We're on a mission to do whatever it takes to help people find, follow, and serve Jesus.
We voluntarily cooperate with the Southern Baptist Convention as we share core beliefs and a common mission. More information about our cooperative beliefs can be found in the Baptist Faith and Message, available at sbc.net.
Here are the core beliefs that fuel our mission:
About God.
God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God.
(Genesis 1:1, 26, 27; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
About Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. God raised Him from the dead to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven’s glory and will return again some day to earth to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
(Matthew 1:22,23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5, 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14,15; 1 Corinthians 15:3,4; Romans 1:3,4; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Timothy 6:14,15; Titus 2:13)
About the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is co-equal with God the Father and Jesus, the Son of God. He is present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. He gives every believer a spiritual gift when they are saved. As Christians, we seek to live under His control daily.
(2 Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-13, 14:16,17; Acts 1:8; Ephesians 5:18; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:25)
About the Bible.
The Bible is God’s Word to us. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. Since God is the ultimate authority, His Word is authoritative for Christian beliefs and living.
(2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Timothy 1:13; Psalm 119:105,160, 12:6; Proverbs 30:5)
About human beings.
People are made in the spiritual image of God to be like Him in character. He created them male and female as the crowning work of His creation. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called “sin”. Sin is what separates people from God and is the cause of the turmoil we experience in this life.
(Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59:1,2)
About salvation.
Salvation is God’s free gift to us. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin’s penalty. When we turn from our self-ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith, we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his/her life by faith.
(Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:9; John 14:6, 1:12; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1)
About eternity.
People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation through Jesus Christ. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life in Heaven. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence.
(John 3:16, 5:11-13; Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:15; Matthew 1:8, 2:44-46)
About eternal security.
Because God gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ, the true believer is secure in that salvation for eternity. If you have been genuinely saved, you cannot “lose” your salvation. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives us this security.
(John 10:29; 2 Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25, 10:10,14; 1 Peter 1:3-5)
About the church.
The church exists to honor God as we live according to what He says is best for us in the Bible, by developing meaningful friendships with other followers of Jesus who will help us follow Him more closely, lovingly and intentionally pointing people to the hope they can experience through salvation in Jesus, meeting the physical needs of those who need our help, and recognizing God’s majesty while expressing our gratitude to Him in worship. We believe God’s design for the church is best understood in the language of family - the Bible teaches that God’s family is made up of people of all generations from every nation, race, and language.
(Acts 2:42; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 4:32; 1 Thessalonians 5:11; 2 Timothy 2:2; James 1:27; 1 Peter 3:15; Revelation 7:9)
About families.
God designed the family to be the fundamental building block of society, composed of people joined together through blood, adoption, or marriage. Marriage unites one man and one woman in a lifelong covenant. Both husband and wife have equal worth before God since both were created in His image. Children are a precious inheritance from God, to be nurtured from the moment of conception. Parents bear the primary responsibility for instilling spiritual and moral values in their children, teaching and modeling for them how to make choices based on biblical truth. When children honor and obey their mothers and fathers, they also honor God.
(Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:9; 1 Samuel 1:26-28; Mark 10:6-9; Romans 1:18-32; Ephesians 5:21-33; Ephesians 6:1-4)