APOSTLES' CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; He descended into hell. On the third day He rose again; He ascended into heaven, He is seated at the right hand of the Father, and He will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic* Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

Amen.

*The word “catholic” refers not to the Roman Catholic Church, but to the universal church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Statement of Faith:

We believe that only the sixty-six books of the Bible are the inspired and, therefore, inerrant Word of God. The Bible is the final authority for all we believe and how we are to live. (Matt. 5:18; Jn.10:3-5, 17:17; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21)

We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man; that He was conceived and born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and offered Himself as a penal, substitutionary sacrifice for sinners. By His blood shed at the cross, He obtained for us eternal redemption, the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting. He was raised bodily on the third day and ascended to the right hand of the Father, there to make intercession for the saints forever. (Matt. 1:18-25; Jn. 1:1-18; Rom. 8:34; 1 Cor. 15:1-28; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:10-14; Eph. 1:7; Phil. 2:6-11; Col. 1:15-23; Heb. 7:2-5, 9:13-15, 10:19; 1 Pet. 2:21-25; 1 Jn. 2:12)

We believe that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. No ordinance, ritual, work or any other activity on the part of man is required or accepted in order to be saved. This saving grace of God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, also sanctifies us by enabling us to do what is pleasing in God's sight in order that we might be progressively conformed to the image of Christ. (Jn. 1:1213, 6:3744, 10:2530; Acts 16:30-31; Rom. 34, 8:1-17, 31-39, 10:810; Eph. 2:8-10; Phil. 2:12-13; Titus 3:3-7; 1 Jn. 1:7, 9)

We believe that the Church is God's primary instrument through which He is fulfilling His redemptive purposes in the earth. To equip the saints for the work of ministry, God has given the Church apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. We also affirm the priesthood of all believers and the importance of every Christian being joined with and actively involved in a local community of the saints. We believe that women, no less than men, are called and gifted to proclaim the Gospel and do all the works of the Kingdom. (Matt. 16:17-19; Acts 2:17-18, 42; Eph. 3:14-21, 4:11-16; 1 Tim. 2:11-15; Heb. 10:23-25; 1 Pet. 2:4-5, 9-10)

We believe that God has called the Church to preach the gospel to all nations, to especially remember the poor and to minister to their needs through sacrificial giving and practical service. This ministry is an expression of the heart of the Lord Jesus Christ and is an essential part of the Kingdom of God. (Isa. 58:6-12, 61:1; Matt. 57, 28:18-20; Lk. 4:18, 21:14; Gal. 2:10; 1 Tim. 6:8)