MISSION STATEMENT To lead the world to worship the true and living God through loving, serving, evangelizing and discipling people. DOCTRINAL STATEMENT We believe... * In one God, Creator and Sustainer of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally co-existing in three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Father = Creator Son = Savior, Redeemer Holy Spirit = Keeper, Teacher, Comforter Gen. 1:1, Isaiah 45:22, Heb. 1:3, I John 5:7, John 10:30, John 14:9-10, Eph. 4:4-6 * The scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, are the inspired, inerrant, and trustworthy word of God, the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of human beings, and the final authority for all matters about which it speaks. II Timothy 3:16, Hebrews 4:12 * That human nature derives from two historical persons, male and female, created in God's image. They were created perfect, but when Adam sinned, he plunged himself and all human beings into sin, guilt, shame, suffering and death. Gen. 1:26-27, Gen. 2:15-17, Gen. 3 * That the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ and His bodily resurrection provide the only ground for justification, forgiveness, and salvation for all who believe, and only those who trust in Him alone are born of the Holy Spirit, are true members of the Church and will spend eternity with Christ. Romans 10:8-13, Romans 5:8, II Corinthians 5:14-16 * That the Holy Spirit is the agent of regeneration and renewal for believers in Jesus Christ, that He makes the presence of God real in believers, and that He comforts, guides, convicts and enables believers to live in ways that honor Him. John 14:16-18, John 16:7-14 * That the inward evidence or assurance of salvation for the believer is the inward witness of the Holy Spirit with the born again human spirit that he is a child of God. The outward evidence to all men is a changed life. A changed life is brought about in the believer as a result of the work of the Holy Spirit in his life. It will result in a life of growing in righteousness and holiness and a life of love. Rom. 8:14-16, Matt. 5:16, John 13:34-35, I John 2:7-10 * That baptism is not essential to salvation, but is an act of obedience to the command and example of our Lord Jesus Christ. Every believer who has repented of their sin, believed in their heart and confessed with their mouth that Jesus Christ is their personal savior, should follow Him in this ordinance and public testimony which He left to His church. Matt. 28:19, Acts 10:47-48, Romans 6:4, Acts 8:35, Hebrews 10:22 * God has made it clear throughout His word that He desires our worship (which is above all a lifestyle of reverencing Him). He desires that believers give themselves to Him in worship. God has commanded that we worship Him with all of our body, all of our soul and all of our spirit. The Lord Jesus Christ said that God seeks those who will worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. In Spirit means that we are to worship God freely in obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that the Word of God is truth. So to worship God in Spirit and in Truth means we worship God in any and all manners set forth in the Word of God in accordance with of the Holy Spirit. Examples are: + Standing when we sing - I Chronicles 23:30 + Clapping our hands - Psalm 47:1 + Lifting our hands - Psalm 64:4, 134:2; I Timothy 2:8 + Singing - Psalm 33:3, 40:3, 149:1 + Leaping and Dancing before the Lord - Psalm 149:3, 150:4; II Samuel 6:14, Acts 3:8 * That all of the gifts of the Spirit are still in operation today and that we must operate in them according to biblical guidelines (decent and in order). I Corinthians 14:1-5, I Corinthians 14:13-33, Ephesians 4:7-16 * Heaven is a literal place. It is the present habitation of God the Father and the risen Lord Jesus Christ. Furthermore, it is the habitation of all born-again saints who have died. Deut. 26:15; I kings 8:30; I Chronicles 30:27; Psalm 73:25; Psalm 123:1; Isaiah 66:1; Luke 11:2, Acts 7:49; John 14:1-7; Phillipians 3:20; I Peter 1:4 * The word of God imparts to us a blessed hope of a bodily resurrection of all those who have died in Christ Jesus and in their translation together with those who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord. This is the imminent hope which the Lord Jesus Christ has given to His church. I Thess. 4:16-17; Romans 8:23; Titus 2:13; I Corin. 15:51-52; I John 3:1-3 * That ministry to persons involves acknowledging the complexity of humans as physical, social and spiritual beings. The ultimate goal of Christianity is to help others move to personal wholeness, interpersonal competence, mental stability and spiritual maturity by having a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.