Section 1: Statement of Faith

A. The Holy Scriptures We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the verbally and plenary (fully) inspired Word of God. The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible and God-breathed, and therefore are the final authority for faith and life. The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament are the complete and divine revelation of God to man. The Scriptures shall be interpreted according to their normal grammatical-historical meaning. The King James Version of the Bible shall be the official and only translation used during church services (2Tim. 3:16-17; 2Pet. 1:20-21).

B. The True God We believe in one Triune God, eternally existing in three persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — each coeternal in being, coidentical in nature, coequal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections. (Duet. 6:4; Mt. 28:18-19; 2Cor 13:14; John 10:30; 14:10, 26)

C. 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; 1:14; 2Cor. 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, substitutionary sacrifice; and that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Acts 2:22-36; Rom. 3:24-25; 1Pet. 1:3-5; 2:24; Eph. 1:7).

3. We believe that the Lord Jesus 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; Rom. 8:34; Heb. 9:24; 1Jo. 2:1-2).

D. The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

1. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, that He indwells, seals, and guides the believer (John 16:8-11; Rom. 8:9-14, 26; Eph. 1:13-14; 1John 2:26-27).

2. We believe that God is sovereign in the bestowal of spiritual gifts to every believer. We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gift of healing, were temporary (Rom. 12:3-8; 1Cor. 12:4-11; 12:28; 13:8-10; 14:21-22; Eph. 4:7-12).

E. 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; and, that 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).

F. 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 (John 1:12; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-9; 1Pet. 1:18-19).

G. The Eternal Security of the Believer

1. We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1; 8:38,39; Eph. 1:13,14; Phil. 1:6).

2. We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh (Rom. 13:13-14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-15).

H. The Church

1 We believe that the local church, which is the body and the espoused bride of Christ, is solely made up of born-again persons (1Cor. 12:12-14; 2Cor. 11:2; Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-27).

2. We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures (Acts 14:27; 20:17; Titus 1:5-11).

3. We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or control (Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; Rom. 16:1, 4; 1Cor 5:4-7, 13).

4. We recognize water baptism and the Lord’s Supper as the Scriptural ordinances of obedience for the church in this age (Mt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 1Cor 11:23-26).

I. Separation We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Saviour and Lord; and that separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices and associations is commanded of God (Rom. 12:1-2; 2Cor. 6:14-7:1; 2Tim. 3:1-5; 1John 2:15-17; 2John 9-11).

J. The Premillennial Return of Christ We believe in that “blessed hope,” the personal, imminent, literal return of Christ Who will rapture His Church prior to the seven -year tribulation period. At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return with His saints, to establish His earthly Messianic Kingdom which was promised to the nation of Israel (Ps. 89:3-4; Dan. 2:31-45; Zech. 14:4-11; 1Thes 1:10; 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Rev. 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6

K. The Eternal State of the Soul (Heaven and Hell)

1. We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment (Mt. 25:46; Jo. 5:28-29; 11:25-26; Rev 20:5-13).

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 (Lu. 23:43: 2Cor. 5:8; 1Thes 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 (Mt. 25:41-46; Mk. 9:43-48; Lu. 16:19-26: 2Thes. 1:7-9; Rev. 20:11-15).

L. The Person 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 (Job 1:6-7; Isa. 14:12-17; Mt. 4:2-11; 25:41; Rev. 20:10).

M. Creation We believe that God created the universe in six literal, 24-hour periods. We reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin (Gen 1-2; Ex. 20:11; Col. 1:15-16).

N. Biblical Authority We believe that God has ordained and created all authority consisting of three basic institutions: (1) the home; (2) the church; and (3) the state. Every person is subject to these authorities, but all (including the authorities themselves) are answerable to God and governed by His Word. God has given each institution specific biblical responsibilities and balanced those responsibilities with the understanding that no institution has the right to infringe upon the other. The home, the church, and the state are equal and sovereign in their respective biblically assigned spheres of responsibility under God (Rom 13:1-7; Eph. 5:22-24; Heb. 13:17; 1Pet. 2:13,14).

O. 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 rejects any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance.

2. We believe that the only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman.

3. We believe that men and women are spiritually equal in position before God, but that God has ordained distinct and separate spiritual functions for men and women in the home and church. The husband is to be the leader of the home and men are to be the leaders (pastors and deacons) of the church. Accordingly, only men are eligible for licensure and ordination by the church.

(Gen. 2:24; 19:5,13; 26:8-9; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1:26-29; 7:2; 1Cor. 5:1; 6:9; 7:10; Gal. 3:28; Eph. 5:22-23; Col. 3:18; 1Thes. 4:1-8; 1Tim. 2:8-15; 3:4-5, 12; Heb. 13:4).

P. The Sanctity of Life

1. We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, excused 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 mental well-being of the mother are acceptable (Job 3:16; Ps. 51:5; 139:14-16; Isa. 44:24; 49:1,5; Jer. 1:5; Lu. 1:44).

2. We believe that life is sacred, and that our sovereign God knows all things. No person has the right to cause anyone (including themselves) to die prematurely, whether for health, emotional or economic reasons (Gen. 9:6; Ex. 20:13; Job 1:21; 2:1-10; Rom. 8:28; 12:33-36).

Q. Missions We believe that God has given the church, as ambassadors for Christ, 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 who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Mt. 28:18-20; Mk. 16:15; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; Rom. 10:13-15; 2Cor 5:20).

R. Giving We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to support his local church financially. We believe that God has established the tithe as a basis for giving, but that every Christian should also give sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the gospel. We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of the tithe or offering once the gift has been made (Gen 14:20; Lev. 27:30; Prov. 3:9; Mal. 3:10; 1Cor. 16:2; 2Cor. 8:1-7; 9:5-7; 1Tim. 5:17-18: 1John 3:17).

S. 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 (1Cor. 6:1-8: Eph. 4:31-32).

T. Divorce and Remarriage

We believe that God hates divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. Divorce and remarriage is regarded as adultery except on the grounds of fornication. Although divorced and remarried persons or divorced persons may hold positions of service in the church and be greatly used of God for Christian service, they may not be considered for the office of pastor or deacon (Matt. 19:3-12; Rom. 7:1-3: 1Tim. 3:12; Titus 1:6)

Section 2 Authority of the Statement of Faith

The 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. We do believe that the foregoing statement of

faith accurately represents the teaching of the Bible, and therefore, is binding upon all members.

Section 3 Church Covenant

Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, and on profession of our faith, having been baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, we do now, in the presence of God, angels, and this assembly, most joyfully enter into covenant with one another, as one body in Christ.

We agree, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this church in knowledge, holiness and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline and doctrines; to give it a sacred preeminence over all institutions of human origin.

We moreover agree, that when we remove from this place, we will as soon as possible, unite with some other church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word.