_What We Believe

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An Ecumenical Church

I.   In communion with other Christians, we believe:
A.  The mystery of a triune God: We share with other Protestants, Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox.  One God who Scripture shows is creator, reconciler, and sustainer.
B.  The incarnation of the eternal Word of God in Jesus Christ: That we are not alone. Emmanuel, God with us.
C.  Justification by Grace through Faith: We have not fulfilled God’s law of loving God with all our heart, mind, and soul, and neighbor as ourselves. So we are not justified in and of ourselves to approach God. We are not righteous. But God’s love in Jesus Christ saves us and draws us back to God.
D.  Authority of Scripture: Lies at the center of Christian faith. The lens through which we know God, who we are and how we must live.

A Reformed Church

II.  As part of the Reformed tradition, we believe:
A.  God’s sovereignty: God and God alone is the source and power of all that exists.
B.  Election of God’s People for Service and Salvation: One important characteristic of our heritage is that power to follow the law comes after first receiving divine grace.
C.  God’s Covenant with Chosen People: God called ordinary people and entrusted them to follow God’s guidance in spreading God’s love and living holy lives. “I will be your God, you will be my people.” And, “I will be with you till the end of the age.” We are all chosen.
D.  We are connectional – we are connected to all the other local representations of Christ’s Body on earth, both in support and accountability, for the nurture and welfare of the Church as a whole.
E.  Faithful Stewardship of Creation: Responsibility on us to care for each other as well as creation.
F.  Recognizing the universal human tendency toward idolatry and pride.
G.  That God’s People work toward the transformation of society by seeking Justice and living in
obedience to the Word of God: Our task is not to be successful in bringing in the Kingdom of God, but to be obedient in striving for it.

A Confessing Church

 III.     We confess our belief in the following essential tenets of the Christian faith:
  • That Jesus, the Christ, alone is Lord of all and the way God has given for the salvation of humankind (John 14:6-11).
  • That the Bible is the inspired, authoritative, Word of God and the Church’s only infallible rule of faith and practice (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
  • That God’s people are called to holiness in all aspects of life, which includes fidelity in our relationships to God as well as to our fellow human beings, in accordance with and obedience to God’s design as laid out in the Old and New Testaments.
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