GOD 
There is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, often called the Trinity. Although each member of the Trinity serves different functions, they each possess equal power and authority. (Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 28:19, Mark 1:9-11, Romans 8:9-11, 2 Corinthians 13:14, James 2:19)

• The Father — God the Father is the Creator and sustainer of all things. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present, unchanging, completely worthy of our trust, and above all, Holy. God is good. He is our Father. He is loving, compassionate, and faithful to His people and His promises. (Genesis 1:26, Colossians 1:17, Psalm 8:3-4, Luke 1:37, 1 Corinthians 2:10-11, Psalm 46:1, Malachi 3:6, Jeremiah 17:7-8, Isaiah 57:15, Romans 8:28, Isaiah 64:8, 1 John 3:1, Psalm 86:15, Romans 4:21)

• The Son — Jesus Christ is eternally God. He was together with the Father and the Holy Spirit from the beginning; and through Him all things were made. For man’s redemption, He left heaven, was conceived by the Holy Spirit, was embodied in human form, and was born of the Virgin Mary. He is forever the Christ, the Anointed One, having two natures, being fully God and fully man, in one Person. He is the only plan for bringing mankind back into a right relationship with God. (Isaiah 9:6, John 1:1, 14, Genesis 1:1-3, Colossians 1:17, John 6:38, Matthew 1:18-20, 25, Philippians 3:20-21, 1 Timothy 2:5, John 3:16, John 14:6)

• The Holy Spirit — The Holy Spirit is God, the very essence of who God is. He is a person with a mind, will, and emotions. He was active in the Old Testament for the creation of the world and was imparted in full at Pentecost for the creation of the Church. He empowers, comforts, guides, and works to transform believers into the image of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:10-11, Ephesians 4:30, Romans 8:26-27, Genesis 1:1-3, Acts 2:2-4, 37-41, Acts 1:8, John 16:7-15, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Galatians 5:22-23)

• The Bible — The Bible, comprised of the Old and New Testaments, is the only infallible, Holy Spirit inspired Word of God; and its authority is ultimate, final, and eternal. It cannot be added to, subtracted from, or superseded in any regard. The Bible is the source and standard of all doctrine, instruction, correction, and reproof. It contains all the principles, promises, and provisions God has made available to believers. (2 Timothy 3:16, Isaiah 55:11, Matthew 24:35, Psalm 119:105, Revelation 22:18-19)

MANKIND
 Every person was made in the image of God, is loved by Him, and was created to have fellowship with Him. Just as God is existent in three persons, we are made in His image, having spirit, soul, and body. We believe that God intentionally and immutably creates each person as either male or female. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. We believe that each person is uniquely created with value and purpose. (Genesis 1:26-30, 2:7, 18-22, Leviticus 26:12, 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Jeremiah 1:5, Galatians 3:26-29, Romans 1:25-27)

• Sin — Sin is defined as “missing the mark” or disobeying God’s standard of holiness defined by the Bible. Sin separates us from God. Although mankind was created good and upright, by voluntary transgression, he fell; his only hope of redemption is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Christ’s death on the cross paid the penalty for the sins of the whole world. Through His shed blood, the righteousness of Christ and the payment for sin was made available to all mankind. Only upon receiving Christ’s free gift of salvation can the benefits of the atonement be appropriated. (Romans 3:23, Genesis 2:16-17, 3:1-7, Acts 4:12, Galatians 6:14, John 3:16, Ephesians 1:7, Psalm 23:3, Genesis 15:6, Romans 3:24-26)

• Salvation — Salvation is received by personal repentance, belief in Jesus Christ, and personal acceptance of Him into one’s life as Lord and Savior. Through salvation, we are justified through faith and regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Salvation is an act of free will in response to God’s personal love for mankind and the drawing of the Holy Spirit. It is predestined only in the sense that God, through His omniscience, foreknew those who would choose Him. (Mark 16:15-16, Acts 2:38, Romans 10:8-10, Deuteronomy 30:19-20, Ephesians 2:8-9, 1 John 2:2, Romans 8:29)

• Water Baptism — Water Baptism is the outward sign of what God has already done in the individual’s life and is a public testimony to all that the person now belongs to Jesus. Following salvation, the new believer is instructed by the Word of God to be baptized in water by full submersion in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. It is a clear identification with Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16; Acts 8:12, 36-38; 10:47-48, Romans 6:3-5)

