord Jesus Christ in His second coming
will personally and physically return to the earth just as He ascended with great power and glory to
execute judgment and usher in the Millennial Kingdom, during which He will reign on earth for 1000
years with righteousness, justice and peace to fulfill God’s covenant promise to Israel (Acts 1:8-11;
Rev. 19:11-21; Ezek. 37:21-28; Is. 11:9; Rev. 20:1-6).
We believe that the 1000-year reign of Christ on earth will be followed by the final judg ment
of Satan when he is cast into the lake of fire forever; the Great White Throne Judgment and bodily
resurrection for unbelievers; the creation of a new heaven and new earth; and the eternal state
(Rev. 20–22; 2 Pet. 3:1-14).
This doctrinal statement reflects the broad, mainstream, conservative evangelical tradition which is
consistent with the teachings of the Bible and which has stood the test of history and experience.
We specifically affirm the following doctrinal truths:
1. The Scriptures
We believe that the entire Bible is the inspired Word of God and that men of God “were
moved by the Holy Spirit” to write the very words of Scripture. The Bible is therefore without error
(inerrant) in its original manuscripts. God has supernaturally preserved the Bible and it is the sole
and final authority for faith and life providing encouragement, guidance, comfort and instruction for
training in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21).
2. The Godhead (Trinity)
We believe in one true God eternally existing in three distinct persons (Father, Son and Holy
Spirit) each of Whom is fully and equally God; possesses all of the divine nature and attributes, and
is totally worthy of our worship and service (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; John 1:14, 10:30; 2 Cor. 13:14).
3. God the Father
We believe that God the Father is the first person of the Trinity and is the eternal, unchanging,
all-powerful, all-knowing, all-wise, all-loving, completely just and perfectly holy, sovereign Ruler
and Sustainer of the universe. He is the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the Father of
all true believers (Gen. 1:1; Eph. 4:6; John 1:12-13, 5:19-21, 17:1-5; Is. 40:21-28, 43:10-13, 46:8-11;
Rom. 8:14-16).
4. God the Son
We believe that Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity and is the only begotten eternal
Son of God Who became flesh to reveal God to man, to fulfill prophecy, and to become the Savior of
the lost world. In becoming man Jesus did not cease in any way to be God so that He is fully God and
fully man inseparably united in one person forever. Jesus was miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit; born of the Virgin Mary; lived a sinless life; died on the cross as the substitutionary, all-sufficient atoning sacrifice for all of the sins of all men of all time; was buried; bodily rose from the dead; physically ascended into heaven in His
glorified, resurrected body; is seated at the right hand of the Father performing His ministry of
intercession; will return in the air to claim His bride the church; and will come again to earth in
bodily form, personally and visibly, to conclude human history and consummate God’s eternal plan
by executing judgment and ushering in His Millennial Kingdom reign to be followed by the eternal
state (John 1:1,14,18, 3:16; Luke 1:30-35; Phil 2:5-8; Col. 2:3,9; Mark 10:45; Acts 2:22-24; John 1:29;
Rom. 3:25-26; Heb. 10:5-14; 1 Pet. 2:24, 3:18; John 20:20; Phil. 3:20-21; Heb. 1:3; Rom. 8:34;
1 John 2:1; Acts 1:11; Heb. 9:28; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 2 Thess 2:7; Matt. 24:44; Rev. 19:11-21; Rev. 21-22).
5. God the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity Who specially came into the
world on the day of Pentecost to glorify Christ and to enable men to appropriate
the salvation wrought by Christ. He is the primary agent for the conviction of sin and for regeneration.
Simultaneously with salvation, the Holy Spirit imparts new life, baptizes
the believer into the body of Christ (His church), permanently indwells the believer, and securely
seals the believer unto the day of redemption. The Holy Spirit fills (directs and controls) those
believers who are yielded to Him, enables believers to bear fruit, and empowers believers to live a
life free from sin’s dominion. We also believe that the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to believers for
the purpose of edifying the church in accordance with the teachings of scripture. (1 Cor. 13:8, 14:22;
John 16:7-15; 1 Cor. 6:19, 12:13; Eph. 1:13-14, 4:30; Gal. 5:16-17, 22-23; Rom. 8:5-13; 1 Pet. 4:10-11;
Rom. 12:3-8).
6. Man
We believe that man was created in the image of God by direct act of God and did not come
into being as the result of evolution. Man was created to glorify God, worship and serve Him, and
have fellowship with Him. Man fell through sin by disobeying God, thus incurring both physical and
spiritual death, which alienated him from God. Man’s nature was thus cor rupted and he is utterly
lost, “dead in trespasses and sins,” and totally incapable of saving himself and coming back into right
relationship with God by his own merit or effort (Gen. 1:26, 2:6,17, 3:17-24; Is. 59:1-2; Rom. 3:9-
19,23, 5:6-8; Luke 18:26-27; Eph. 2:1-3).
7. Satan
We believe that Satan is the instigator of evil and a real spirit being, not simply the personification
of evil. He is a fallen angel who, under the sovereign permission of God, has been given temporary
rulership of the earth. He was utterly defeated at the cross, but the exe cution of his judgment has
been postponed by God until after the Millennial Kingdom when he will be cast into the eternal
lake of fire. In the meantime, he deceives the world and seeks to establish his counterfeit kingdom
on earth to discredit and blaspheme God and to tempt, accuse, attack and destroy believers. He can be
resisted by the believer through faith and reliance on the power of the Holy Spirit (Gen. 3:1-5; Is. 14:12-
17; Ezek. 28:11-19; Job 1-2; 1 John 5:19; 2 Cor. 11:14; 1 Tim. 3:6; 1 Pet. 5:8-9; James 4:7; Rev. 12:9,
20:1-3, 7-10).
