What We Believe

We believe the Bible is the written word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit and without error. The Bible is the revelation of God's truth and is infallible and authoritative in all matters of faith and practice.

We believe in the Trinity. There are three persons in the one true and living God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are the same in substance, equal in power and glory.

We believe that God is the creator and sustainer of everyone and everything. He is eternal, infinite, and unchangeable in his power and perfection, goodness and glory, wisdom, justice, and truth. Nothing happens except through him and by his will.

We believe that God created us male and female in his own image to know him, love him, live with him, and glorify him. It is right that we who were created by God should live to his glory.

We believe that we glorify God by enjoying him, loving him, trusting him, and by obeying his will, commands, and law.

We believe that God requires personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience; that we are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and love our neighbor as ourselves. What God forbids should never be done and what God commands should always be done.

We believe that because of the disobedience of our first parents, Adam and Eve, all of creation is fallen; we are all born in sin and guilt, corrupt in our nature and unable to keep God’s law and do what he requires.

We believe that sin is rejecting or ignoring God in the world he created, rebelling against him by living without reference to him, not being or doing what he requires in his law—resulting in our death and the disintegration of all creation. We believe that all are sinners and totally unable to save themselves from God's displeasure, except by his mercy.

We believe that salvation is by God alone, as he sovereignly chooses those he will save. We believe his choice is based on his grace, not on any human individual merit or foreseen faith.

We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, who through his perfect life and sacrificial death atoned for the sins of all who will trust in him alone for salvation.

We believe that God is gracious and faithful to his people not simply as individuals but as families in successive generations according to his covenant promises.

We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells God's people and gives them the strength and wisdom to trust Christ and follow him.

We believe that Jesus will return, bodily and visibly, to judge all mankind and to receive his people unto himself.

We believe that all aspects of our lives are to be lived to the glory of God under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

We trace our roots back to the Protestant Reformation of the 16th and 17th centuries, which restored the Scriptures as the only authoritative rule of faith and practice (as opposed to church tradition) and which recovered the Gospel of Jesus Christ by faith alone as the only means of salvation (as opposed to salvation by works). The teachings of the Protestant Reformation are summarized well by the "Five Solas," which are central doctrinal beliefs of Protestant churches:

Sola Scriptura  (By Scripture Alone) - The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired Word of God, the only rule of faith and practice. All of life is to be governed by the Word of God alone, which God has revealed explicitly and implicitly in Scripture.

Sola Fide (By Faith Alone) - We believe that salvation is a gift from God received through faith alone.  We do not presume any claim on God, nor do we seek to build up merit through "being good" or at least, "better than others." Rather, we trust, receive, rest, and believe in God's promises in Jesus Christ.  We are saved "through faith alone."

Sola Gratia (By Grace Alone) - God's gift of salvation is neither deserved nor earned.  What we deserve for our sins is eternal death and condemnation.  But, God in his mercy, graciously saves sinners in spite of our sin.  This grace is received through faith in Christ alone, where faith also is God’s gift.

Solus Christus -(Christ Alone) - Jesus is the "only name" by which we might be saved.  He is the "only mediator" between God and man.  Jesus, by his life, death, resurrection, ascension, and enthronement as King, has done all things needed for salvation.  

Soli Deo Gloria (To the Glory of God Alone) - All of life is to be lived for the glory of God.  Every area of life is meant to be lived under the Lordship of King Jesus, for the glory of his name.  From child-rearing to missions work; from the bakery to the church - we live for the One who gave himself for us.

   
As part of the Presbyterian Church in America, we subscribe to the summary of Biblical teaching in the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms.  We believe that the Westminster Confession and Catechisms faithfully explains and summarizes what the Bible teaches.  As a church, we have bound ourselves to this statement of faith and seek to be faithful to it.

    We identify with the "Reformed" branch of Protestantism.  In broad strokes, this simply means that we desire all of life and doctrine to be "reformed" according to the Word of God.  More specifically, we believe that the theology commonly known as "Calvinism," which is maturely developed and summarized in the Westminster Confession of Faith, is the most Biblical expression of the "faith once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3).