The Holy Scriptures- We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be

the verbally and plenary inspired Word of God. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible and

God-breathed and, therefore, are the final authority for faith and life. (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2

Pet. 1:20-21)

The Godhead- We believe in one triune God, eternally existing in three persons—Father,

Son, and Holy Spirit—each co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, coequal in power and

glory, and having the same attributes and perfections. (Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14;

John 14:10, 26)

The Person and Work of Christ-

1. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without

ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin

Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men. (Isa. 7:14; 9:6; Luke

1:35; John 1:1-2, 14; 2 Cor. 5:19-21; Gal. 4:4-5; Phil. 2:5-8)

2. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His

death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and, that

our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead.

(Acts 2:18-36; Rom. 3:24-25; 1 Pet. 2:24; Eph. 1:7; 1 Peter 1:3-5)

3. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven and is now exalted at the

right hand of God where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of

Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate. (Acts 1:9-10; Heb. 9:24; 7:25; Rom. 8:34;

1 John 2:1-2)

The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit-

1. We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead. His work

includes convicting the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that He

is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, indwelling and sealing believers into the

Body of Christ unto the day of redemption. (John 16:8-11; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 12:12-14;

2 Cor. 3:6; Eph. 1:13-14)

2. We believe that He is the divine Teacher who assists believers to understand and

appropriate the Scriptures and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be

filled with the Spirit. The filling of the Holy Spirit is not a one-time event, but rather

a process that needs to occur continually. (Eph. 1:17-18; 5:18; 1 John 2:20, 27)

3. We believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit and that He is the gift. He is the one

who gives the manifestations (gifts) as He wills (I Cor. 12:11). We believe that all of

the gifts (manifestations of the Spirit) are for today. However, these gifts must be

properly used for the building up of the Body of Christ. Like the Apostle Paul we

believe there should be orderly worship and that the gifts of the Holy Spirit should

not cause division in the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 14:26-33). (Rom. 12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:1-

31, 14:1-39; Eph. 4:7-12)

The Total Depravity of Man- We believe that man was created in the image and likeness

of God; but that in Adam’s sin, the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became

alienated from God. Man is totally depraved and, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his

lost condition. (Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23; Eph. 2:1-3; 4:17-19)

Salvation- We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and

received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose precious blood was shed on

Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins. We believe that all sins, except blasphemy of the

Holy Spirit, are forgivable. (John 1:12; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-10; 1 Pet. 1:18-19; Matt. 12:31-32; 1

John 1:9)

The Church-

1. We believe the Body of Christ is the espoused Bride of Christ and is solely comprised

of born again people. These people are known as the local church and the larger

universal church. (1 Cor. 12:12-14; 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-27)

2. We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly

taught in the New Testament Scriptures. These Churches can take many forms

because the real church is comprised of born again believers. (Acts 14:27; 20:17,

28-32; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11)

Separation. We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring

reproach upon their Savior and Lord. (Rom. 12:1-2; 14:13; 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 1

John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11; 1 Cor. 6:19-20)

The Eternal State-

1. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all people, the saved to eternal life, and the

unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment. (Matt. 25:46; John 5:28, 29;

11:25-26; Rev. 20:5-6, 12-13)

2. We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and

present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection,

when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord. (Luke

23:43; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 3:21; I Thess. 4:16-17; Rev. 20:4-6)

3. We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious

punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when with soul and body

reunited, they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast

into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious

punishment and torment. (Matt. 25:41-46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thess.

1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Rev. 20:11-15)

The Personality of Satan- We believe that Satan is a person, the author of sin and the

cause of the Fall of Man; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and that

he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire. We also believe that he is the leader of

fallen angels and the demonic kingdom. (Job 1:6-7; Isa. 14:12-17; Matt. 4:2-11; 25:41; Rev.

20:10; Eph. 6:10-12)

Human Sexuality-

1. We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in

outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of

homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and

pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex. We believe that God

disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or

appearance. (Gen. 2:24; Gen. 19:5, 13; Gen. 26:8-9; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1: 26-29; 1

Cor. 5:1; 6:9; 1 Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4)

2. We believe that the term “marriage” has only one, legitimate meaning, and that is

marriage sanctioned by God, which joins one man and one woman in a single,

covenantal union, as delineated by Scripture. Marriage ceremonies performed by

any minister credentialed by Experience and/or in any facility owned, leased or

rented by this corporation will be only those ceremonies sanctioned by God, joining

one man with one woman as their genders were determined at birth. Whenever

there is a conflict between the corporation’s position and any new legal standard for

marriage, the corporation’s statement of faith, doctrines and biblical positions will

govern. (Gen. 2:24; Rom. 7:2; 1 Cor. 7:10; Eph. 5:22-23)

3. We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or

female. These two-distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and

nature of God and the rejection of one’s biological gender is a rejection of the image

of God within that person. (Genesis 1:26-27)

Abortion- We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a

living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn

human life. Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that abortions of pregnancies due

to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the physical

or mental wellbeing of the mother are acceptable. (Job 3:16; Ps. 51:5; 139:14-16; Isa. 44:24;

49:1, 5; Jer. 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44)

Love- We believe that we should demonstrate love for others, not only toward fellow

believers, but also toward both those who are not believers and those who oppose us. We

are to deal with those who oppose us graciously, gently, patiently, and humbly. God forbids

the stirring up of strife, the taking of revenge, or the threat or the use of violence as a

means of resolving personal conflict or obtaining personal justice. Although God commands

us to abhor sinful actions, we are to love and pray for any person who engages in such

sinful actions. (Lev. 19:18; Matt. 5:44-48; Luke 6:31; John 13:34-35; Rom. 12:9-10; 17-21;

13:8-10; Phil. 2:2-4; 2 Tim. 2:24-26; Titus 3:2; 1 John 3:17-18)

Missions- We believe that God has given the church a great commission to proclaim the

Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe,

ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors of

Christ we must use all available means to go to our local communities and the foreign

nations and not wait for them to come to us. (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48;

John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:20)

Lawsuits Between Believers- We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing

civil lawsuits against other Christians or the church to resolve personal disputes. We

believe the church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes

between members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation for

injuries from another Christian’s insurance company as long as the claim is pursued

without malice or slander. (1 Cor. 6:1-8; Eph. 4:31-32).

Protection of Children- We believe that children are a heritage from the Lord and must be

absolutely protected within this organization from any form of abuse or molestation. This

corporation has zero tolerance for any person, whether paid staff, volunteer, or visitor, who

abuses or molests a child. (Ps. 127:3-5; Matt. 18:6; Matt. 19:14; Mark 10:14)

This Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our faith. The Bible itself is the sole

and final source of all that we believe.