We are part of the Southern Baptist Convention and a member of the Founder's Movement within the SBC.

 

As such our understanding and proclamation of the gospel is consistent with the catholic, evangelical, and reformed truths expressed in these documents:

 

• The Abstract of Principles of 1858

• The Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689

• The Baptist Faith and Message

• The Gospel Coalition's Confessional Statement

• T4G's Affirmations and Denials

• The Gospel of Jesus Christ: An Evangelical Celebration

• The Cambridge Declaration

• Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy

• Danver's Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood

• The Apostles' Creed

• The Nicene Creed

• The Definition of Chalcedon

• The Canons of Dort

​

Our own congregational statement of faith reads as follows.

​

Catholic (Universal) Doctrines

           

1. We believe in the Holy Scriptures: that the Bible (containing the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments) is the inerrant, infallible, sufficient Word of God.

​

2. We believe in the Trinity: that God is one God (essence) in three Persons: Father, Son (Jesus Christ) and Holy Spirit.

​

3. We believe in the Omniscience and Omnipotence of God: that God is infinite and eternal, knowing all that has, will and could come to pass (including the future choices of morally responsible creatures) and able to do all that His heart desires and His will ordains.

​

4. We believe in the Divinity and Humanity of Jesus Christ: that Jesus Christ is God the Son, being fully God and fully man.

​

5. We believe in the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ: that Jesus Christ is God the Son, born of the virgin Mary, conceived by the Holy Spirit.

​

6. We believe in the Sinlessness of Jesus Christ: that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life in perfect obedience to His Father, to the point of death on a cross.

​

7. We believe in the Substitutionary Atonement of Jesus Christ: that Jesus Christ died on a cross as a substitute for sinners and suffered the punishment that sinners deserve for their sins.

​

8. We believe in the Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ: that Jesus died physically, was buried, and rose from the dead on the third day in a glorified body, never to die again.

​

9. We believe in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ: that Jesus Christ will return to this earth bodily to rescue the righteous and to judge the unrighteous and to set up His visible kingdom on the earth.

​

10. We believe in the Final Judgment and Everlasting Punishment: that, one day, God will judge the deeds of men through His Son, Jesus Christ, according to His perfect Law as recorded in the Scriptures, resulting in the righteous receiving their gracious reward and entering an everlasting heaven and the unrighteous receiving their just punishment and entering an everlasting hell.

 

 

Evangelical (Protestant) Doctrines

 

1. We believe in Justification by Faith Alone: that God justifies (“declares to be right-eous”) the ungodly and promises the gift of eternal life to all those who receive the gift of the righteousness of Jesus Christ by faith alone, apart from any basis in personal merit or good works.

 

2. We believe in the Imputation or Crediting of Our Sins to Christ: that the sins of the believer are imputed or credited to Jesus Christ, that the punishment for these sins was borne by Jesus on the cross and that the cross is the sole basis for the believer’s forgiveness of sins in the eyes of God.

 

3. We believe in the Imputation or Crediting of Christ’s Righteousness to Us: that the record of Christ’s perfect righteousness is imputed or credited to the believer in Jesus and is the “gift of righteousness” God promises in the gospel and is the sole basis for the believer’s acceptance by God and participation in the kingdom of God.

 

4. We believe in Faith Accompanied by Works: that works of love and obedience to God’s Word, although not the basis for justification, are an immediate and necessary evidence of genuine faith in Jesus Christ and the basis for full assurance of salvation.

 

5. We believe in Sanctification by the Spirit: that every believer is given the gift of the Holy Spirit from the point of regeneration (“new birth”), is gifted for ministry by the Spirit and is sanctified (grown in practical holiness and Christlikeness) by the work of the Spirit through faith in the truth of the Scriptures.

 

6. We believe in Sola Gratia (Grace Alone): that works are futile to gain God’s accept-ance and that no one can erase their sin or earn merit before God by attempting to keep the demands of God’s Law, so that the grace of God alone (“God’s unmerited favor”) is the basis for the salvation (“justification”) of any sinner.

 

7. We believe in Sola Fide (Faith Alone): that faith alone is the instrument through which a sinner receives the benefit of Christ’s work and enjoys the grace of God.

 

8. We believe in Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone): that Scripture alone is the only divine authority for faith and practice and is therefore, entirely sufficient for knowing the will of God for our individual lives.

 

9. We believe in Solus Christus (Christ Alone): that the Person and work of Jesus Christ alone, through His perfect life and death on the cross, is the sole basis for God’s justifying of sinners.

