ourBELIEFS |
- Scripture is God’s written revelation to man—fully inspired
and written truth. It serves as the authority in belief and practice.
We stand under it seeking to understand and obey. We do not stand
above it seeking to judge and critique.
- God is beyond and above all of his creation—perfect and infinitely
complete. All that is was created by him and all that will come is
known by him and under his control.
- Humanity was created in God’s image. Every race, color and
individual person, both male and female, are valuable and of equal
worth.
- Every human being is created to find their ultimate fulfillment and
happiness in God. Sacrificial love is God’s plan for perfecting
and enjoying our relationship with him and our relationships with
each other.
- Sin resides in every person and necessarily separates us from
God—requiring
an act by God to restore humanity to him.
- The life, death, and resurrection of Christ is God’s act to
restore humanity to him. We celebrate the literal and physical resurrection
of Jesus through baptism (symbolizing cleansing and renewal) and the
Lord’s Supper (reminding us that salvation and deliverance came
from God through Jesus Christ).
- The gift of salvation is pure grace (it cannot be earned or deserved)
and is accepted by faith. Faith means believing that God is trustworthy
and will make good on his promises. Therefore, genuine faith leads
to submission and obedient following.
- People were not created to live alone. Without community they are
missing a key element of their purpose and happiness. The nuclear
family and the spiritual family (church) are God’s way for providing
man with community.
- God calls the church to participate in making Him known by leading
people into a relationship with Jesus Christ and inviting them into
spiritual community (We refer to this as a “missional” focus)
- God is the ultimate artist and often expresses himself through
symbolism and beauty; therefore we esteem art and its expression very
highly. As
such, we believe that art, beauty, and aesthetics are a necessary
component in the community of faith and individual spirituality.
- Prayer is the counter-intuitive means by which we submit to God,
commune with God, and seek his divine guidance rather than relying
merely on
human striving and struggle in the daily administration of our lives.
- We believe that God’s heart goes out more for those who cannot help themselves than those who can – and in this economy God cares infinitely for hurting children. We also weep for the hurting children of this world and are compelled to seek tangible and effective ways to love and help them.