God
 

There is one true God, the creator of heaven and earth, who is sovereign over all things. He is eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each of whom is fully God yet each personally distinct from the others. God continues to sustain His creation and He is operating throughout history to fulfill His redemptive purposes.

Jesus
 

Jesus is the second person of the Trinity, the eternal, only son of God. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life of perfect obedience to the Father, voluntarily died a physical death to pay the penalty for mankind’s sins, was buried, and was physically resurrected on the third day. He ascended to heaven where He continues to intercede for mankind before God. Jesus is the only Mediator between God and humans. He has promised that He will come to earth again to complete God’s eternal plan.
 

The Holy Spirit
 

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit reveals God to mankind, draws people to Christ, convicts them of sin, indwells every believer at the point of salvation, and empowers them for service. The Holy Spirit guides believers in understanding and applying the Scripture. His power makes it possible for the believer to lead a life of Christ-like character and to bear fruit to the glory of the Father.
 

The Bible
 

The Bible is the unique revelation of God to man, written by men who were inspired by God. As interpreted through Christ, these 66 books, both Old and New Testament, are our guide for faith. As the inspired Word of God, it is absolute and true. Scripture speaks with the authority of God, while reflecting the backgrounds, styles, and vocabularies of the human authors. The Scriptures are the unique, full, and final authority on all matters of faith and practice, and there are no other writings similarly inspired by God.

Salvation
 

God’s desire is to call all people into fellowship with Himself. By defying God and going his own way, man became alienated from God. This ‘fall’ happened at the beginning of human history and all people since then have suffered the consequences of the fall and are in need of God’s saving grace. The salvation of mankind is a work of God’s free grace. Each person can receive salvation through repentance and faith. God assures us that He will then continue His saving work in us forever. Salvation is the gift of God, and cannot be earned by good works or human effort.
 

Man
 

Man was created by the special act of God, in the image of God. He is the crowning work of God’s creation. By His own free choice he sinned against God, and brought sin into the world. As the result of individual and personal sin, every person stands guilty before God and is in need of salvation.
 

Church
 

The church is the body of Christ. Its physical presence is seen in local autonomous bodies of baptized believers united by faith in Jesus, who gather together for worship, prayer, instruction, encouragement, mutual accountability, and community, and who serve in sharing the good news of salvation with those who are outside the church. Spiritual unity is to be expressed among Christians by love of one another across ethnic, socioeconomic, national, generational, gender, and denominational lines. The Lord’s Supper and baptism by immersion are practices of our church which are observed in obedience to Jesus’ instructions, but are not necessary for salvation.
 

Marriage and Family
 

God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption. Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. It is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race.
 

Last Things
 

In His own time and in His own way, God will bring the world to its appropriate conclusion. Jesus will return physically and visibly, the dead will be raised, and all mankind will be judged. The unrighteous will be sentenced to eternal punishment in Hell, and those declared righteous in Jesus will dwell forever in heaven with God. No one knows the day or the time of Jesus’ return, except God.