Beliefs

OUR BELIEFS

We confess and believe in one eternal, sovereign, and triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—one in substance, power, and glory, yet distinct in person. He is infinite in being, perfect in holiness, unchangeable in purpose, and sovereign over all things. From all eternity, by the counsel of His own will, God did freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass, yet so as not to be the author of sin or to violate the will of His creatures.

We believe that God created the heavens and the earth, and all that is in them, in six days, by the word of His power, and made man, male and female, in His own image, with knowledge, righteousness, and holiness. Our first parents, Adam and Eve, were placed under a covenant of life, but through their disobedience, sin entered the world, and death through sin. By Adam’s fall, all mankind became guilty in him, corrupted in nature, and unable to do any spiritual good apart from grace. All men are, by nature, children of wrath and under the just condemnation of God.

But God, being rich in mercy, made a covenant of grace, promising life and salvation through Jesus Christ, the only Mediator between God and man. We believe that Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, took upon Himself a true human nature, was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and lived under the law perfectly. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. On the third day He rose again, ascended into heaven, and now reigns at the right hand of the Father, where He intercedes for His people and governs all things for the sake of His Church. He shall return in glory to judge the living and the dead.

We believe that salvation is entirely of God’s grace and is applied by the Holy Spirit to the elect, whom God has chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. Effectual calling, regeneration, faith, repentance, justification, adoption, sanctification, and perseverance are all gifts of God’s free grace. Faith alone is the instrument of justification, which rests not on our works but solely upon the righteousness of Christ imputed to us and received by faith. Good works are the necessary fruits of true faith, not the ground of our salvation.

We believe in the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, which consists of all the elect gathered into one body under Christ, her only Head. We affirm that the visible Church is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ on earth and is to be governed according to His Word. Christ has given to His Church officers, including ministers and elders, for the preaching of the Word, the administration of the sacraments, and the exercise of discipline. We hold that church government is to be conducted by presbyters in a series of graded courts—session, presbytery, and general assembly—as taught in Scripture and practiced by the apostolic Church.

We confess that the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired, infallible, and sufficient Word of God, the only rule of faith and obedience. All doctrine, worship, government, and discipline must conform to what is commanded or clearly implied in Scripture. Therefore, we reject all human traditions, images, and inventions in the worship of God, affirming the regulative principle: that God must be worshiped only in the way He has appointed.

We acknowledge two sacraments instituted by Christ: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism is a sign and seal of God’s covenant, applied to believers and their children, symbolizing regeneration, cleansing, and inclusion in the visible Church. The Lord’s Supper is a covenant meal in which believers spiritually feed on Christ by faith, remember His death, and are nourished in grace. These sacraments do not convey grace by themselves but are effectual only to those who receive them by faith.

We confess the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. At the last day, Christ will return bodily and gloriously, raising the dead, and bringing every person to final judgment. The righteous shall enter into everlasting life in the new heavens and new earth, while the wicked shall be cast into everlasting punishment.

In all things, we affirm that the chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. All of God’s works in creation and redemption serve to magnify His glory and bring His people into everlasting communion with Him, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Creeds

THE APOSTLES' CREED | (c. 2nd-4th Century)
THE NICENE CREED (A.D.. 325, 381)
THE ATHANASIAN CREED (c. 5th Century)
THE CHALCEDONIAN DEFINITION (A.D. 451)

Confessions

WESTMINSTER STANDARDS (CONFESSION & CATECHISMS) *
1689 SECOND LONDON BAPTIST CONFESSION *
THREE FORMS OF UNITY (BELGIC CONFESSION, HEIDELBERG CATECHISM, CANONS OF DORT) *

*Our church gladly identifies with the historic stream of Reformed theology. While our polity (church government) may differ from some Reformed traditions, we hold deep theological agreement with the major confessions that have shaped the Reformed faith across history.

Church Covenant

Having, as we trust, been brought by the sovereign grace of God to repent of our sins, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and give ourselves wholly to Him, and having been baptized upon our profession of faith in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we do now, relying on His gracious aid, solemnly and joyfully renew our covenant with one another, committing ourselves to live under the authority of God’s Word, to honor and submit to the oversight of the elders, and to pursue the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace; we covenant to walk together in brotherly love, exercising affectionate care, watchfulness, and faithful admonition over one another as occasion requires, rejoicing at each other’s happiness and bearing one another’s burdens and sorrows with tenderness and sympathy, and we pledge to faithfully assemble together for worship, prayer, and the preaching of the gospel, while earnestly praying for ourselves, our families, our church, and the nations; we will diligently endeavor to bring up those under our care in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, exemplifying purity and godly living, and seeking by word and deed the salvation of our family, friends, and neighbors, striving by divine aid to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live holy and obedient lives in gratitude for the newness of life symbolized in our baptism; we covenant to work together for the continuance of a faithful evangelical ministry in this church, supporting its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines, and to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the gospel through all nations; we affirm that membership requires agreement with at least one of the historic Reformed confessions recognized by this church—the Westminster Standards, the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, the Three Forms of Unity—as faithful summaries of God’s Word, while also recognizing and respecting legitimate differences between paedobaptist and credobaptist convictions and committing to hospitality, fellowship, and mutual encouragement across these lines; and finally, if we move from this place, we covenant to unite with another church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God’s Word, trusting that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit will be with us all. Amen.

FAQ?

How can this church maintain unity and theological integrity while embracing both paedobaptist and credobaptist convictions?

Our church joyfully practices both paedobaptism and credobaptism, welcoming believers from across the Reformed tradition. Some of our elders might be paedobaptist or credobaptist, and together we affirm one faith, one Lord, and one baptism—expressed in different ways, yet united in the same gospel grace. If you want more information please read our church covenant!