Beliefs

We believe in one true and living God, eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit. The three Persons of the Godhead are one in essence and equal in glory, majesty, and
power. God is the Creator and Redeemer of all things, perfect in holiness, love, wisdom, and power.
God rules over all creation with justice and mercy and is worthy of all worship and obedience.

We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, fully God and fully man. He was conceived
by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, died on the cross as the atoning
sacrifice for the sins of the world, and rose bodily from the dead on the third day. He ascended into
heaven, reigns at the right hand of the Father, and will return in glory to judge the living and the
dead and bring all things to their fulfillment.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father and the Son and is fully God. He
convicts the world of sin, draws people to Christ, gives new birth, and makes us new creations in
Jesus Christ. The Spirit indwells every believer, sanctifies us in holiness, produces spiritual fruit,
and empowers the Church with spiritual gifts for worship, witness, and service.

We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired Word of God and
contain all things necessary for salvation. Because they are God-breathed, the Scriptures are
wholly trustworthy and inerrant in their original writings and are our final authority in all matters of
faith and life. Through the illumination of the Holy Spirit, God's Word teaches the truth, corrects
error, and forms believers in holiness and love.

We believe that God created humanity, male and female, in His image and likeness. Through
Adam's sin, all people have inherited a fallen and sinful nature and are unable to save themselves
apart from God's grace. We stand in need of God's forgiveness, renewal, and restoration, which are
found only in Jesus Christ.

We believe that salvation is the gift of God's grace received through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.
God's grace is at work in every stage of salvation. Through prevenient grace, God awakens us to our need
for Christ and enables us to respond to the Gospel. Through justifying grace, we are forgiven, reconciled to
God, and declared righteous through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Through sanctifying grace, the Holy Spirit
renews us and conforms us to the image of Christ.

Baptism is the sacrament that signifies our union with Christ, our forgiveness of sins, and our
incorporation into the family of God and the fellowship of the Church. Through this sacrament, the
Holy Spirit marks us as God's covenant people, nurtures faith, and forms us as disciples of Jesus
Christ. We practice both infant baptism and believer's baptism. In the baptism of infants, we
recognize God's covenant promises to the children of believing families and the church's
responsibility to nurture them in the faith until they personally confess Jesus Christ as Lord and
Savior. We also joyfully baptize those who come to faith in Christ later in life as a public profession
of their faith and new life in Him. While baptism does not save apart from personal faith in Christ, it
is a sacred means of grace through which God works by His Spirit in the life of His people.

We believe that marriage is God's gift and is intended to be a lifelong covenant between one man
and one woman. Marriage reflects the love of Christ for His Church. We affirm the goodness of
singleness and believe that all Christians, whether married or single, are called to lives of holiness,
faithfulness, and purity.