• Baptism in the Holy Spirit — The baptism in the Holy Spirit, subsequent to conversion, was first given at Pentecost and is the promise of the Father, sent by Jesus after His Ascension, to empower His Church to preach the Gospel throughout the whole earth. The baptism in the Holy Spirit releases the fullness of the Spirit in the believer’s life and is evidenced by the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit. (Joel 2:28-29, Matthew 3:11, Mark 16:17, Acts 1:5, 2:1-4, 38-39, 8:14-17, 10:38, 44-47, 11:15-17, 19:1-6, Galatians 5:22-23, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11)

• The Christian Life — The Christian life is an experiential process of having our minds renewed by the truth that is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. As we continually grow in Christ and submit to the Holy Spirit, our behavior will better reflect His life in us and His purpose for us. The new life in Christ includes complete access to the promises of God described in the Bible. While joyful and fulfilling, the Christian life still includes trials, tests, and warfare against a spiritual enemy, referred to as Satan or the Devil in Scripture. Our enemy takes advantage of our selfish desires to lure us into sinful behavior and independence from God. Victory over these trials, tests, and attacks is provided through the power of the Holy Spirit, submission to the will of God, and authentic relationships with other believers. The Christian life wasn’t meant to be lived alone; connection with a community of believers through the Church is a vital part of the Christian life. (Romans 8:1-7, 12:1-5, 9-19, Romans 14:17, Ephesians 4:1-6, 14-16, 1 Peter 5:8, Galatians 5:16-26, Philippians 2:12-13, 1 Corinthians 10:12-13, James 4:7, Hebrews 10:19-25)

• Eternity — Mankind was created to exist forever, either united with God based on their acceptance of salvation or separated from God based on their rejection of salvation. Those who reject salvation will be eternally separated from God in a literal place called Hell. Heaven is the eternal dwelling place for all those who have accepted the free gift of salvation and is where they will enjoy fellowship with God. (Matthew 10:28, Romans 6:23, 2 Thessalonians 1:9, 2 Peter 2:4, Hebrews 13:14, Philippians 3:20, Matthew 25:31-46, Revelation 21:3-4)

CHURCH
The Church, called the Body of Christ in the Bible, is not a building or a physical location, but the collective whole of believers. The Church exists to fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus to equip believers for ministry and make disciples of all nations. Working together in love and unity, the Church is focused on the ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ. Because every believer is a vital part of the body of Christ, we believe in the necessity of meeting regularly together for fellowship, prayer, and communion. According to the Bible, Jesus established the Church to be led by the five-fold ministry gifts of the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. It is essential to the life of the Church that scriptural patterns of discipline be practiced and that oversight for Church discipline, individual and corporate, be exercised by the leadership of the Church. (1 Corinthians 12:27-31, Colossians 1:18, Matthew 28:18-20, Ephesians 4:16, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Hebrews 10:24-25, Acts 2:46, Ephesians 4:11-13, Matthew 18:15-20, 1 Corinthians 5:12, Galatians 6:1, James 5:19-20, Romans 16:17-18, Hebrews 13:17)

• Communion — Communion is an act of worship by the Church, by which symbolic elements of bread and grape juice, representing the body and blood of Jesus Christ, are taken in remembrance of His sacrifice on the Cross. It is an identification with the body of Christ and is done in remembrance of Him until His return. (Matthew 26:26-28, Luke 22:19-20, 1 Corinthians 11:23-34, Acts 2:42, 1 Corinthians 10:16)

• Marriage — We believe marriage is defined in the Bible as a covenant, a sacred bond between one man and one woman, instituted by and publicly entered into before God. We believe the idea that marriage is a covenant between one man and one woman has been the Biblical definition of marriage for all of human history. In marriage, husband and wife become one both spiritually and physically. Sexual intimacy was instituted and sanctioned by God to be enjoyed only within the covenant relationship of marriage. (Hebrews 13:4, Malachi 2:14-16, Genesis 2:22-24, Matthew 19:4-6, 1 Corinthians 6:18-20, 1 Corinthians 7:2-5, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Romans 1:25-27)

• Second Coming — We believe Jesus Christ will physically and visibly return to earth for the second time to unite with His Church and establish His Kingdom. This will occur at a date undisclosed by the Scriptures. We believe that the Bible describes a final judgment of all mankind to determine their eternal destiny based on their dependence for salvation upon Jesus Christ, culminating in a new heaven and earth. (John 14:3, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, Matthew 25:31-33, Hebrews 9:28, Luke 12:46, Revelation 3:3, Revelation 20:11-15, 2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 21:1, Isaiah 65:17)