8. Salvation
We believe that the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross provides the sole basis for forgiveness
of sins and salvation, which is the free gift of God’s grace. Salvation is effected by the regenerating
work of the Holy Spirit and cannot be secured by man’s works or per sonal merit. Salvation is
only appropriated by a person placing his faith in the finished work of Christ. Repentance is a turning
toward God and away from sin and is a part of but not sep arate from believing faith. “The Gospel
is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” and those who receive Jesus Christ by
faith are born again, have their sins forgiven, become children of God, are a new creation in Christ,
and “are sealed by the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption”, being kept by the power of God
(Eph. 1:7; 13-14; John 1:12-13, 3:1-7, 14-16; 2 Cor. 5:17; Rom. 1:16, 10:9-10; Eph. 2:8-10;
Rom. 8:14-17, 31-39; John 10:27-29, 14:6; Acts 26:20; 1 Pet. 1:3-5).
9. The Christian Life
We believe that every Christian should live for Christ and not for himself and should, by the
power of the indwelling Spirit, allow Christ to manifest His life through him to God’s glory. By ever
increasing obedience to the Word of God, each believer should mature and progressively become
more like Jesus. In the power of the Spirit, each believer should live a holy life; not fulfill the lusts of
the flesh; exercise his spiritual gifts to build up the body of Christ; witness for Christ; be personally
involved in making disciples to fulfill the great com mission; perform good works and bear fruit to
the glory of God (Gal. 2:20; 1 Pet. 1:15-16, 2:11; 2 Cor. 5:14-15; Rom. 6:11-13; Eph. 2:10, 4:11-12,
4:22-24; 1 Pet. 4:10-11; Acts 1:8; Matt. 28:18-20; Col. 1:10; John 15:8, 16).
10. The Church
We believe that the church is the body of Christ of which Jesus is the Head and whose
members are those who have truly received Christ by faith. The local church is a tangible expression
of the body of Christ in a particular location. Since all members of the body of Christ are united
in Christ by the same Spirit, they should live in love, harmony and unity, being intent on the same
purpose and accepting those sectarian or denominational practices which are based on a sincere
interpretation of the Bible, which do not relate to substantive doctrinal matters, and which do not in
practice cause disunity or hinder the ministry. The purpose of the church is to make Christ known to
lost men, to make disciples, and glorify God on earth (Acts 1:8;1 Cor. 12:12-27; Eph. 1:20-23, 4:1-6,
4:12-16; Matt. 28:18-20; John 17; Col. 1:24-29).
11. The Ordinances
We believe that the only two ordinances of the church recognized by Scripture are water
baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Water baptism by immersion is an act of obedience following
salvation which symbolically pictures the believer’s death to sin, burial of the old life, and resurrection
to new life. The Lord’s Supper celebrates fellowship and communion with Christ, symbolically commemorates His death, and anticipates His second coming (Matt. 28:19; Acts 10:47-48; Luke 22:19-20;
1 Cor. 11:23-28; Rom. 6:3-4).
12. Eternal Destiny of Men
We believe that at death every believer consciously and immediately enters into the presence
and fellowship of the Lord to wait for the physical resurrection and glorification of his body
at Christ’s return. The believer will thus enjoy life eternal with God—fellowship ping, serving and
worshipping Him forever (2 Cor. 5:6; 1 Cor. 15:12-58; Luke 23:39-43; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; John 3:16;
Rev. 21–22).
We believe that at death every unbeliever consciously and immediately enters into separation
from the Lord to wait for the physical resurrection of his body to everlasting con demnation, judgment
and punishment (Luke 16:19-31; John 3:18, 36; Rev. 20:5, 11-15; 2 Thess. 1:5-10).
13. Future Things
We believe the next prophetic event will be the rapture of the Church when the Lord Jesus
Christ will return in the air to receive unto Himself all Church Age believers (John 14:1-3; Titus
2:11-14; 1 Cor. 15:51-52; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Phil. 3:20-21). The rapture of the Church will be
followed by the seven-year Great Tribulation period in fulfillment of Dan. 9:24-27 and as described
in Rev. 6:1–19:21 during which Israel will be purified, the whole world tested, and the wrath of God
poured out against sin (Jer. 30:7; Matt. 24; Rev. 3:10; 1 Thess. 5:9-11).
We believe that at the end of the Great Tribulation the Lord Jesus Christ in His second coming
will personally and physically return to the earth just as He ascended with great power and glory to
execute judgment and usher in the Millennial Kingdom, during which He will reign on earth for 1000
years with righteousness, justice and peace to fulfill God’s covenant promise to Israel (Acts 1:8-11;
Rev. 19:11-21; Ezek. 37:21-28; Is. 11:9; Rev. 20:1-6).
We believe that the 1000-year reign of Christ on earth will be followed by the final judg ment
of Satan when he is cast into the lake of fire forever; the Great White Throne Judgment and bodily
resurrection for unbelievers; the creation of a new heaven and new earth; and the eternal state
(Rev. 20–22; 2 Pet. 3:1-14).