THE TEAM

CORE BELIEFS

• We believe in the centrality of the word of God, both Old and New Testaments. It is the only perfect rule for faith, doctrine, and conduct. The dynamic and transforming power of the word of God directs the church and the life of each Christian. This reliance on the Bible leads us to affirm both men and women as ordained ministers and at every level of leadership. It is the reason we pursue ethnic diversity in our church and is the inspiration for every act of compassion, mercy, and justice.

• We believe there is one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

• We believe Jesus Christ is God’s eternal Son. As fully God and fully man, Jesus allowed Himself to be born of a virgin, discipling and teaching women and men how to live a life of faithfulness. He was crucified for our sins, arose bodily from the dead, and ascended into heaven. Christ’s incarnation, life, death, and resurrection is the fullness of God’s reconciling work.

• We believe the Holy Spirit works both within individuals and among them. We believe it is the Holy Spirit who instills in our hearts the desire to turn to Christ, and who assures us that Christ dwells within us. It is the Holy Spirit who enables our obedience to Christ and conforms us to Christ’s image, and it is the Spirit in us that enables us to continue Christ’s mission in the world. The Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to us as individuals and binds us together as Christ’s body.

• We believe “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). New birth in Christ means committing ourselves in our brokenness, repenting of our sins, and receiving forgiveness, acceptance, and eternal life. It means being alive in Christ, and this life has the qualities of love and righteousness, joy and peace. A new birth is only the beginning. Growing in maturity in Christ is a lifelong process of discipleship for both individuals and communities of believers. God forms and transforms us—and it is through people transformed by Christ that God transforms the world.

• We believe the Church is the living Body of Christ on earth, with Christ as its head and source of life. The Body is composed of those who have confessed in a personal faith in Jesus Christ and is open to all believers. We observe baptism and Holy Communion as sacraments—a visible sign of God’s invisible grace. We practice both infant and believer baptism. We believe in the priesthood of all believers—that is, we all share in the ministry of the church. We also affirm that God calls some men and women into vocational full-time ministry. The church is not an institution, organization, or building. It is a grace-filled communion of saints who participate in the life and mission of Jesus Christ.

• We believe that because God gifts us eternal life through Jesus Christ, the believer is secure in that salvation for eternity. If you have truly made confession of your personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, then you cannot lose your salvation. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives us this security.

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