Our Beliefs:

Lives centered on the Good News of Jesus

Our Statement of Faith is consistent with the EFCA national statement.  A version with scripture references can be found here.


GOD

1 | We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for His own glory.


THE BIBLE

2 | We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.

 

THE HUMAN CONDITION

3 | We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed.

 

JESUS CHRIST

4 | We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully 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.

 

WORK OF CHRIST 

5 | We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation.


HOLY SPIRIT 

6 | We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and in Him they are baptized into union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also indwells, illuminates, guides, equips and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.

 

THE CHURCH

7 | We believe that the true church comprises all who have been justified by God’s grace through faith alone in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, of which He is the Head. The true church is manifest in local churches, whose membership should be composed only of believers. The Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish the believer.

 

CHRISTIAN LIVING

8 | We believe that God’s justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed.

 

CHRIST'S RETURN

9 | We believe in the personal, bodily and glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission.

 

RESPONSE & ETERNAL DESTINY

10 | We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace. Amen.

What is "Evangelical" anyway?

We are committed to sharing the good news that Jesus loves people and gave his life for them. Jesus did not come merely to communicate truth to people or to tell them how to live better.  Jesus came to become the way we restore our broken relationship with God.  This is great news!  And that's where the word "evangelical" comes in.  You might see the word "angel" right in the middle of "evangelical."  Just as "angel" comes from an ancient Greek word meaning "messenger," the word "evangelical" comes from a compound Greek word meaning "good message" or "good news."


Today the word "evangelical" is used by many groups of Christians. Some are using the word to describe political voting groups or sub-populations within our culture.  We do not want to naively pretend that our church history and story have nothing to do with these groupings.  That said, the word "evangelical" in our church name dates back over a hundred and twenty years.  It is a clear reference to the Bible's good news that God has provided a way to restore our broken relationship with him, through Jesus.