Value

Statements

Grace

Through His grace we are brought to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. God uses His Word and Sacraments to create, sustain, and empower our spiritual lives.

Ephesians 2:8-9

Romans 10:17

Titus 3:5

Matthew 26:28

Holy Scripture

God’s Holy Word gives guidance, direction, and purpose to our lives. Our teaching and preaching is clear, relevant, and an authentic presentation of His Word, as the one absolute truth in our world.

2 Peter 1:20-21

2 Timothy 3:16

People

All people matter to Jesus Christ and, therefore, matter to us. God gives us the privilege of sharing His love, especially with those who do not know Him. Great rejoicing happens in heaven each time a person comes to faith.

Luke 15

Matthew 28:18-20

Worship

Various styles of dynamic, relevant, and Spirit-filled worship bring glory to God and edification to His people. Active participation in worship, prayer, and music touch the heart of the worshipper with the love of God.

John 4:23-24

Psalm 98

Psalm 100

Spiritual Growth

Educating children, youth, and adults with the Word of God develops a strong and mature faith. Spiritual growth is a lifelong process that continually impacts how we live.

Ephesians 4:13; 22-24

Acts 2:42

Ephesians 5:1-2

Relationships

Strength, joy, and encouragement come from our community of faith. Through our relationships with fellow Christians, our faith is strengthened and our commitment is deepened.

1 John 1:7

Acts 2:46

Resources

We are responsible stewards of our time, talent, possessions, and wealth, maximizing God’s gifts to further His Kingdom on earth.

2 Corinthians 8:20

2 Corinthians 9:6-8

Teamwork

The priesthood of all believers is an integral part of the Body of Christ, where every person has been called, empowered, and gifted by the Holy Spirit to serve Him in the church and in our personal lives.

1 Corinthians 12

1 Peter 2:9-10

Excellence

Striving for excellence in all that we do brings honor to God. Excellence is not defined as “perfection,” but as “doing our very best to the greatest potential.”

Philippians 4:8-9

Colossians 3:23

What we believe

Faith Alone, Grace Alone

Jesus is true God and true man. My Lord and my God (John 20:28). Christ is God (Romans 9:5). Christ is the true God and eternal life (1John 5:20). Jesus didn’t become God for in the beginning the Word was God and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:1,14). Jesus is the same yesterday and today (Hebrews 13:9) for God does not change (Malachi 3:6). Jesus is God.

Our sinful nature (original sin) creates in us the inability to trust, fear, or love God. We would rather pursue our desires and our own pleasures. It’s natural for us to do so (Psalms 51:5 ). It is, after all, only human nature (Romans 7:5). We would rather seek out other truths, other wisdoms, and other righteousnesses that are not from God (Galatians 5:17).

God’s plan of salvation rests with Him. For we have a righteousness from God that is ours by faith alone. (Romans 1:17). A righteousness that is apart from the law. A righteousness from God through faith in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:21-22). We need this righteousness because all that we do fails (Romans 3:23). We did not earn our righteousness. We can not earn our righteousness. Our redemption was given to us freely by His grace. (Romans 3:24). No down payment is necessary. We are free of our sins and are servants of the righteousness of Christ Jesus (Romans 6:18).

Foundational Beliefs

God

We believe in God as revealed to us in Holy Scriptures as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He is One God in three persons. He created, redeemed and sanctified us.

The Father

We believe that God the Father, in love, created the universe and all there is, from nothing. In love He sustains His creation and desires an intimate relationship with all people.

The Son

We believe that because of His love for us, God became a human being, Jesus Christ. Being fully divine and fully human, He lived the perfect life of a servant, and in His death on the cross Jesus suffered the punishment we deserve for our sin. In His death and because of His bodily resurrection, Jesus won for us victory over death and the power of the devil. Only through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ can we experience forgiveness of sins, be made acceptable to God and gain eternal life in heaven.

The Holy Spirit

We believe that God the Holy Spirit works in the lives of people and brings them to faith in Jesus Christ. He desires to be so fully active in believers that they are filled with His presence and are empowered with His gifts to witness to Jesus Christ and do the work of the Church.

The Bible

We believe that the Bible is the living Word of God, divinely inspired by God, without error, and therefore the only source of true teaching and final standard for evaluating all teaching and doctrine. In the pages of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testament God reveals His character and will, our own sinful nature, and His offer of forgiveness and eternal life in Jesus Christ.

Sin

We believe that sin separates us from God. Sin is our rebellion against God and is what we do in thought, word, and deed, that is contrary to His will. We are born sinful, are naturally self-centered, and in daily need of forgiveness.

Salvation

We believe in the forgiveness of sins; earned for mankind by the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; and in eternal life with God in heaven, forever.

Grace

We believe that we enter into a relationship with God, not by anything we do, but solely by what God has done for us through Jesus Christ. Knowing that we are sinners, we trust completely on God's grace, which is His unearned merit and favor, to save us from condemnation and to give us eternal life and a home with Him.

Faith

We believe that our primary call from God is to believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior from sin and as the Lord of our life and, thus, be saved eternally. Faith is knowing and

accepting as true what the Bible says of God and relying on Him and trusting in Him with firm confidence.

Good Works

We engage in actions of love and mercy as a demonstration of God's love within us. We do this, not to win God's approval or salvation, but because we are thankful for the gift of eternal life, which we have already received as a free gift in Jesus Christ.

Holy Baptism

We believe and have experience that through The Sacrament of Holy Baptism, which is commanded by Jesus, God adopts us as His children. We affirm the practice of baptizing infants, as well as adults, because all human beings are born with a sinful nature.

Holy Communion

We believe that in The Sacrament of The Holy Communion God offers us His grace and His love. As He promised, Jesus is truly and really present in, with and under the bread and wine of the Sacrament to give us forgiveness for our sins and strength for our faith.

Prayer

We believe that because Jesus Christ died for our sins, we have the privilege of praying directly to God as part of a growing and continuing relationship with Him. Prayer is our opportunity to thank and praise God, to seek His help in time of trouble and need, and to determine His way and will for our lives. Since prayer is a two-way communication in which we listen to God, as well as speak to Him, regular reading of the Bible is an integral part of daily prayer.

The Church

We believe that those who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are the Church, the Body of Christ in the world. God empowers those in the Church with differing gifts for the purpose of serving Him and others.

The Return of Jesus Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ, as He promised, is coming back to earth at a time known only to God, the Father. His is coming to judge the living and the dead and to fulfill His promise to give all believers eternal life.

Heaven

We believe that at the time of death the soul of the believer is at once received into the presence of Christ and that, at the Last Day, the believer will live with Christ, in body and soul, in eternal joy and glory.

Creeds

Creeds have authority only because they are expositions, restatements, or summaries of Holy Scripture. They certainly are not additions to Scripture. Our creeds seek to make us distinct while seeking to embrace all. They preserve and defend the central teachings of faith and they are a teaching tool for us to use as we approach Scripture.

Scripture Alone

God Himself is the author of both the Old and New Testaments that testifies that the promises He made for our salvation is fulfilled in Christ Jesus. Scripture is the Word of God and not a container for His Word. Acceptance of all Scripture as God's Word is a fruit of faith because human reasoning alone will find these teachings impossible. Scriptures are without error even in the presence of some problems for which there is no explanation that satisfies human reason. As the Word of God the Scriptures speak with God's own authority and have the power to create faith in the Savior to whom they witness and to regulate the confession of the church by working acceptance of all that they teach.