Statement of Faith

(as approved by the Board of Directors, February 13, 2020)

A. The Word of God The Bible is the Word of God, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, authoritative for doctrine, and containing all things necessary to salvation.

B. The Trinity There is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons; God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. These are equal in every divine perfection, and they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence, and redemption.

C. Sin We believe that sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude or nature.

D. Salvation and Regeneration In the beginning, the first man and the first woman were created by God in His own image. Through their own sin, they suffered physical, spiritual, and eternal death, which is separation from God. As a consequence, all human beings are born with a sinful nature, are sinners by choice, and therefore under condemnation. Those who repent, forsake sin, and trust Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit, become new creatures, are delivered from condemnation, and receive salvation by grace unto eternal life.

E. The Church We believe in the universal church: a living, spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of baptized believers in Jesus Christ associated for worship, mission, and fellowship.

F. Christian Conduct Christians should live for the glory of God and the well being of fellow humans. A Christian's conduct should be blameless before the world and reflect faithful stewardship of possessions and talents. Christians should seek for both themselves and others to realize the full stature of maturity in Christ.

G. The Last Things We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth, the establishment of His kingdom, the resurrection of the body, and the final judgment.

H. Human Sexuality The only Scriptural marriage is the joining of one man and one woman, and this is the only relationship in which God blesses intimate sexual activity. Any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex. God disapproves of and forbids any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance.

I. Sanctity of Life Human life, respected as a gift of God, begins at conception and continues until natural death. The unborn child is a living human being. Abortion by any means for any reason is unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life and an act of murder. Abortions of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the physical or mental well being of the mother are no exception. Likewise, an act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder contrary to the will of God. Discontinuing medical procedures that are extraordinary or disproportionate to the expected outcome can be a legitimate refusal of over-zealous treatment.