Our name indicates that we value Christ Jesus above all things. As the body of Christ, our purpose is to display Christ in all we do. We drafted the following statement to help guide us in that purpose.
We exist to put Christ first…
…in our worship
To worship someone or something is to proclaim its ultimate worth. To put Christ first in our worship certainly means that our gathered worship services are all about Jesus. But it also means that we seek to stir up love for Christ above all in our hearts, and out of that love to live for Him in all we do.
…in our Word ministries
To put Christ first, we must take the authority of Scripture seriously. Christ Himself had a high view of the Bible, and the Bible teaches us who Christ is. While not all Christians are called to the role of pastor, all Christians are called to ministry of the Word in some way. “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, in to Christ.” (Ephesians 4:15)
…in our relationships
The Bible makes it clear that our relationships to one another in the church are an important part of God’s plan for us. We are commanded to love one another as a family. We are compared to one body made up of many parts that must work together. Those parts are all different—different skills, different backgrounds, even different politics or ethnicities—but we are all one in Christ Jesus.
…in our communities
Christ came not to be served but to serve (Mark 10:45), and we seek to follow His example by loving and serving our neighbors. We believe the most important way we can serve those around us is by sharing Christ with them, but that is not the only way we can serve. While we are far from perfect at this, we are seeking ways to reach out in love and service to those around us.
Beliefs
The following is our Congregational Statement of Faith. See also Elder Statement of Faith for a more detailed summary of our church's teaching.
The Bible
2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21, Hebrews 4:12
We believe that the Scriptures in all 66 books of the Old and New Testaments are verbally inspired of God, error free in the original manuscripts, and the supreme authority of faith and practice for followers of Christ.
God
Deuteronomy 6:4
We believe there is one living and true God, who is one in essence, while eternally existing in three distinct persons; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Man
Genesis 1:26-27, Romans 1:18-32; 3:10-23
We believe that mankind was directly created in the image of God to enjoy His fellowship and fulfill His purposes on earth. However, in Adam, all mankind fell into sin; consequently all people are spiritually dead and subject to the certainty of both physical and spiritual death apart from faith in Jesus Christ.
Jesus
Colossians 1:15-20; Philippians 1:6-11
We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, truly God and truly man, one Person in two natures. Jesus—Israel's promised Messiah—was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.
Salvation
John 1:12; 3:16; 14:6, Ephesians 2:8-9
We believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins as the only sufficient sacrifice. Salvation is by the grace of God through faith in the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. In order to be saved we must personally accept these truths and thereby accept the cleansing blood of Christ, which alone can atone for sins.
Grace
Genesis 12:1-3; John 3:16; Romans 5:9-10; 8:28-39; Ephesians 2:1-10
We believe that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. Salvation is wholly of God on the basis of the redemption of Jesus Christ, the merit of His shed blood, and not on the basis of human merit or works.
The Church
Acts 2:41-47, Hebrews 10:24-25, 1 Corinthians 12-14; 1 Timothy 3:1-13, Titus 1:5-9, Acts 6:1-6
We believe that all who are regenerated by the Holy Spirit belong to the one true church and are instructed by the Scriptures to associate themselves in local, visible churches.
We believe that the local church has two scriptural offices: elders and deacons. We understand a plurality of elders to be responsible for the general leadership and teaching of the church, while deacons assist in facilitating the material needs of the church.
Ordinances
Matthew 28:18-20, Romans 6:3-7, 1 Corinthians 11:23-29
We believe Christ calls us to practice two ordinances: baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
- We believe the Scriptures command believers to be baptized as an outward expression of the inward reality of new life in Christ. Our mode of baptism is immersion.
- We believe that the Lord’s Supper is a memorial of Christ and His redemptive death. It is also an expression of our fellowship with one another. In the Lord’s Supper we are reminded of Christ’s first coming and encouraged to look forward to His coming again.
The Future
Matthew 24-25, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
We believe the next great event of human history will be the personal return of Jesus Christ. This is the blessed hope for which all those who love Christ yearn. While the exact time of Christ’s return is unknown, it is imminent and certain.