Our Beliefs

Some beginning convictions:

• Jesus Christ is the ultimate authority, inspiration, and leader of our church.
• Our desire is to become a healthy, growing church that offers creative balance in worship, evangelism, discipleship, ministry, and fellowship.
• Our hope is to join with other Christian communities in turning irreligious people into committed followers of Christ.
• We treasure The Bible, God’s Word, as our text for truth and faith.
• We strive to be passionate about seeing people in right relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.
• Remaining true to our mission to “Reach People for Christ, Grow People in Christ, and Send People for Christ,” we will attempt new methods of ministry without compromising the message of Jesus Christ in the Gospel.
• Believing that Jesus is our ultimate model, we strive to follow His example of servant leadership in every expression of our ministry and mission enterprise.

Two key questions:
1. What does it mean to be a Baptist?
2. What does it mean to be a Baptist church?

A Baptist Christian

• Believes that salvation is a gift from a gracious God.
• Believes that Jesus made salvation possible through His atoning death.
• Believes that the Bible teaches that Christ is the way God provides out of our sin.
• Believes that salvation comes through personal faith: admitting our need for God; believing that the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus defeated the power of sin and death for us; and, committing our lives to Christ as Lord of life.
• Believes that Jesus ordained the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
• Believes that the Bible is our authority for faith and practice.
• Believes in the soul competency of every person, which allows each person the privilege and responsibility to relate to God as he chooses.
• Believes in the priesthood of all believers, which affords each Christian direct access to God through prayer and Bible study while it calls each person to minister to others through the love Christ demonstrated.
• Believes each believer should participate in a local body through stewardship of time, talent, and treasure.
• Believes in religious liberty for all people.
• Believes in dual citizenship: our highest allegiance is to the Kingdom of God , but we are to be salt and light in the world.
• Believes that the Great Commission contains the marching orders for the Christian and the Church.

A Baptist Church

• Recognizes no other authority than Jesus Christ as head of the body, the Church.
• Is a unique, autonomous body of baptized believers that does not answer to any ecclesiastical or denominational organization or authority.
• Chooses to associate with other bodies and entities to obey the Great Commission in ways that are consistent to the mission and core values of the congregation.
• Is governed by congregational rule while establishing its own structure for worship and work.
• Practices the ordinances of Believer’s Baptism by immersion and the Lord’s Supper as a means of personal renewal and corporate worship.
• Is free, under the Lordship of Christ, to determine their membership and leadership.
• Offers Christians opportunities to discover and employ spiritual gifts for the benefit of the local body of Christ.
• Seeks to provide holistic ministry that produces fully devoted followers of Jesus who can effectively engage their world.
• Provides a climate of acceptance for people of all backgrounds and circumstances as a reflection of the heart of Christ for a broken world.
• Adopts no creed, but rallies around common expressions of faith and practice.

Our Foundational Statement:

We believe a Great Commitment to the Great Commandment and the Great Commission will build a Great Church.

The Great Commandment

Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:36-39)

The Great Commission

Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.”
(Matthew 28:19-20)

The implications of our Great Commitment:

The 5 Ms

MAGNIFICATION – To love God is worship.
MINISTRY – To love others is service.
MISSION – To make disciples is evangelism.
MEMBERSHIP – To baptize new believers is fellowship.
MATURITY – To teach is discipleship.