Section 1. The Word of God
We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. (II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:21)
Section 2. The Trinity
We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons; that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption. (I John 5:7)
Section 3. God, the Father
We believe in God, the Father, an infinite, personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ. (John 4:24; John 3:16-17)
Section 4: Jesus Christ
We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal, pre-millennial and imminent return for His church. (Isaiah 78:14; John 1:14; John 8:58; I Corinthians 15:3-6; I John 1:7; II Corinthians 5:21; Acts 1:9-11; Hebrews 7:25; I Thessalonians 4:13-17)
Section 5: The Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and Son to convince the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is their abiding helper, guide, teacher, seal, and interpreter of the Word. (John 16:8-11, 13-15; Romans 8:14-17; Ephesians 1:13-14)
Section 6. Man
We believe that man was created in the image of God, that he sinned, and thereby incurred not only physical death but also that spiritual death which is separation from God. (Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:17; Genesis 3:6; Romans 5:12)
Section 7. Regeneration
We believe that all man are sinners by nature and by choice and are, therefore, under condemnation. We believe that all who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior are born again of the Holy Spirit and thereby become the children of God eternally. (John 1:12; John 3:3, 16-17; Acts 20:21)
Section 8. The Church
We believe in the universal Church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the Head and of which all regenerated people are members. We believe that a local church is a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of faith, and associated for worship, work, and fellowship. We believe that to these local churches are committed for perpetual observance the ordinances of Baptism and our Lord’s Supper; and that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world and to encourage them to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and to enthrone Him as Lord and Master. (Ephesians 5:22-32; Matthew 16:16-18; Acts 2:38-41)
Section 9. Christian Conduct
We believe that a Christian should live for the glory of God and the well-being of his fellowmen; that he should be a faithful steward of his possessions. He should seek to realize for himself and encourage others toward the full stature of maturity in Christ. We believe that his conduct should be blameless before the world. (Colossians 3:17; Colossians 3:1-3; Philippians 2:14-16; II Corinthians 9:6-8; Ephesians 4:11-16)
Section 10. The Ordinances
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper, to be observed and administered until His return. (Acts 2:41-42)
- Baptism. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water; “in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” to show forth in a solemn and beautiful emblem our faith in the crucified, buried, and risen Savior, with its effect, our death to sin, and our resurrection to a new life. (Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12)
- The Lord’s Supper. We believe that the Lord’s Supper is a memorial service setting forth, in a sacred and symbolical manner, the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on our behalf. The emblems used are not literally the body and blood of Christ, nor do they contain His flesh and blood, but are simply symbols. The service is for believers only, and to partake has value only as it is mingled with faith and repentance upon the part of the communicant. (I Corinthians 11:23-29)
Section 11. Religious Liberty
We believe that every human being has direct relations to God, and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; that each church is independent and autonomous and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority; that, therefore, Church and State must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its duties free from the dictation or patronage of the other.
Section 12. Church Cooperation
We believe that the local church can best promote the cause of Jesus Christ by cooperating with other churches of like faith and order in a denominational organization. Such an organization, whether a regional or district conference, exists and functions by the will of the churches. Cooperation in a conference is voluntary and may be terminated at any time. Churches may likewise cooperate with interdenominational fellowships on a voluntary, independent basis.
Section 13. The Last Things
We believe in the personal, pre-millennial, visible, and imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust, the final judgment, the everlasting blessedness of the saved, and the everlasting conscious punishment of the lost. (John 5:28-29; Revelation 20:11-15)