(B)  The Godhead.
We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons-- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; John 14: 10, 26).

(C)  The Person and Work of Christ.

1. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men (John 1:1-2,14; Luke 1:35; Isa. 9:6; Isa. 7:14; 2 Cor. 5:19-21; Phil. 2:5-8; Gal. 4:4-5).
2. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through his death on the cross as a representative vicarious substitutionary sacrifice; and, that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Rom. 3:24-25; 1 Peter 2:24; Eph. 1:7; 1 Peter 1:3-5; Acts 2:18-36).
3. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative Intercessor, and Advocate (Acts 1:9-10; Heb. 9:24; Heb. 7:25; Rom. 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2).

(D)  The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit.

1. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling, and sealing them unto the day of redemption (John 16:8-11; 2 Cor. 3:6; 1 Cor. 12:12-14; Rom. 8:9; Eph. 1:13-14).
2. We believe that He is the Divine Teacher who assists believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures and, that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit (1 John 2:20, 1 John 2:27; Eph. 5:18).
3. We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer.  God uniquely uses the evangelists, pastors, and teachers to equip the believers in the assembly in order that they can do work of the ministry (1 Cor. 12:4-11,28; Eph. 4:7-12; Rom. 12:3-8).
4. We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary. We believe that speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit and that ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayer of believers for physical healing (1 Cor. 1:22; 1 Cor. 13:8; 1 Cor. 14:21-22).

(E)  The Total Depravity of Man.
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam's sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and, that man is totally depraved, and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition (Gen.1:26-27; Rom. 3:22-23, Rom. 5:12, Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:1-3, 4:17-19).

(F)  Salvation.
We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins (Eph. 1:7; Eph. 2:8-10; John 1:12; 1 Pet. 1:18-19).

(G)  The Eternal Security and Assurance of Believers.

1. We believe that all the redeemed once saved, are kept by God's power and are thus secure in Christ forever (John 6:37-40; John 10:27-30, Rom. 8:1,38-39; 1 Cor. 1:4-8; 1 Pet. 1:4-5).
2. We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God's Word; which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh (Rom. 13:13-14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-15).

(H)  The Church.

1. We believe that the local church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is solely made up of born-again persons (1 Cor. 12:12-14; 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 1:22-23, Eph. 5:25-27).
2. We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Acts 4:27; Acts 20:17,28-32; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11).
3. We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or control (Acts 13:1-4; Acts 15:19-31; Acts 20:28; Rom. 16:1,4; 1 Cor. 3:9,16; 1 Cor. 5:4-7,13; 1 Peter 5:1-4).
4. We recognize water baptism and the Lord's Supper as the Scriptural ordinances of obedience for the church in this age (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; Acts 18:18; 1 Cor. 11:23-26).

(I)  Separation.
We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Saviour and Lord; and, that separation from all religious apostasy, all sinful pleasures, practices, and associations is commanded of God (2 Tim. 3:1-5; Rom. 12:1,2; Rom. 14:13; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11; 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1).

(J)  The Second Advent of Christ.  
We believe in that "Blessed Hope”, the personal, imminent return of Christ Who will rapture His Church prior to the seven-year tribulation period. At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return with His saints, to establish His earthly Messianic-Kingdom which was promised to the Nation of Israel (1 Thess. 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; 1 Thess. 1:10; Rev. 3:10, Rev. 19:11-16, Rev. 20:1-6; Zech. 14:4-11; Dan. 2:31-45; Ps. 89:3-4).

(K)  The Eternal State.

1. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment (Matt. 25:46; John 5:28,29; John 11 :25-26; Rev 20:5-6, 12-13).
2. We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord (Luke 23:43; Rev. 20:4-6; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 3:21; 1 Thess. 4:16-17).
3. We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious misery until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment (Luke 16:19-26; Matt. 25:41-46; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Mark 9:43-48, Rev.20:11-15).

(L)  The Personality of Satan.
We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin and the provocation for the Fall of Man; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and, that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire (Job 1:6-7; Isa. 14:12-17; Matt. 4:2-11; 25:41; Rev. 20:10).

(M)  Creation.
We believe that God created the universe in six literal, successive 24-hour periods. We reject evolution, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin. (Gen. 1-2; Ex. 20:11).

(N)  Civil Government.  
We believe that God has ordained all authority consisting of three basic institutions: 1) the home; 2) the church; and 3) the state. Every person is subject to those authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and govern by His Word. God has given each institution specific responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, the church, and the state are equal and sovereign in their respective Biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God (Eph. 5:22-24; Heb. 13:17; 1Pet. 2:13-14; Rom. 13:1-7).

(O)  Human Sexuality.

1. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside a marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery and pornography are sinful perversions of God's gift of sex.  Any employee of the church evidently involved in any of these, becoming pregnant or causing pregnancy as the result of consensual intercourse outside of the marriage relationship, shall be terminated from employment (Gen. 2:24, Gen. 19:5,13, Gen. 26:8-9; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1:26-29; 1 Cor. 5:1; 1 Cor. 6:9; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; Heb.13:4).
2. We believe that the only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman. (Gen. 2:24, Rom. 7:2; 1 Cor. 7:10; Eph. 5:22-23).
3. We believe that men and women are spiritually equal in position before God but that God has ordained distinct and separate spiritual functions for men and women in the home and the church. The husband is to be the leader of the home and men are to be pastors and deacons of the church. Accordingly, only men are eligible for licensure and ordination by the church. (Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:18; 1 Tim. 2:8-15; 1 Tim. 3:4-5,12).

(P)  Human Identity [Adapted from the Nashville Statement]

ARTICLE 1

WE AFFIRM that God has designed marriage to be a covenantal, sexual, procreative, lifelong union of one man and one woman, as husband and wife, and is meant to signify the covenant love between Christ and his bride the church.
WE DENY that God has designed marriage to be a homosexual, polygamous, or polyamorous relationship.  We also deny that marriage is a mere human contract rather than a covenant made before God.

