Our Faith
The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
The Apostles Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended into hell.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic* Church,
the communion of the saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
(*universal)
Community’s Statement of Faith
The Word of God
We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired Word of God, inerrant in the original writings, completed as the revelation of God’s will for salvation, and the supreme and final authority in all matters to which they speak.
(2 Timothy 3:16–17; 2 Peter 1:19–21)
The Trinity
We believe in one God, creator and sustainer of all things, eternally existing in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; that these are equal in every divine perfection and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption.
(Genesis 1:26; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19)
God the Father
We believe in God the Father, an infinite, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. We believe he concerns himself mercifully in the affairs of people, that he hears and answers prayer, and that he saves from sin and death all who come to him through Jesus Christ.
(John 16:23-27; Galatians 4:4-6; Ephesians 1:3, 17-23)
Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is God’s eternal Son, and has precisely the same nature, attributes and perfections as God the Father and of the Holy Spirit. We believe further that he is not only true God, but true man, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin, Mary. We also believe in his sinless life, his substitutionary atonement, his bodily resurrection from the dead, his ascension into heaven, his priestly intercession on behalf of his people, and his personal, visible, return from heaven.
(Matthew 1:18-23; Luke 24:1-8; John 1:1, 14; Acts 1:11; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; Hebrews 4:14-16, 7:24-25; 1 John 2:1; Revelation 1, 20)
Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit, his personality, and his work in regeneration, sanctification, and preservation. His ministry is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, and implement Christ’s work of redeeming the lost and empowering the believer for godly living and service. The Holy Spirit indwells every believer, guides and empowers believers, and gives gifts to all believers to be used in ministry so that the church functions properly.
(Matthew 28:19; John 3:5, 16:13; Acts 1:8, 5:3-4; 1 Corinthians 6:11, 19, 12:4-13; Ephesians 3:16, 4:1-16)
Mankind
We believe God created mankind, male and female, in the image of God and free from sin. We further believe mankind, because of the fall in Adam, is a sinner by nature and choice and is therefore spiritually dead. We also believe that those who repent of sin and trust Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit.
(Genesis 1:27, 2:7-3:19; Romans 3:23, 5:12-21, 6:23)
Salvation
We believe in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. We further believe that this salvation is based upon the sovereign grace of God, and was purchased by Christ on the cross, and is received by people through faith, apart from any human merit, works, or ritual. We further believe salvation results in ongoing development of righteous living, good works, and proper social concern.
(John 1:12, 3:3-7, 5:24; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1Timothy 2:5)
The Church
We believe that the Church is the spiritual body of which Christ is the head. We believe that the true Church is composed of all persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. We believe that this body expresses itself in local assemblies whose members have been baptized upon a credible confession of faith and have associated themselves for worship, for instruction, for evangelism, fellowship, and for service. We believe the ordinances of the local church are believer’s baptism (immersion prefered) and the Lord’s Supper. We also believe in the interdependence of local churches and the mutual submission of believers to each other in love.
(Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8, 2:41-47; Ephesians 5:21; Colossians 1:18; Hebrews 10:24-25)
Relationship of Church to the State
We believe that each local church is self-governing in function, and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority. We further believe that every human being is directly responsible to God in matters of faith and life.
(Matthew 22:21; Romans 13:1; 1Timothy 2:1-6)
Christian Conduct
We believe that the supreme task of believers is to glorify God in their lives; that their conduct should be blameless before the world; that they should be faithful stewards of their possessions; and that they should seek to grow into full maturity in Christ.
(1Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 1:28; 1Timothy 6:6-9; 1 Peter 1:14-15)
Last Things
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the saved and lost, final judgement, rewards and punishment, eternal life for the redeemed and eternal death for the lost, and the new heavens and the new earth.
(John 5:29; 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, 15:51-58; 2 Corinthians 5:6-10; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2 John 8; Revelation 19-21)
