We preach through the Bible verse by verse, and thereby teach the whole counsel of God. We don’t shy away from difficult texts or controversial doctrines, but teach through them as they arise in the word of God.
We uphold the Bible as the ultimate authority for faith and doctrine. As the name of our church emphasizes, we teach that salvation is only available by the grace of God, through faith in his Son, Jesus Christ.
We uphold the perspicuity of Scripture and apply a grammatical, literal, historic approach to the interpretation of the whole Bible. We give equal voice to all Scripture, respect to the genre of text and only apply figurative language where the text indicates it is the authors intent.
We teach the sufficiency of Scripture and that the apostolic sign gifts (miracles, prophecy, healing, speaking in tongues) were given as a sign to the early church to verify the authenticity of the New Testament. We teach that these gifts ceased with the death of the last living apostle at which point the canon of Scripture was closed. Revelation 22:18-19 Ephesians 2:19-20
Water baptism is an ordinance to be practiced by immersion of professing believers only subsequent to their conversion.
The proclamation of the gospel is the only reason why the church is present on earth today, and the only group tasked with the duty to proclaim it. As such, it is imperative that we understand the gospel correctly.
We teach that Christ died for our sins, that he was buried, and raised for our justification in accordance with the Scriptures.
We teach that conversion is a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit, accomplished through the instrument of the Word of God when the repentant sinner responds in faith to the divine provision of salvation.
Genuine regeneration necessarily includes submission to Christ as Lord which is manifested by fruits worthy of repentance demonstrated in righteous attitudes and conduct.
We teach that God made both man and woman in His image and that both sexes are equal before God as persons and distinct in their manhood and womanhood. Distinctions in masculine and feminine roles are ordained by God as part of the created order, and should find an echo in every human heart. Adam’s headship in marriage was established by God before the Fall, and was not a result of sin. The Fall introduced distortions into the relationships between men and women.
We view discipline as being a positive, redemptive act, rather than a negative, punitive one. We associate discipline with discipleship, with helping each other know what it means to follow Jesus, and with encouraging each other in our efforts to follow Him.
The threefold purpose of discipline of all members is to:
(a) glorify God by maintaining purity in the local church (1 Corinthians 5:6);
(b) edify believers by deterring sin (1 Timothy 5:20); and
(c) promote the spiritual welfare of the offending believer by calling him or her to return to a biblical standard of doctrine and conduct (Galatians 6:1)
Church leaders must meet the qualifications laid out in Scripture. 1 Timothy 3:1-13 Titus 1:5-9. Within the church, women are prohibited from teaching or having authority over men. 1 Timothy 2:11-15
