Statement of Faith
A. Our Identity
We are Christian
First and foremost, we are a Christian church. This church is built upon the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The doctrines and practices of the church are based upon His teachings.
PROTESTANT
We are founded upon the principles of Protestantism, although it is not a traditional follower of any specific leader of the Protestant Reformation. We stand firmly for justification by faith, the priesthood of believers, the authority of the Bible, religious freedom, and the separation of church and state. We stand against abuses and extravagance of ecclesiastical ritualism and dogmatism.
FOUNDATIONAL
We subscribe to the following five foundational Christian doctrines: (a) The inerrancy and infallibility of the Bible, (b) The virgin birth and complete deity of Christ, (c) The atoning sacrifice of Christ’s death for the sins of the world, (d) The literal resurrection of the body, and (e) Christ’s second coming in bodily form to earth.
EVANGELICAL
Evangelical is the term used to describe those who affirm the primary doctrines revealed in the Scriptures. These doctrines include the inspiration and authority of the Word of God; the Trinity; the deity and virgin birth of Jesus Christ; salvation by faith in the atoning death of Christ; His bodily resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Father; the ministry of the Holy Spirit; the second coming of Christ; and the spiritual unity of believers in Jesus Christ.
CHARISMATIC
We believe in the gifts of the Spirit (Charismatic). These gifts can be divided into three categories: the gifts of revelation, the gifts of power and the gifts of utterance or inspiration. The gifts of revelation are the gifts of the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge and the discerning of spirits. The gifts of power are faith, miracles, and gifts of healing. The gifts of utterance and inspiration are prophecy, tongues and interpretation. The Holy Spirit bestows these gifts and those who accept the validity of these gifts are called charismatic.
ORGANIZED
The magnitude of the Great Commission requires a united effort. This united endeavor is efficiently served by guidance, support, resources and leadership from a common center. Our parent organization is the Church of God at Cleveland, TN. These central organization helps facilitate the fulfillment of the mission of the church at an international, state or territorial and local levels. The control of the Church of God rests with the laity and ministers, who jointly form a governing body called the General Assembly which meets biennially. Benefits of centralized government include the following: uniformity of doctrine and practice; principles that bind together local churches in the same manner; membership commitments in all churches; expansion and extension of fellowship; accountability; cooperative decision-making; and united efforts in evangelism and world outreach.
B. Our Core Values
We Emphasize On PRAYER
We commit ourselves to making prayer the highest priority of the church demonstrated by: Emphasizing communication with God as the highest privilege and greatest responsibility of every member. Modeling by all church leadership of an active and effective prayer life. Uniting with other believers in corporate and intercessory prayer.
Isa. 56:7; Mark 11:17; Rom. 8:26; 1 Cor. 14:14, 15; I Thess. 5:17; I Tim. 2:1-4, 8; James 5:14, 15
EVANGELIZATION
We commit ourselves to intentionally reaching the unconverted, baptizing them in water, and leading them to unite with the church. This commitment will be demonstrated by: Viewing all the nations of the world as our mission field. Adopting and interceding for an unreached people group. Cultivating a genuine passion for the lost that will compel members to personally communicate the gospel of Jesus and demonstrate His love to those outside the faith. Discipling new believers and passing on our faith to the next generation. Practicing life-style evangelism.
Mat. 9:37-38; Mat. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-18; Acts 1:8; Rom. 10:13-15
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
We commit ourselves to identifying and developing individuals whom God has called and given leadership gifts and challenging them to become servant-leaders. We demonstrate our commitment by: Creating an environment in which men and women with ministry gifts are developed to serve as servant-leaders. Equipping, empowering and releasing lay leaders to serve as ministry partners both inside and outside the local church. Providing relevant resources and training opportunities for both clergy and laity. Striving to lead through vision, to communicate the vision to the congregation and to organize the body and each of its ministry groups so the vision can be realized.
Mark 3:13-15; 2 Tim. 2:2; 2:15; 3:14-17; Eph. 4:11-13
CARE
We commit ourselves to the challenge of being a church that genuinely cares for one another and for those who are lost, hurting and needy. We demonstrate our commitment by: Building loving, caring relationships within families, between members, and within the communities we serve. Obeying the Care Commission of Christ in Matthew 25. Cultivating compassion and showing mercy to the unloved, the undesirable and the unreached of our society.
Psa. 86:15; Mat. 25; Luke 6:36; Acts 20:28
INTERDEPENDENCE
We commit ourselves to the principle of interdependence, acknowledging our inter-connectedness and dependence on all the members of the Body of Christ. We demonstrate our commitment by: Reaching out to others in the Body of Christ for collaboration, resource sharing and learning opportunities. Building relationships with like-minded and like-hearted churches in their communities to work together to reach the lost. Involving clergy in the processes of mentoring, coaching and consulting on the local, state, regional, national and international levels to increase the level of trust and support among ministers. Engaging in dialogue and partnership with local, national and international organizations who seek to fulfill the Great Commission of Christ.
Col. 2:19; 1 Cor. 12:14-31; Gal. 6:1-6
C. Declaration of Faith
We Declare ...
BIBLE AS THE ABSOLUTE WORD OF GODWe believe Bible is the verbal inspiration of God.
THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD
We believe in one God eternally existing in three persons; namely, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
JESUS CHRIST AS SAVIOR AND REDEEMER
We believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of the Father, conceived of the Holy Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary.
We believe that He was crucified, buried, and raised from the dead.
We believe that He ascended to heaven and is today at the right hand of the Father as the Intercessor.
We believe that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and that repentance is God’s commandment for all and necessary for forgiveness of sins.
We believe that justification, regeneration, and the new birth are wrought by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ.
We believe in sanctification subsequent to the new birth, through faith in the blood of Christ; through the Word, and by the Holy Ghost.
SANCTIFICATION VIA ORDINANCE
We believe in Holiness to be God’s standard of living for His people.
We believe in water baptism by immersion, and all who repent should be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
We believe in the baptism with the Holy Ghost subsequent to a clean heart.
We believe in the Lord’s Supper and washing of the saints’ feet.
SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
We believe in the premillennial second coming of Jesus. First, to resurrect the righteous dead and to catch away the living saints to Him in the air. Second, to reign on the earth a thousand years.
We believe in the bodily resurrection; eternal life for the righteous, and eternal punishment for the wicked.
