PASSION FOR GOD

We believe that the "chief end of man" is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever. We believe that God has revealed Himself as a "Happy Trinity" of Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit, and that the Living God is our Sovereign, Savior, Sufficiency, and Satisfaction. We believe we are to live to the glory of God and that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.

PASSION FOR THE GOSPEL

We believe that the good news of Jesus Christ is the "power of God for salvation to everyone who believes." We believe that this gospel is the good news of a coming kingdom of God, full of righteousness, joy, and peace. We believe that God has promised the forgiveness of sins and the gift of righteousness (and the eternal blessings it brings) to all who turn from sin and trust in Jesus. We believe that sinners are declared righteous in God's sight by grace alone through faith alone because of Jesus Christ alone. We believe that faith in the gospel of Christ is the key to a life lived to the glory of God.

PASSION FOR GODLINESS

We believe that a life lived to the glory of God is a fight of faith in the truth and promises of God against the lies of the world, the flesh, and the devil. This kind of faith is what frees us to love others through serving to meet needs, submitting to those in authority, being sensitive to the weakness of others while exercising our freedom, and sharing the gospel with those who are without hope in God.

REFORMED THEOLOGY

We are Reformed Baptists in doctrine. We are part of the Founders Movement in the Southern Baptist Convention. We teach a theological understanding of the Scriptures that emphasizes the sovereignty of God in the salvation of mankind, as well as the responsibility of man as an intelligent creature. We believe in the "Doctrines of Grace" as they are often called: the total depravity of man, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and the perseverance of the saints. Our doctrinal beliefs are in agreement with the understanding of God's truth that was proclaimed by the Reformers during the Protestant Reformation and with that which is reflected in such confessional statements as the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689 and the Abstract of Principles (the first recognized confession of faith that Southern Baptists produced).

EXPOSITORY PREACHING

We believe that a verse-by-verse exposition of Scripture as our normal diet for the preaching of the Word of God is most beneficial. We believe that the Bible is the infallible and inerrant Word of God. We believe that all believers are capable and responsible to read and understand the Scriptures for themselves, but that God has given to the church pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints through the teaching of the Word. The Scriptures are the only authority for faith and practice. The Lord Jesus is the Head of the Church and He leads His people through His written Word.

CELEBRATIVE WORSHIP

We desire to worship God together in an atmosphere of "hunger for God," freedom in expression, and trust in the promise of God to feed us upon His glory and satisfy our souls in Him. We desire to use a mixture of old and new, energetic and reflective music to celebrate the "God who satisfies us in Jesus!"

STRONG FAMILIES

We believe that the home is a vitally important field of ministry for believers. The Church family should strengthen the individual families that are a part of it and the individual families should play a crucial role in the growth of the Church family. We encourage families to worship together and children of every age are welcome in our worship service. We encourage men to be the spiritual leaders of their families. We desire families to grow and minister together in various ways.

PLURALITY OF LEADERSHIP

We believe that the Head of the Church is the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that the Lord Jesus has chosen to give jurisdiction of His Church to a group of qualified men called elders or overseers who have been set apart by their local fellowship. These men must be able to defend the faith according to the Scriptures, to encourage the saints to obey the Lord, to lead their families in godliness, and to provide an example of holy living. The overseers are responsible to lead the Church to apply the Scriptures and to walk together in godly wisdom as loving, servant leaders.

ABIDING LEADERSHIP

We desire for the ministry of the Word in the body of Christ to be strengthened and expanded through the training of men to teach the Scriptures faithfully for the benefit of their families and for ministry to others in the body. In order for this to take place and to be in the power of the Spirit, we attempt to set forth a vision for "Abiding Leadership." This refers to leadership in the home and in the Church that flows out of a lifestyle of "abiding in Christ" through devotion to the Word, to prayer, and to the fellowship of believers and results in fruit that will abide forever because it is accomplished by "abiding in the Vine." As a result, we emphasize our responsibility to give ourselves to the disciplines of grace, not legalistically, but trusting in the promise of God to grant us growth and fruit in our efforts to "cultivate" our faith in Jesus Christ.

TARGET DISCIPLESHIP

We believe that there is a place for ministry to one another in the body of Christ that goes beyond what takes place in our homes. We desire to communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ to the various groups of people that make up the Body of Christ and to help them to apply the truth of God's Word to their life situation. As a result, we seek to "target" groups within our body for "discipleship" that will confront them with the claims of Christ upon their lives and help them to be doers of the Word in the context of their lives. This "targeting" includes men, women, couples, children, youth, singles, etc., and is an opportunity to serve one another.

ENCOURAGEMENT NETWORKS

We understand that God has designed that believers need each other. We are commanded to encourage one another "day after day" because of the deceitfulness of sin. As a result, we encourage our members to be part of a "network of encouragement" in which they participate in small group fellowship of some kind on a regular basis, for sharing, prayer, study, and accountability.

HOLISTIC MISSIONS

We believe that we are all "missionaries" to this world as "pilgrims and strangers and citizens of heaven." We understand our commission to make disciples as one that begins at home and extends to the remotest part of the earth. As a result, we desire to provide a "servant witness" in our neighborhoods as well as in other nations that involves compassionate deeds and a faithful sharing of the gospel. We desire to go beyond simply giving our money to giving our lives for the progress of the gospel and the advance of the kingdom.

PERSEVERING PRAYER

We understand that we can do nothing apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. As a result, we emphasize continual prayer for God's working in us and through all that we do, for His glory and the joy of all peoples in Him. We recognize that God is not slow to answer, but that He delights in faith in His character and promises that causes His people to ask and keep on asking, to seek and keep on seeking, and to knock and keep on knocking, until God is pleased to move in power among us.