Who we are

Jesus is the true vine, God is the gardener, and we are the branches. It is through ongoing relationship in Jesus, and by God’s Spirit, that we are given the sustenance to produce the life God desires of us, a life that bears fruit.

Apart from Jesus we can do nothing. We find our way in following his lead, and his is the narrow path we walk. We derive our truth from his Word, and his is the voice to which we are attuned. We find life in his love expressed upon the cross, and we share that love with others.

We are not a building, a program, a brand, a denomination, or an event. We are a people, the church, rooted in Jesus Christ, picking up our cross and walking after him daily.

[John 15:1-17; John 14:16; Matthew 7:13-14; John 10:27; Colossians 1:19-20; 2 Corinthians 5:20-21; Luke 9:23]

What we believe

The Bible
We believe that God revealed himself through the personal inspiration of his Word, the Bible. The Bible discloses God in his nature, being, character, will, and purpose as well as his relationship to mankind in regard to his nature, calling, need, responsibilities, and destiny. Both the Old and New Testaments are inerrant, trustworthy, and authoritative on all matters concerning faith and life. (2 Peter 1:21, Genesis 1-2, 2 Timothy 3:16)

God
We believe that there is only one God who eternally exists in three Persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is both our Father and the Creator of all things. (Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 28:19, Matthew 3:16-17, 1 Peter 1:2, Ephesians 4:6, Genesis 1:1)

Jesus
We believe that Jesus, the Son of God, was supernaturally conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. In nature both fully human and fully God, Jesus reveals and relates to humanity the person of God through his character, teachings, signs, and wonders. Jesus lived his life on earth without sin, was put to death by crucifixion under Pontius Pilate, buried, raised to life by God on the third day, and appeared to his disciples over a period of 40 days according to the Scriptures. Furthermore, Jesus ascended into heaven and now sits at the right hand of the Father as our High Priest and Advocate. Jesus is fully God and fully man and is deserving of our worship. (1 John 5:20, John 3:16, Luke 1:35, John 1:14, John 1:1, 2 Corinthians 4:4, 1 Corinthians 15:3-6, Romans 8:34)

The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person who possesses all the divine attributes. The Holy Spirit is God. The person who believes in Jesus immediately receives the Holy Spirit and is born anew to life in God. The presence of the Holy Spirit is to the believer the seal of God which anticipates their future redemption. The Holy Spirit imparts spiritual gifts according to the Spirit’s choosing to followers in Jesus. The Holy Spirit works in the believer toward continual cleansing and renewal with the end goal of becoming like Jesus in disposition, attitudes, and actions. (Matthew 28:19, Genesis 1:2, Acts 1:8, John 14:26, Ephesians 1:13-14, John 3:1-8, 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, Titus 3:5)

The Good News
We believe that God created everything in perfection, including humanity who was made in God’s image. The first man sinned against God, severing his relationship with God for himself and all his heirs, receiving spiritual and physical death passed down to all mankind. Through history, God has been working to reconcile people to himself culminating in the forgiveness of humanity’s sins through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, as a substitute for the judgment rightfully due to humanity. Every person who receives this good news and places faith in Christ will receive forgiveness for sins, be restored to a right relationship with God, and be empowered to pursue a life of love, obedience, and transformation through the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the only one who can restore our relationship with God and provide a fullness of life that begins now and continues in our resurrection to eternal life. (Genesis 1, Genesis 1:27, Genesis 3, Ephesians 2:1, Romans 6:23, 2 Corinthians 5:18-21, Romans 5:10, John 3:16, 2 Corinthians 5:17, John 11:25, John 6:40, Romans 8:11, 1 Corinthians 6:14, Romans 6:4)

The Church
We believe that the Church consists of all followers of Jesus throughout history. Jesus is the head of the Church, which is both the beloved body and bride of Christ. All followers of Jesus gain entrance into God’s kingdom and are commissioned to make disciples of Jesus. The Church is expressed through local communities in which God calls all believers to participate. The Church is a family of brothers and sisters following Jesus and seeking to embody a unity of the Spirit around the mind, heart, and purposes of God. (Colossians 1:18, Ephesians 4:15-16, Ephesians 5:25-27, 2 Corinthians 11:2, Revelation 19:6-8, Matthew 28:19-20, Galatians 3:28, Romans 15:6-7, 1 Timothy 3:15, 1 Corinthians 1:2, Ephesians 4:3-6)

The Return of Jesus
We believe that Jesus will return to the earth as Judge of all people. Those who have placed their faith in Jesus will experience a resurrection to eternal life. Those who have not will experience a resurrection to eternal separation from God, alongside Satan and his demons, which the Bible describes as endless torment and anguish. His return will effect the fullness of God’s glory and righteousness, as all things are made new according to God’s perfect design. (Matthew 24:44, Revelation 19:12-16, Revelation 22:12, Luke 12:40, Revelation 21:6-8, John 5:22)

The Sacraments
We believe that Jesus instituted the practice of water baptism by immersion after one places faith in Christ as a testimony of death to sin and resurrection to a new life. We also believe that Jesus instituted the practice of the Lord’s Supper (Communion) as a way for those who have placed their faith in him to remember his death and anticipate his return through the sacred elements. (Matthew 28:19-20, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 2:41, Matthew 26:26-28, 1 Corinthians 11:24-26, 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, John 6:53-58, Luke 22:19-20)