Christ (Who He is)
The Lord Jesus Christ is the center of all we are about. His incarnation-death-burial-resurrection-ascension is the event by which we understand how to worship, serve, love and adore the Triune God in all of life. He is the expressed image of the Father and by His mediation of grace through the merits of His cross, we know and experience real life in the Spirit. We find all our satisfaction in Jesus as our Savior and Redeemer. As the Author and Finisher of our faith we treasure His presence and power above all other earthly pleasures.Community (Who we are)
Cross-centered: The foundation of our identity and the character of our relationships within the church community and toward the community at large is the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ. His perfect life, bloody cross, and empty tomb provide the power and the example to live in loving, restoring fellowship with one-another. The cross is both message and method to accomplish the restoration of all things. Cross-cultural: Christ’s words and deeds transcend and extend to all peoples and cultures without prejudice. Because his grace is indiscriminate of culture, so must ours be, showing mercy without prejudice to any man’s cultural traditions. Cross-generational: Jesus sent His Holy Spirit to equip every member of his body, regardless of age or station in life, to make His glory and grace accessible and known to every man, woman and child. There is no stage of life protected from the demands of following Christ with all your heart. Cultural Transformation (What He does)
A New Creation: Jesus, through His Holy Spirit, engages people individually. He irrevocably changes them from the inside out. The renewal of culture begins with the transformation of individual lives by the power of grace applied to them in the gospel. Christ transforms a person who is dead in his sins into a new creation. This must be the beginning point of the cultural impact of the church and its message. It is through this gospel transformation that we find power to live self-denying lives of true discipleship with joy. Work: God created us to reflect His creative and productive nature. Because God is at work to restore the human race and the material world into a right relationship with Him, He has called us to join Him, on His mission in that work. Therefore our daily work must be regulated by His purposes and all our callings are redeemed and sanctified for His use. Recreation: All the pleasures of life: hobbies, games, music, and all other forms of legitimate entertainment, have sinful as well as God-glorifying expressions. Our task is to reflect the worth and message of Jesus as we renovate everything that is broken, ugly, and sinful, including the things that we enjoy and give us pleasure. As a redeemed people, we may enjoy God in all our pleasures and find rest and refreshing in times of play. Service: Because we have been transformed, we go into the world with the message of God’s mercy and love to all, and especially to the unprotected and weak, to widows, orphans and strangers, whose cause and care are under attended or forgotten. We must not forget the basic needs of the hungry, the homeless and those in prison, for by serving them we serve Christ. Confession (What we believe)
Faith and Life: The body of truth we believe is not subject to personal opinion, but must be the product of the orthodox expression of truth revealed in the Bible. Therefore, when we gather to worship, we confess the truth reveled about ourselves through confession of sin and repentance and we confess the truth reveled about God, His greatness and forgiveness in the gospel. Furthermore as we go into the world, we confess our faith, living out the consequences of following Christ and the fruit of sincere acts of love to all men. Our Confession of Faith: While confessions and creeds are mere man-made documents and worthy of use only to the degree that they reflect the truth of holy scripture, we believe that it is vital to the structure, life and doctrinal preservation of the church that we be guided by an accurate summary of the Bible’s content. Within the reformed tradition of the church, we maintain the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689 as a faithful summary for the purpose of teaching and training with doctrinal clarity and when necessary resolving conflicts among brothers or churches. Adherence to this Confession is not a requirement for membership; however it serves as the basis for our articles of faith and covenant of membership. Its’ precision is vitally useful in the preparation and examination of all officers of the church and is therefore held as the standard for qualification and service for pastor/elder, deacon or missionary. Second London Baptist Confession of 1689
The Cambridge Declaration
The Chicago Statement on Inerrancy