ARTICLE 2

WE AFFIRM that God’s revealed will for all people is chastity outside of marriage and fidelity within marriage.
WE DENY that any affections, desires, or commitments ever justify sexual intercourse before or outside marriage; nor do they justify any form of sexual immorality.

ARTICLE 3

WE AFFIRM that God created Adam and Eve, the first human beings, in his own image, equal before God as persons, and distinct as male and female.
WE DENY that the divinely ordained differences between male and female render them unequal in dignity or worth.


ARTICLE 4

WE AFFIRM that divinely ordained differences between male and female reflect God’s original creation design and are meant for human good and human flourishing.
WE DENY that such differences are a result of the Fall or are a tragedy to be overcome.

ARTICLE 5

WE AFFIRM that the differences between male and female reproductive structures are integral to God’s design for self-conception as male or female.
WE DENY that physical anomalies or psychological conditions nullify the God-appointed link between biological sex and self-conception as male or female.

ARTICLE 6

WE AFFIRM that those born with a physical disorder of sex development are created in the image of God and have dignity and worth equal to all other image-bearers.  They are acknowledged by our Lord Jesus in his words about “eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb.”  With all others they are welcome as faithful followers of Jesus Christ and should embrace their biological sex insofar as it may be known.
WE DENY that ambiguities related to a person’s biological sex render one incapable of living a fruitful life in joyful obedience to Christ.

ARTICLE 7

WE AFFIRM that self-conception as male or female should be defined by God’s holy purposes in creation and redemption as revealed in Scripture.
WE DENY that adopting a homosexual or transgender self-conception is consistent with God’s holy purposes in creation and redemption.

ARTICLE 8

WE AFFIRM that people who experience sexual attraction for the same sex may live a rich and fruitful life pleasing to God through faith in Jesus Christ, as they, like all Christians, walk in purity of life.
WE DENY that sexual attraction for the same sex is part of the natural goodness of God’s original creation, or that it puts a person outside the hope of the gospel.

ARTICLE 9

WE AFFIRM that sin distorts sexual desires by directing them away from the marriage covenant and toward sexual immorality — a distortion that includes both heterosexual and homosexual immorality.
WE DENY that an enduring pattern of desire for sexual immorality justifies sexually immoral behavior.

ARTICLE 10

WE AFFIRM that it is sinful to approve of homosexual immorality or transgenderism and that such approval constitutes an essential departure from Christian faithfulness and witness.
WE DENY that the approval of homosexual immorality or transgenderism is a matter of moral indifference about which otherwise faithful Christians should agree to disagree.

ARTICLE 11

WE AFFIRM our duty to speak the truth in love at all times, including when we speak to or about one another as male or female.
WE DENY any obligation to speak in such ways that dishonor God’s design of his image-bearers as male and female.

ARTICLE 12

WE AFFIRM that the grace of God in Christ gives both merciful pardon and transforming power, and that this pardon and power enable a follower of Jesus to put to death sinful desires and to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.
WE DENY that the grace of God in Christ is insufficient to forgive all sexual sins and to give power for holiness to every believer who feels drawn into sexual sin.

ARTICLE 13

WE AFFIRM that the grace of God in Christ enables sinners to forsake transgender self-conceptions and by divine forbearance to accept the God-ordained link between one’s biological sex and one’s self-conception as male or female.
WE DENY that the grace of God in Christ sanctions self-conceptions that are at odds with God’s revealed will.

ARTICLE 14

WE AFFIRM that Christ Jesus has come into the world to save sinners and that through Christ’s death and resurrection forgiveness of sins and eternal life are available to every person who repents of sin and trusts in Christ alone as Savior, Lord, and supreme treasure.
WE DENY that the Lord’s arm is too short to save or that any sinner is beyond his reach.

ADDENDUM

If and when other sexual practices, expressions, or identities, not identified herein, are recognized as “civil rights: or otherwise afforded legal protection by a governmental entity at any level, we preemptively declare and affirm that we hold, and will continue to hold, the biblical position on that practice, expression or identity.  We believe that our freedom of conscience is as valuable as that of any other person in our society, and that freedom of conscience is meaningless without the freedom of expression to declare what we believe without fear of governmental persecution.  

(Q)  Abortion.  
We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life. We reject any teaching that abortions of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the mental well-being of the mother are acceptable. (Job 3:16; Ps. 51:5; Ps. 139:14-16; Isa. 44:24; Isa. 49:1,5; Jer. 1:5; Jer. 20:15-18; Luke 1:44).

(R)  Missions.  
We believe that God has given the church a great commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on Jesus Christ.  As ambassadors of Christ, we must use all available means to go to foreign nations and not wait for them to come to us. (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:20).

(S)  Lawsuits Between Believers.  
We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians of the church to resolve personal, disputes. We believe the church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation for injuries from another Christian's insurance company as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander. (1Cor. 6:1-8; Eph. 4:31-32).

(T)  Giving.
We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God's wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to support his local church financially. We believe that God has established the tithe as the basis for giving, but that every Christian should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to support the church, the relief of those in need, and to spread the Gospel. We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of the tithe or offering once the gift has been made. (Gen. 14:20; Prov. 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; 1 Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 9:6-7; Gal. 6:6; Eph 4:28, 1 Tim. 5:17-18; 1 John 3:17).

Authority of Statement of Faith:
The statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself is the sole and final source of all that we believe. We do believe, however, that the foregoing 'Statement of Faith' accurately represents the teaching of the Bible, and therefore, is binding upon all members. All literature used in the church shall be in complete agreement with the Statement of Faith.

Complete Statement of Faith