Beliefs

We believe in one holy and living God, the Creator of all things, who is infinite in power, wisdom, justice, goodness, and love. God is the source of all life and the sustainer of all that exists.

We believe that God reveals himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—three persons, yet one in being—working together in perfect unity for the creation, redemption, and restoration of the world.

We believe that God created human beings in his image and graciously seeks a relationship with us. Through his love, God invites us into a life of trust, obedience, and fellowship. While we are free to accept or reject this relationship, God continually reaches out to us with patience, mercy, and grace.

We believe that apart from God, we cannot flourish as we were created to. We are made to know God, to love God, and to walk in God’s ways.

We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Word of the Father, and is both fully divine and fully human. He is the eternal Son who took on our nature, born into the world to reveal God’s love and to accomplish our salvation.

We believe that Jesus is the Messiah who suffered, was crucified, died, and was buried in order to reconcile us to the Father, providing forgiveness for the original and actual sins of humanity. Through his life, death, and resurrection, he restores us to right relationship with God.

We believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, where he reigns with the Father and intercedes for us.

We believe that he will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and that his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, who is sent by the Father and the Son and is fully divine, of one being with them. The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force, but a personal presence—God with us and at work within us.

We believe that the Holy Spirit draws us to God, awakening in us a desire to turn toward him. This gracious work of the Spirit, which comes before we are even aware of it, is often called prevenient grace.

We believe that through the Holy Spirit we are given new life in Christ, assured of God’s love, and empowered to grow in faith. The Spirit works within us to transform our hearts and lives, leading us into holiness and shaping us into the likeness of Christ.

We believe that the Holy Spirit equips and guides the Church, giving gifts for ministry and uniting believers in love, truth, and mission.

We believe that the Bible is Holy Scripture and contains all things necessary for salvation. It is the inspired, trustworthy, and fully reliable witness to God’s work in the world and the primary way we come to know God’s character, purposes, and promises.

We believe that both the Old and New Testaments are essential to the life of faith. They are not in conflict, but together tell one unified story of God’s saving work.

We believe that Jesus Christ is both the central figure of the Bible and its ultimate message. From beginning to end, the Scriptures point to him—preparing for his coming, revealing his life and mission, and bearing witness to his death and resurrection. Every part of Scripture relates to him, sometimes directly and sometimes in ways that are fulfilled in him.

For this reason, we read the whole of Scripture through the lens of Jesus Christ. He is the one who fulfills the promises of the Old Testament and brings them to completion in the New.

Through the Scriptures, God speaks to us, forming our faith, guiding our lives, and calling us into deeper relationship with him.

We believe that human beings are created in the image of God and are therefore of sacred worth, dignity, and purpose. We were made to reflect God’s character, to care for his creation, and to live in loving relationship with him and with one another.

At the same time, we believe that humanity is fallen. Sin has broken our relationship with God, distorted our desires, and disrupted the world God created good. Left to ourselves, we are unable to fully restore what has been broken.

Yet God, in his grace, does not abandon us. Through his gracious initiative, he awakens in us a desire to turn toward him and enables us to respond to his love. This gracious work of God, which comes before we are even aware of it, is often called prevenient grace.

We believe that every person is invited into a restored relationship with God (justification) and is called to grow into the fullness of life for which they were created (sanctification). The purpose of this restored and renewed life is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.

We hold in common with all Christians a faith in the mystery of salvation in and through Jesus
Christ.

We believe that the Church is the body of Christ—called into being by God and empowered by the Holy Spirit as an extension of Christ’s life and ministry in the world today.

Through the Church, God continues his work of redemption, drawing people into new life and sending them out in mission.

We believe that the Church is the communion of saints—a community made up of all past, present, and future disciples of Jesus Christ, united across time and place as one people of God.

We believe that the Church is where the Word of God is faithfully proclaimed and the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion are administered. Through these means of grace, God forms us in faith, strengthens us in love, and draws us deeper into life with him.

We believe that the Church is called to worship God, to nurture believers in their growth in faith, and to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

In the sacrament of Holy Communion, we affirm the real presence of Jesus Christ. This is not merely a symbolic act. By the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ truly offers himself to us in this meal, making his grace present and active in our lives.

Holy Communion is a means of grace through which God nourishes us, strengthens our faith, and deepens our relationship with him. As we receive the bread and the cup, we participate in the life of Christ and are drawn more fully into his body, the Church.

Through the outward and visible signs of bread and juice, the inward and spiritual reality of the body and blood of Christ is given to us.

