GOD’S WORD

The Bible is God’s Word, written by men who were uniquely inspired by the Holy Spirit.  It is without error, the final authority on truth, and thus, serves as the sole authority for holy living.

GOD

There is one God who eternally exists in three distinct persons:  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  These three persons possess all the attributes of Deity and co-exist in perfect harmony.  This co-existence is called the Godhead in Scripture and over the centuries, believers have chosen to call this Godhead the Trinity.  According to Scripture, God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe and is sovereign over all things.

JESUS CHRIST

Jesus Christ, second Person of the Trinity, is the visible image of the invisible God, the Father.  He is both God and man. He left heaven, was born of a virgin, and completely fulfilled the Father’s will by living a sinless life. As our substitute, He voluntarily paid for our sins by dying on the cross as a perfect sacrifice. He rose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to heaven to become the only mediator between man and God. He will return to earth to consummate history and reign as King of Kings and Lord or Lords. 

HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, draws sinners to Christ, making them aware of their sins and coming judgment. He causes sinners to be saved by the process of regeneration and then seals them for salvation by indwelling them. He equips every believer for service, gives them understanding of spiritual truth, and provides them with guidance and power for holy living.

MAN

God created humans in His spiritual image to have fellowship with Him. Adam and Eve were the first humans. In their original state, were without sin, but they willfully defied God by disobeying Him. This disobedience was sin. By sinning, Adam plunged himself and all of his descendants into the depravity of sin.  Thus, all humans are sinners and are marred by rebellion and disobedience toward God. Sin separates man from God, and as a result, all men need God’s saving grace to end this separation and establish a relationship with Him.

SALVATION

Eternal life is a free gift that God offers to us. We receive this gift by faith in Christ alone. Faith is trusting in what Christ did for us on the Cross. When we place our faith in Christ, we must allow Him to become the Lord of our lives. This means that we must be willing to repent (change) from our sinful way of living and begin to live according to His will. Those who trust Christ have the assurance of spending eternity in heaven. Those who do not trust Christ will die in their sins, face the judgment, and spend eternity away from God in hell.

BAPTISM

Baptism is one of only two ordinances in the church; the other is the Lord’s Supper. Baptism is not necessary for salvation but is a symbol of salvation. By immersion, baptism perfectly illustrates salvation by picturing the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Although not necessary for salvation, baptism is strongly associated with salvation and should be experienced by every believer. The Scriptural order is:  trust in Christ for salvation first, then baptism by immersion in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

THE LORD’S SUPPER

As with baptism, the Lord’s Supper (often called communion) is symbolic. It was first instituted by Christ as He ate the Passover meal with His disciples just before His crucifixion. Jesus commanded that His followers celebrate the supper in remembrance of His death on the cross. Although not necessary for salvation, the Lord’s Supper clearly illustrates what Jesus did for us on the cross and should be regularly observed by believers. The unleavened bread and juice symbolize His body that was broken and His blood that was shed for our salvation.  Because of its sacredness, the Lord’s Supper should never be observed carelessly. Before taking the Lord’s Supper, every believer should examine himself spiritually, repent of any known sin, and then partake with a pure heart and conscience.

ETERNAL SECURITY

Those who have trusted in Christ have received eternal life, the righteousness of Christ, spiritual adoption as God’s children, and have been sealed by the Holy Spirit.  Since salvation is based on God’s grace, apart from man’s works, no amount of good works can either acquire or retain it.  The same grace that saves also keeps.  Scripture teaches that those who are “truly” saved cannot lose their salvation.  Their salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by their self-efforts.  God’s Spirit enables the true believer to persevere in faithfulness until the end.

PRIESTHOOD OF THE BELIEVER

All believers are servants and ministers of God. According to Scripture, every believer can approach God’s throne for himself through the mediation of Christ. There is no need for a “third party” to tell the believer how to pray, how to understand the Bible, or how to live. The church does not have a special class of priests, but instead, Scripture teaches that all believers are made “priests unto God.” There is only one mediator between God and men and that mediator is Jesus Christ.

CHURCH GOVERNMENT

Southern Baptists believe in the autonomy (self government) of the local church. We believe that each church has the right to manage its affairs without the interference of any authority except that of Jesus Christ. Therefore, each Baptist church is owned and operated by its own congregation.  We have also chosen to voluntarily participate in the Southern Baptist Convention and share in funding the cause of Christ worldwide through a plan called the Cooperative Program.

LOVE

The world has confused what real Godly love looks like.  We want to unconfuse it!

"We know what real love is because Jesus gave up His life for us."

1 John 3:16

TRUE COMMUNITY

Every Follower of Christ needs someone to be open, honest and vulnerable with.  We were made to live in community.  Don't go through this life alone.

"The LORD doesn't see things the way you see them.  People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

1 Samuel 16:7

INTENTIONALITY

Stay honed in on what really matters, so that we don't get lost in personal preference and peripheries that only confuse the real message of the Gospel.

Daniel 1:1-20

GREATNESS

Be great by humbling ourselves and serving one another.

"Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else."

Mark 9:33-37

BIG PRAYERS

We are about praying big prayers that only God can do something about.

"Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God's people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you.  I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.  I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called... I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe him.  This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead..."

Ephesians 1:15-20

GENEROSITY

This keeps us focused on eternity instead of all our stuff here on earth.

"Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.  Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be."

Matthew 6:19-21

WISDOM

We desire for our actions to be: pure, peaceful, gentle, full of mercy and good deeds, willing to yield to another person, sincere and without favoritism.

James 3:17