We believe in one living and true God. God is the Creator, Ruler, and Preserver of all things. God is a spirit, and God is love. We believe that God is eternal, infinite, all-powerful, all wise, almighty and unchangeable, yet can be known by humanity and is intensely concerned for His creation. We believe in the unity of the Godhead which, in the divine mystery, is one substance yet Three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is perfectly just and righteous as well as being gracious and merciful.

JESUS CHRIST

We believe in Jesus Christ as the only Son of God, fully human and fully God. We believe that he was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. By Jesus' incarnation, God became one of us to best declare to humanity His love and purpose. Jesus walked among us and in his sinlessness and became the perfect sacrifice for our sin. He suffered at the hands of humanity, was crucified, died and was buried.

The purpose was to restore our relationship with God, which was broken by sin. Christ rose from the dead and ascended to heaven in total victory over sin and death. He now intercedes to God for those who believe in his redeeming work, on their behalf.

THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe in the Holy Spirit as the person of the Holy Trinity who lives within us. The Spirit convicts us of sin, and guides us in repentance. The Spirit offers us comfort, helps us and gives us understanding of God's truth. The Holy Spirit also gives us the power to live the Christian life and directs us in the discovery and use of our spiritual gifts.

THE AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE

We believe that the Holy Scriptures are and shall remain the only source and rule of our doctrine, faith and practice. The Bible contains all the necessary truth to lead humanity into salvation.

We believe that Christ is present with us in both Word and Sacrament and we decline to determine as binding what the Scripture has left undetermined or to argue about the mysteries impenetrable to human reason.  

HUMANITY AND SIN

We believe that God created humanity in His own image, pure and sinless. Yet through sin (disobeying God's will) all humanity is sinful, having a selfish, rebellious and depraved nature. Being created in God's image, we have the ability to determine what is right and wrong, as well as having the freedom to choose our own path. We also will be responsible for our actions and choices.

Sin destroys our ability to have a relationship with God. Sin is a way of life that seeks to satisfy wants and desires without regard of God. Sin is both individual acts of resisting, mistrusting and rejecting God's will and the condition of our existence if we do not allow God to rule and direct our lives. We believe that all of humanity is in bondage to sin and all are in need of salvation.

SALVATION

We believe that Jesus Christ is the one and only Savior of humanity. We cannot save ourselves, but Jesus Christ, by dying on the cross for our sins, has mended our relationship with God. Humanity can be restored to that relationship only through acceptance and belief in Jesus Christ and his gift on the cross.

Recognizing Christ as Lord and Savior gives us the free gift of eternal life. Salvation is by grace and not through any human effort. Once we are in God's grace, nothing can separate us from that eternal relationship. It is possible to fall into sin, but through confession and true repentance we may find forgiveness and restored fellowship with God.

THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

We believe that the true spirit of our faith is life-centered rather than creed-centered and maintain that the greatest evidence of a regenerated heart is godly living. We find guidance for living this life of faith in the simplest Christian confession, "Jesus is Lord."

We believe the Christian Life (Sanctification) is the work of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, making the believer pure in heart and totally committed to God. This work is both instantaneous and progressive. It begins with the birth of faith and continues throughout a person's life.

The effective Christian life brings the believers to a point where they will denounce a desire to live for themselves and will desire to live totally for God. At this point Jesus will be truly Lord of our lives.

We believe that even though humanity cannot receive salvation through good works, they are pleasing to God and give evidence of genuine faith. Christian living in itself builds faith and gives testimony to God's will for a person’s life.

MINISTRY IN THE CHURCH

We believe that the Holy Spirit has given spiritual gifts to all believers. The purpose of these gifts are the building up of the Body of Christ (the Church) - and bringing glory to God. We believe in the Priesthood of all believers and that all Christians share in the privilege and responsibility of ministry in the church.

It is the goal of every believer to discover and use his or her gifts of ministry as a witness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We believe that the church is called to evangelize the world, make disciples, and offer worthy worship to God. This mission is concerned with the individual souls of all people as well as the structures of the world. The social ministry of the church is one of justice, peace and equality.

THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST

We believe that Jesus Christ will return to this world again to receive his believers and to be the righteous judge of God's perfect justice. The time of His return is unknown, but may be at any moment. This is the glorious hope of all believers.