What We Believe

We believe in one living and true God who is the creator and sustainer of all things and exists in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  (Genesis 1:1, John 1:1; 14:16, Matthew 3: 16-17, 1 Corinthians 8:6, 2 Corinthians 13: 14, Colossians 1: 15-20)

We believe in Jesus Christ, the only son of God, living and incarnate Word, fully divine and fully human, born of a virgin, suffered a brutal death by crucifixion, buried, and rose from the dead.  He sacrificed his life for all humanity to reconcile us with the Father so that our original guilt and sins are forgiven.  (1 Corinthians 15: 1-8, Ephesians 2: 1-10)

We believe in the Holy Spirit, who is working in humanity to draw us to salvation through God’s grace by convincing us of our need for a savior.  Through this work of the Holy Spirit, we are drawn to repentance and confession where we surrender our lives to God.  We believe that the Holy Spirit fills the person at the point of believing in Jesus Christ.  In the infilling, the Holy Spirit continuously works to transform the believer and in the process of becoming holy. 

We believe that Holy Scripture contains all things necessary to salvation.  We believe it is God breathed and authoritative in all things of faith and practice (John 1:1-14, 2 Timothy 3: 16-17) We believe that the Holy Scripture is a means of grace in which the Scripture reads us as we read it.  We believe the Word became flesh and dwelled with us (John 1: 1-11).  We believe that it is the living Word of God.  We believe that the Word of God is truth. 

It is the process a church or person walks through in being a disciple of Jesus. 

From Discipleship.org: The process of growing spiritually as a disciple. 

We believe all humanity is created in the image of God, Imagio Dei.  Our identity is found and formed in this created image.  We are all of sacred worth and value.  But because of the original sin and our sin, humanity is separated from God the Father.  We must be rescued from our sin by a savior.  This is Jesus Christ.  Through the work of the Holy Spirit, we are becoming more like Jesus where our created image is being restored in us.  (Genesis 1-3, 2 Corinthians 5:17)  We believe that Jesus came to give us life and new life.  In Him, we are new creations.  Through Him and the work of the Holy Spirit in us, we are recreated into God’s original intentions for us.  We are new creations.

The goal of Christianity is to become more like Jesus.  It is the transformation of our lives into Christlikeness.  Thus, our practice of faith must foster and cultivate our lives being re-patterned to Christlikeness.  Our focus is on being and becoming before doing.  We often do before being and becoming. 

We believe sin is an affront to God.  Sin separates us from God.  The outcome of sin is death (Romans 3:23).  From God’s point of view, the problem of man is not just that he is a sinner in need of forgiveness: his greater problem is that he is dead and in need of life (Bob George, Classic Christianity). 

We believe salvation is a free gift from God to everyone.  All humanity must unlearn the things we have learned that are an affront to God (sin) and be reconciled to the Father through the work of Jesus for us on the cross.  (Acts 4: 12, Romans 3: 21-26, 2 Corinthians 5: 13-14, Ephesians 2: 1-11) The only way a person can be forgiven of their sins is to trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  Salvation is not just something Christ did for us, but it is Jesus Christ Himself living in us.  It is the process of passing from death to life (Bob George, Classic Christianity).  It is not just a release from punishment that we deserve.  It is truly being rescued from what we are. 

Grace is the manifestation of God’s love toward fallen creation, to be freely received and freely given. This undeserved gift works to liberate humanity from both the guilt and power of sin, and live as children of God, freed for joyful obedience. In the classic Wesleyan expression, grace works in numerous ways throughout our lives, beginning with the general providence of God toward all.

How We Define

A person who is intentionally following Jesus, whose life is being transformed by Jesus, who is becoming like Jesus in character with deep love for God and others, and who is committed to the commands and commission of Jesus.  (Matt. 4:19; Mark 1:16-18, 3: 14-15; Luke 6:40, 5: 4-11, 9:23-25; John 8:31-32) 

It is intentionally entering into someone’s life to help them know, follow, become like Jesus and teach them to obey his commands where they are fully trained to live their lives as Jesus patterned for us and to go and train others to be disciples of Jesus.  (1 Corinthians 11: 1-2, Philippians 3: 15-17, Colossians 1: 28-29, Romans 10: 1-15, 2 Peter 1: 3-9)

The gospel is the Kingdom of God here and now, Jesus is the king of the kingdom where he reigns and rules, he died on the cross for the forgiveness of sins and rose from the dead so that we will repent of our sins, believe that Jesus is Lord and savior of al things especially our lives, and we will follow him to make disciples.  (Matt. 24:14, Mark 1: 14-16, 3:2, 14-17; Rom. 1: 16-17, 1 Cor. 15: 1-8, Eph. 2: 8-10)

The Kingdom of God is the restoration of God’s rule over all things. Wherever Christ is ruling, there the kingdom of God is.  (Bill Hull and Ben Soebels)

from Discipleship.org—a spiritual family growing in surrendered obedience to all the teachings of Jesus Christ who gathered together regularly under Biblically recognized leadership for the purpose of fulfilling the great commission (making disciples) with a Great commandment heart (loving God, loving people).  (Acts 2)

The lifelong spiritual process of becoming more like Jesus Christ in knowledge, skill, and character. It is the process of becoming complete in the love and spiritual fruit of Jesus Christ. The theological term for spiritual maturing is sanctification. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. – (Colossians 1:27-28 ESV) (2 Thess. 2: 13-17, Titus, 2 Peter 1: 3-10)

Transformation is the process of our lives being altered and changed into Christlikeness.  It is the continual process of being and becoming more like Jesus.  Transformation happens in intentional discipleship relationships where disciples of Jesus meet Jesus.  Transformation comes by changing our hearts and minds, not our circumstances.  You are changed from the inside out.  Transformation is the work of the Holy Spirit.  You become new creations in Jesus.  Transformation is the result of consistent training and constant trusting God to empower you.  (Matt. 28: 16-20, Rom. 12: 1-2, Eph. 4: 22-24,

Lasting transformation is truth applied + accountability + authentic community + Missional sentness = functional maturity.