 

10. We believe in Soli Deo Gloria (To the Glory of God Alone): that the salvation of sinners is to the glory of God alone, without any glory being given to any creature in any way or to any degree.

 

 

Reformed Doctrines

 

1. We believe in Total or Radical Depravity: that the sinfulness of mankind is universal, all have sinned and stand under His wrath, being in danger of eternal condemnation; that the radical corruption of man and his hatred of God results in a moral inability to turn from sin and trust Christ for salvation, apart from a gracious work of God.

 

2. We believe in Unconditional or Sovereign Election: that God sovereignly chooses sinners for individual salvation of His own free choice, without respect to any good in them or without respect to any difference in them from other sinners.

 

3. We believe in Limited or Definite Atonement: that the death of Jesus on the cross was a purposeful atonement, in which He died for those chosen for salvation before the foundation of the world and that His death was more than sufficient to achieve its intended purpose and to save all who are willing to believe.

 

4. We believe in Irresistible or Effective Grace: that the grace of God in salvation is such that it changes the hearts of sinners and causes them to be born again so that they, willingly and without fail, turn from sin and trust Jesus Christ to be their righteousness and hope of glory.

 

5. We believe in the Perseverance and Preservation of the Saints: that those who are born of God will ultimately maintain their faith in Christ and endure to the end of their lives, by God’s grace, regardless of the testing and in spite of the presence of sin in their lives and the possibility of serious moral failures.

 

6. We believe in the Free Offer of the Gospel: that the gospel should be preached to all sinners regardless of their condition, without reference to their readiness to receive it or any “evidence” that they are one of the elect.

 

7. We believe in the Benevolent Love of God for All: that God loves all sinners in that He desires their salvation, blesses them with common grace and for many, extends to them the free offer of the gospel and the warning to repent and believe.

 

8. We believe in the Law as a Moral Standard for All: that we are responsible to exhort sinners and saints to obey the commands of God while recognizing the necessity of God’s grace in Christ to do so; for the sinner, the Law exposes His need for Christ; for the saint the Law provides a standard of practical righteousness to be pursued by grace through faith.

 

9. We believe in the Warrant of Faith: that sinners have permission or Biblical warrant to come to Christ in humble faith and repentance, confidently, without delay and without fear.

 

10. We believe in a Willing Savior for Sinners: that Jesus Christ is a ready and willing Savior for all who calls all to come to Him in humble faith and repentance.

 

 

Practical Distinctives

 

1. We believe in Believer’s Baptism: that the proper way to publicly proclaim our faith in Jesus is through the ordinance of water baptism in the mode of immersion for all those who believe, whatever age they may be; but we do not require those who are believers and have been baptized as infants or have been baptized as believers in another tradition to be baptized again in order to be members of our church.

 

2. We believe in the Lord’s Supper: that the Lord’s Supper is an ordinance in which all believers should partake of the bread and the wine (or juice) as often as the Supper is observed; whenever we observe the Lord’s Supper it is open to all who are believers in Jesus whether they are members of our church or not; we do not believe that the Lord’s Supper is a mere memorial nor do we believe in transubstantiation or consubstantiation, but we believe in the real, spiritual presence of our Lord in the partaking of the Lord’s Supper by faith.

 

3. We believe in Elder Leadership: that the local church is to be led by qualified men who have been approved by the body to serve as elders; but that the elders are not to lord it over the body but are to lead the congregation to do what is right and wise in light of the authority of the Scriptures with a prayerful sensitivity to the input received from the congregation, whether through formal vote or through informal discussion.

 

4. We believe in Expository Preaching and Teaching: that the ministry of the Word is central to our mission and ministry as a body of believers and that the exposition of the Word for understanding and application is crucial for our growth in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Contemporary Issues

 

1. We believe in Complementarianism: that God created mankind male and female with equal worth in the eyes of God but with different yet complimentary roles in the family and church; therefore, we oppose egalitarianism and the ordination of women as elders and pastors.

 

2. We believe in Traditional Marriage: that God’s design is for marriage to be the union of one man and one woman for life; therefore, we oppose all sex outside of marriage, same-sex marriage and the homosexual lifestyle; that divorce is never a solution to marital problems and should be avoided, if possible, but may be necessary in the cases of adultery, abuse, and abandonment.

 

3. We believe in the Sanctity of Life: that life should be valued and protected in the womb, at the end of life, and in regard to any state of illness or disability; therefore, we oppose abortion and euthanasia.

​