Statement of Core Values and Beliefs
We are a people who profess a living faith. This faith is rooted and grounded in Jesus Christ, who is the same yesterday, and today, and forever. Therefore, the sole authority for the faith and practice of this church is Jesus Christ whose will is revealed in the Bible. Because we recognize that a living faith must experience a growing understanding of truth and must be continually interpreted and related to the needs of each new generation, we believe that all confessions or statements of faith that we may adopt are to be used only as guides to the most generally accepted understanding of our basic biblical teachings and beliefs. As we read and understand the Bible and its message for today, we especially affirm:[i]
- The right and competency of each individual to approach God in faith for salvation through Jesus Christ and to understand and act upon the will of God. (Soul Competency)
- The spiritual authority of the Bible as the revealed Word of God and a daily guide for living as understood in light of the revelation of God in Jesus Christ.
- The privilege and responsibility of every Christian to minister to each other and to have direct access to God. (The Priesthood of the Believer)
- The freedom of the local congregation, under the lordship of Jesus Christ, to operate through democratic processes to make decisions related to ministry and service. (Autonomy of the Local Church)
- The equal worth of all persons before God. In Christ, there is no male or female, no Greek or Jew, no slave or free. Therefore, we affirm that a believer’s call is not limited by gender, race or social status.
- The separation of church and state in order for all people to freely worship God according to their own beliefs and understandings of truth.
- The privilege and responsibility of all believers to model the love of Christ in our community and to actively witness to lost people through building relationships that lead them to a personal relationship with Jesus.
- The responsibility of the church to partner with Christians in other churches to reach the lost.
Ordinances
Based on its understanding of the New Testament, this church recognizes two acts of worship as ordinances of the church—Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
Baptism
Baptism is a symbolic act of obedience to Jesus, the Christ. Any person who by personal faith receives Jesus as Savior and commits to follow him as Lord and who professes this faith publicly in any worship service of the church may be received for baptism.
Since baptism is a representation of the death and resurrection of the believer as noted in Romans 6: 4 and Colossians 2:12, baptism shall be by immersion in water. Baptism may be administered during any worship service. The ordinance is usually administered by the pastor, but may be administered by anyone that the church authorizes to do so.
The Lord’s Supper
The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of worship remembering Jesus’ last meal with his disciples. In partaking of the bread and the cup, the church memorializes Jesus’ sacrificial death, recognizes our participation in his body, and expresses hope in his promised return. The Lord’s Supper shall be observed at least quarterly, but may be observed in any worship service or context that the church deems to be appropriate. The ordinance is usually administered by the pastor, but may be administered by anyone that the church authorizes to do so. Since this is the “Lord’s” supper, the church welcomes all who personally profess faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior to participate.
[i] Paragraph adapted from the preamble to the 1963 Baptist Faith and Message Statement of the Southern Baptist Convention