Our Beliefs

1. About God …God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe.  He eternally exists in three personalities: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  These three are co-equal and are one God.

Genesis 1:1, 26 & 27; Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; John 14:1-14; II Corinthians 13:14; I Peter 1:2; I John 5:7

2. About the Father…The Father is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise.  He reigns with providential care over the universe and the flow of human history goes according to His purposes and plan.  God is Father to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.

Genesis 1:1, 2:7; Exodus 3:14; Matthew 23:9; Mark 1:9-11; Ephesians 4:6; Colossians 1:15; I Timothy 1:17 

3. About Jesus Christ…Jesus Christ exists eternally as God the Son. He took on humanity being conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death for sin, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal future return to earth.

Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38; John 1:1; 20:30, 31; Romans 5:6-8; 6:9 & 10; 9:5; II Corinthians5:21; Ephesians 1:4; I Peter 2:21-23; Acts 1:11; Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 9:28

4. About The Holy Spirit…The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. We believe He convicts men of sin, regenerates, baptizes, indwells, seals, and sets apart believers unto a holy life. He keeps and empowers believers day by day. He is the Teacher of the Word of God and the Guide for daily living.

John 14:16,17,26; 15:26,27; 16:13,14; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; Galatians 5:22-26 

5. About The Bible…We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  The Bible is the supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.

Mark 13:31; John 8:31, 32; John 20:31; Acts 20:32; II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20, 21; Psalm 119:105

6. About Human Beings…We believe that man was created by God in His own image; that he sinned and thereby incurred physical, spiritual and eternal death, which is separation from God.  As a consequence, all human beings are born with a sinful nature and are sinners by nature and by choice and therefore under condemnation.

Genesis 1:26; 3:1-24; 5:2; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3:23; 5:19; James  1:14; Revelation 20:15

7. About Marriage, Human Sexuality, and Expression of Gender…Marriage is meant to be a lifetime, heterosexual relationship between a man and a women based upon unconditional love, expressed by covenant commitment (vows), and sealed by sexual union (Genesis 2:23, Matthew 19:6, and Hebrews 13:4). Cohabiting prior to marriage is sexual immorality and is an act of rebellion against God’s laws(I Corinthians 7:2; I Thessalonians 5:22). God designed marriage to be a life-long monogamous committiment between one man and one woman, which is the foundation and building block for the perpetuation of the human race. (Genesis2:18-24; Matthew 19:4-5). Marriage is a permanent bond between a husband and wife, and that they are joined by God and are not to be dissolved by mortal man through divorce (Malachi 2:16; Mark 10:2-12; Luke 16:18; Matthew 5:31-32). Same-sex marriage is an abomination in God’s eyes, and that if He intended the human race to be proagated though both heterosexual and homosexual marriage, He would have designed our bodies to allow reproduction through both means (Genesis 1:27-28;Matthew 19:4-6;Mark 10:6-7). God’s design for humanity includes only two genders, male and female. God purposefully created each individual as male or female, each with unique roles that reflect important aspects of God’s nature. For an individual to embrace an identity other than the identity given by God is to dishonor God (Genesis 1:27; I Corinthians 6: 19-20). Any form of sexual immorality such as adultery (Leviticus 20:10;Galations 5:19-20); fornication (Colossians 3:5; Revelation 21:8); homosexuality and bisexual conduct (Leviticus 20:13; Romans 1:26-27); beastilality (Leviticus 18:23); incest (Leviticus 18:6-18; I Corinthians 5:1-2); unbridled lust (Matthew 5:27-28; Proverbs 6:27-28);and pornography (Job 31:1; Psalm 101:3)… are deviations from the Bible’s standards and are sinful and offensive to God. God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ (Psalm 51:7-9; I John 1:9). Every person must be afforded comassion, love, kindness, and dignity. Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with living Christ-like lives (Luke 6:31; Romans 12:19-21; Ephesians 4:32).

8. About the Sanctity of Human Life … Biblical revelation clearly and consistently affirms that human life is formed by God in His image and is therefore worthy of honor and dignity (Genesis 1:27; 9:6). God alone is the Author of life, and He alone numbers our days, from the moment of conception until natural death (Job 14:5-7; Psalm 39:4).

9. About Salvation…Salvation is being born into the family of God and receiving eternal life.  God, in His grace, lovingly and freely extends salvation to everyone who believes in the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We believe that those who repent and trust Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and become new creatures, delivered from condemnation.  We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works.

John1:13;3:16;5:24;8:12; I John 1:9; Romans 5:19; 8:1;II Corinthians 5:17

10. About Assured Salvation…We understand salvation by faith that leads a believer to action. Salvation comes by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior leading us to a life of discipleship in obedience to his teachings. We believe that salvation is a gift from God that cannot be earned but is received through faith. We desire to follow Christ’s example of love, forgiveness, and service, actively seeking to live out our faith in daily life. While we believe in the possibility of falling away from faith, we also affirm the assurance of salvation through the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit and God’s grace. We acknowledge both the believers’ responsibility to persevere in faith, and the sustaining power of God’s grace.

John 10:29; IITimothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25, 10:10, 14; I Peter 1:3-5

Portions of our beliefs are derived from Lancaster Mennonite Conference, which our church identifies with. Learn more about the Lancaster Mennonite Conference here.