Statement of Faith

We believe the Bible to be the revealed Word of God, fully and verbally inspired of God. We believe the Scriptures to be the inerrant, infallible Word of God, as found within the 66 books from Genesis to Revelation. We believe God not only inspired every word, but has preserved them through the ages. We believe the King James Version is the preserved Word of God for the English-speaking people. (Psalm 12:6-7; II Timothy 3:15-17; I Peter 1:23-25; II Peter 1:19-21)

We believe in one triune God, eternally existing in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - each co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, coequal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; John 14:10, 26)

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where, as our High Priest, he fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate. (Acts 1:9-10; Hebrews 9:24; 7:25; Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2)

We believe that the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues and the gifts of healing, were temporary. We believe that speaking in tongues was never the common or necessary sign of the baptism or filling of the Holy Spirit and that ultimate deliverance of the body from sickness or death awaits the consummation of our salvation in the resurrection, though God frequently chooses to answer the prayers of believers for physical healing. (1 Corinthians 1:22; 13:8; 14:21-22)

We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that in Adam’s sin the human race fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God. All men are sinners by birth and by choice, and, of themselves, utterly unable to remedy their lost condition. (Genesis 1:26-27; Romans 3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23; Ephesians 2:1-3; 4:17-19)

We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of sins, and that in order to be saved, sinners must be born again; that the new birth is a new creation in Christ Jesus, and that it is instantaneous and not a process. (John 1:12; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-10; 1 Peter 1:18-19; John 3:3, 7; 2 Corinthians 5:17)

We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh. (Romans 13:13-14; Galatians 5:13; Titus 2:11-15)

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We recognize water baptism (by immersion) and the Lord’s Supper as the Scriptural ordinances of obedience for the church in this age. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; 18:18; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Saviour and Lord. God commands His people to separate from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices, and associations, and to refrain from all immodest and immoderate appearances, piercings, and bodily markings. (Romans 12:1-2; 14:13; 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11; Leviticus 19:28; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

We believe in that "blessed hope," the personal, imminent return of Christ Who will rapture His church prior to the seven-year tribulation period. We also believe in the Second Advent of Christ, which at the end of the Tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return with His saints, to establish His earthly Messianic Kingdom, which was promised to the nation of Israel. (Psalm 89:3-4; Daniel 2:31-45; Zechariah 14:4-11; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Revelation 3:10; 19:11-16; 20:1-6)

We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain after death in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when with soul and body reunited, they shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment. (Matthew 25:41-46; mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Revelation 20:11-15)

We believe that Satan is a created being, the author of sin, and the cause of the fall of man; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire. (Job 1:6-7; Isaiah 14:12-17; Matthew 4:2-11; 25:41; Revelation 20:10)

We believe that God created the universe in six literal, 24-hour periods. We reject evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin. (Genesis 1-2; Exodus 20:11)

We believe that God has commanded that no intimate physical activity be engaged in outside of a marriage. We believe that the only legitimate marriage is the joining of one man and one woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography is a sinful perversion of God’s original intent for a physical relationship between a husband and wife. We believe that God disapproves of, and forbids any attempt to alter one’s gender by surgery or appearance. (Genesis 2:24; 19:5, 13; 26:8-9; Leviticus 18:1-30; Romans 1:26-29; 7:2; 1 Corinthians 5:1; 6:9; 7:10; Ephesians 5:22-23; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; Hebrews 13:4)

We believe that God hates divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies. Although divorced and remarried persons or divorced persons may hold positions of service in a church and be greatly used of God for Christian service, they may not be considered for the offices of pastor or deacon of a church. (Malachi 2:14-17; Matthew 19:3-12; Romans 7:1-3; 1 Timothy 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6)

We believe that human life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being. Abortion constitutes the unjustified, inexcusable taking of an unborn human life. Abortion is murder. We reject any teaching that abortions of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the mental well-being of the mother are acceptable. (Job 3:16; Psalm 51:5; 139:14-16; Isaiah 44:24; 49:1, 5; Jeremiah 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44)

We believe that God has given the local church a Great Commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As ambassadors of Christ we must use all available means (without compromise) to go and reach the lost in foreign nations, and not wait for them to come to us. (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:20)

We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the church to resolve personal disputes. We believe the church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members. We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation for injuries from another Christian’s insurance company as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander. (1 Corinthians 6:1-8; Ephesians 4:31-32)

We believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to support his local church financially. We believe that God has established the tithe as a basis for giving, but that every Christian should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel. We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of the tithe or offering once the gift has been made. (Genesis 14:20; Proverbs 3:9-10; Acts 4:34-37; 1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7; Galatians 6:6; Ephesians 4:28; 1 Timothy 5:17-18; 1 John 3:17)

What Is a Baptist?

B - The Bible is our final authority.  We are not bound by tradition, board decisions, papal decrees, or any other extra-biblical books (2 Timothy 3:16).

A - The Autonomy of the local church. Each church is self-governing, self-supporting, and self-propagating.  The church answers directly to Christ, the Head of the Church (Colossians 1:18).

P - The Priesthood of each individual believer (1 Peter 2:5). Each believer has access directly to God.  There is only one Mediator he must go through - Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5).  Not only does this doctrine give us a special privilege, it also requires individual responsibility.

T - Two ordinances (the Lord’s Supper and Baptism).  We do not practice sacraments (something that conveys saving grace).  The Bible gives baptism for the purpose of identification and the Lord’s Table for the purpose of remembrance (1 Corinthians 11:23-34; Romans 6:1-6)

 I - Individual soul liberty (each believer has a free will).  You will only give an account before God for your life (Romans 14:12).

S - Saved and baptized membership only.  We do not place infants on our roll.  Each member, regardless of age, must give a testimony of salvation and have identified with the Lord through believer's baptism (John 3:3; 1 Peter 1:18-25).    

T - Two offices of leadership (the pastor and deacon).  We do not have separate elders, bishops, or other officers for church government.  The office of a pastor, bishop, and elder are interchangeable in Acts 20:17-28 and 1 Peter 5:1-5.  The requirements for pastors and deacons are found in 1 Timothy 3.

S - Separation of government from the church.  The church is not separated from the state (she is active as a voice in policy-making decisions and should vote, etc.).  The state is separated from the church (the state has no power to enforce unbiblical statutes upon the church nor does she have the right to have a state-sponsored church).  Individual Christians should be subject to government (Romans 13:1), but the church belongs to Christ (Matthew 16:18; Acts 5:29).