Because we believe that Christ himself meets us in this sacrament, we practice an open table. We invite all who desire a closer relationship with Jesus Christ to come and receive. We trust that Christ is able to meet each person where they are—regardless of age, understanding, or ability—and that the grace offered in this meal is not limited by our capacity to fully comprehend it.

Baptism is a sacrament—a sacred act in which God meets us with his grace. It is both a sign and a means of grace, through which God offers new life in Jesus Christ.

In baptism, God is the primary actor. Baptism is not something we do for God—it is something God does for us. Through baptism, God marks us as his own, like a seal upon the heart that says, “This one belongs to Jesus.” It is a sign of forgiveness, new life, and our participation in the death and resurrection of Christ.

Baptism is one of the primary ways we open our lives to God’s grace. It can lead a person to faith, or it can be received as an expression of faith—but in every case, it is God who acts first, and we respond.

Through baptism, we are welcomed into the body of Christ—the Church—and begin a lifelong journey of growing in faith. Baptism is not the end of that journey, but its beginning—the starting line of a life shaped by the grace of God.

Because baptism is God’s act, it is received only once. We trust that God is faithful to his promises, and that he never gets a baptism wrong. For this reason, we recognize baptisms performed in other Christian communities, so long as they are done in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The Baptism of Children

We believe that God’s grace is at work in every life from the very beginning. Children are embraced by the love of Christ and belong within his kingdom. Because of this, we baptize infants and children—not as a statement of their achievement, but as a witness to God’s initiative and promise.

In baptism, children are received into the care of the Church and marked as members of the household of faith. This places a sacred responsibility upon parents and the church community to nurture them, teach them, and guide them toward a living faith in Jesus Christ.

As they grow, they are invited to respond personally to the grace first given to them. Through their own profession of faith, they confirm their baptism and take hold of the life God has already begun in them.

What Is Salvation?

Salvation is about being saved from something and for something. It is the work of God’s grace that rescues us from sin and restores us to the life for which we were created.

The Bible uses several words to describe sin. One of the most common is the Greek word hamartia, which means “to miss the mark.” God created us to know him, to reflect his goodness, and to live in loving relationship with him, with one another, and with the world he has made.
Yet sin has distorted that purpose. Instead of living as we were created, we turn away from God and move further from him. In this way, sin is the failure to live lives that are moving toward the very goal for which our lives were meant.

The Grace That Comes Before

Salvation begins not with us, but with God. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, God awakens in us a desire to turn toward him and enables us to respond to his love. This is often called prevenient grace—the grace that comes before we are even aware of it.

Justifying Grace — Forgiven and Restored

Through faith in Jesus Christ, we are forgiven of our sins and restored to a right relationship with God. This is called justifying grace. It is not something we earn, but a gift we receive.

In this moment, we are freed from the guilt and power of sin and given new life in Christ. This step is the cornerstone of the Christian life and is open to all who place their trust in Jesus.

If you are ready to take this step of faith, you may begin with a simple prayer:

“Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner and that I need your
forgiveness. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that he died on the cross for my sins, and that he rose from the dead. I turn to you now and place my trust in you. Come into my life as my Lord and Savior. Thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit. Guide me and strengthen me to live for you. Thank you for your love and mercy. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Sanctifying Grace — Growing in New Life

But justifying grace is only the beginning. Salvation is not only about what we are saved from, but also what we are saved for.

Through sanctifying grace, the Holy Spirit works within us to transform our hearts and lives. Over time, God reshapes us from the inside out, restoring in us the image of Christ.

The fruit of this work is seen in the life of the believer. As Scripture teaches, the fruit of the Spirit is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23).

The goal of this new life is love—loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and loving our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:37–40). This has always been God’s purpose for us.

The Goal of Salvation

Salvation is the work of grace that meets us where we are—no matter how broken or far from home we may be—and brings us back to God. It restores us, renews us, and leads us into the life we were created to live.

Entire Sanctification — A Life Fully Given to God

We believe that God’s work of sanctifying grace not only leads to ongoing spiritual growth, but also calls us to a deeper surrender of our whole lives to him.

Sanctification is not merely gradual growth—it also involves a decisive yielding of ourselves to God. In this act of full surrender, we give ourselves to God without reservation, holding nothing back. This is often called entire sanctification or Christian perfection.

This does not mean that we become perfect in knowledge or free from all human weakness. Rather, it means that our hearts are fully devoted to God, and our lives are oriented toward loving God with all that we are and loving our neighbor as ourselves.

Entire sanctification is a gift of God’s grace, received by faith. It removes the barriers that hinder our growth and opens our lives more fully to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit.

From this place of full devotion, we continue to grow in grace, being shaped more and more into the likeness of Christ.