The Church

The Church is all of God's people who have been called according to His purpose. We are one body made up of many members, created to work in harmony for His plan and His glory. Jesus is the head of the Church and we are His people.

God's Purpose

God's ultimate plan for His creation is to make all things new. We believe the end of the story is a New Heavens and a New Earth, filled with resurrected image bearers in harmony with their Creator. Therefore, we do not believe in a disembodied eternity "in heaven," but rather God effectively bringing heaven to earth and renewing His good creation.

Gifts of the Holy Spirit

We believe the gifts of the Spirit are still active in the lives of Christ followers and to be used for the building up of the body of Christ. These gifts are to be taught and honed, as well as tested and approached with great humility. We believe in the power of spiritual gifts, but also in the seriousness of collective discernment within the community of Jesus. 

Humanity

We believe that all of humanity is created in the image of God and holds intrinsic value. Therefore, every human we encounter is worthy of love, respect, and dignity. Additionally, this shows us that our ultimate purpose as humans is to reflect God into creation and reflect the praises of creation back to Him. While humanity has "fallen", that does not strip us of our identity. Rather, it reveals the truth that we need God to be who we were truly created to be.

Baptism

We believe that water baptism is an act that Jesus both experienced and taught. Therefore, this is a beautiful step that we are to obey and follow. We believe that the purposes of water baptism include obedience to Jesus' teaching, openly professing our faith in Him, symbolically demonstrating His death and resurrection in our own lives, entering into our new family in Christ, and for remission of sins. We put to death our former ways and come to true life in Christ. We believe that this step is intended for those who have received the saving grace of Jesus Christ through the new birth of the Holy Spirit.

The Christian Life

We believe that those who have faith in Christ and are born again through the Spirit are called to be light in the world through word and action. We are to be the ones that bring about restoration as we live out the life and teachings of Jesus (thus continuing His purpose). We believe every follower of Jesus is equipped to make an impact in those around them as they reflect God. Additionally, we believe every genuine believer is on a path of growth called sanctification. While not done perfectly, we do believe every child of God is growing in likeness to and intimacy with God.

Women in Ministry

We believe that women have the right to participate in all church dealings including leadership, eldership, and speaking to all crowds. We believe that the Bible teaches equality of male and female, and this should be represented in the structure and functions of the church. Gender differences are a good gift of God's grace to bring about His image in a full nature, but we do not believe this should lead to division in the church or a separation of power and influence. Check out our study material on this topic here.