CORE VALUES
Our core values are the overflow of what we believe:
That God has spoken to us in the Bible, which has the Gospel as its focus, and is to be proclaimed to all peoples resulting in radical salvation to whole-hearted worship of God through Christ in a genuine and diverse community with godly leaders, together on Christ’s mission by planting churches that exist solely for the advancement of the gospel and the glory of God.
The Bible
We value the Bible because it is God’s Word to us. He has revealed Himself to His created beings in the 66 books of the Bible, which is inerrant, authoritative, sufficient for all of life, and declares the gospel of Jesus Christ from Genesis to Revelation. (2 Timothy 3:15-17; 2 Peter 1:3-4, 21; Luke 24:27, 44-47; John 5:46-47)
The Gospel
We value the Gospel because it alone is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. The Gospel is the message of Scripture that God offers salvation to undeserving sinners from His eternal judgment against sin through Jesus’ death on the cross, burial, and resurrection from the dead three days later. The gospel is our greatest need and there is no other means by which sinners are saved and saints are sanctified. (Romans 1:14-17; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4)
Proclamation
We value the proclamation of the gospel because it is the divinely appointed means of getting the good news of salvation to sinners. The church has been entrusted with the gospel and has been commanded to proclaim Christ to all peoples in every nation so that they may believe in Him and have eternal life. (Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 10:13-15)
Salvation
We value clarity on true saving faith because there is no other matter more important than salvation. Sinners are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, but that faith is never alone. It is a faith that works itself out in love for Christ and His church, and in a progressively transformed life. (Ephesians 2:8-10; Galatians 5:6; James 2:14-26; Matthew 7:21, 25:31-46)
Worship
We value whole-hearted worship of God through Christ in the power of the Spirit because it is the goal of salvation. We have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ and are now inclined toward God to worship Him with all of our mind, heart, and life as the only reasonable response to so great a salvation. (Romans 12:1-2; Titus 2:11-14; Revelation 5:9-10)
Community
We value community because when Christ brought us near to God in salvation, He also made us one family, made of people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. We value real, biblical community. A place where we welcome and accept people from every race, social status, and background and commit ourselves to a particular local church so that we can be there for one another, build up one another, and reconcile with one another in the inevitable conflicts of being a family. We also value this kind of community because we know that love for one another is the one command of Christ and the most compelling witness to the unbelieving world around us. (John 13:34-35; Ephesians 4:1-3; Romans 13:8; Matthew 5:23-24, 18:15; 1 John 4:7-11; Acts 10:34-35)
Leadership
We value a plurality of godly male leaders because God has given leaders as under-shepherds for the life and health of the church. The church needs leaders to preach the gospel with fidelity, exemplify the gospel with godliness, and defend the gospel with boldness and humility so that the church may know Christ, stay faithful to Christ, and stay focused on the mission of Christ until He, the Chief Shepherd, returns for His people. (Ephesians 4:11-16; Hebrews 13:7, 17; 1 Peter 5:1-4; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-16)
Mission
We value the mission of the church because it is the calling of our lives. To know Christ and make him known in all the world is the Great Commission given to us by our Lord and what we live for as the church. (Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 24:44-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8)
Planting Churches
We value church planting because it is one of the best means of fulfilling the Great Commission. To fulfill the Great Commission, we need gospel-proclaiming churches peppering the landscape so that those dead in sin may hear the gospel and live. Rather than becoming inward-focused, we want to press out to proclaim Christ in areas that need a gospel witness. And as God saves sinners, we seek to gather those believers into new local churches that continue to be a gospel presence in the community. (Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 10:13-15, 16:20-21)
STATEMENT OF FAITH
The Word of God
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, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct (Psalm 19:7; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21).
The Trinity
We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons, that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct but harmonious offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption (Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14).
God the Father
We believe in God, the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of all people, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ (Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 145:3; John 1:3; 1 Corinthians 8:4-6; 1Timothy 1:17).
Jesus Christ
We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth (Isaiah 53:10-12; John 1:1, 14; Acts 1:9-11; Romans 3:21-26, 8:34; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Galatians 3:13; 1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 1:1-3).
The Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide (John 14:16-17, 16:14; Acts 5:3; Romans 8:14-17; Ephesians 1:13-14).
Regeneration
We believe that all people are sinners by nature and by choice and are, therefore, under condemnation. We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior are regenerated by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:1-6; Titus 3:5; 1 John 5:1).
The Church
We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible profession of faith, and associated for worship, work and fellowship. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of giving the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world (John 10:16; Acts 20:17, 28; Ephesians 1:22; 5:23; Hebrews 10:25).
Christian Conduct
We believe that Christians should live for the glory of God and the well-being of others; that their conduct should be blameless before the world; that they should be faithful stewards of their possessions; and that they should seek to realize for themselves and others the full stature of maturity in Christ (Matthew 5:16; Ephesians 4:1-3; 5:1-2; 1 Peter 1:13-16; 2 Peter 1:5-11).
The Ordinances
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church: baptism and the Lord's Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water into the name of the triune God. We believe that the Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 26:26-29; 28:19; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; 11:23-34; 12:13).
Religious Liberty
We believe that every human being has direct relations with God, and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; that each church is independent and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority; that therefore Church and State must be kept separate as having different functions, each fulfilling its duties free from dictation or patronage of the other (Matthew 15:9; Romans 13:1-7; 14:4; Acts 5:29; Colossians 2:20-23).
Church Cooperation
We believe that local churches can best promote the cause of Jesus Christ by cooperating with one another in a denominational organization. Such an organization, whether it is the Conference or a district conference, exists and functions by the will of the churches. Cooperation in a conference is voluntary and may be terminated at any time. Churches may likewise cooperate with interdenominational fellowships on a voluntary independent basis.
The Last Things
We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal felicity of the righteous, and the endless suffering of the wicked (Matthew 25:46; John 5:22, 27-29; Acts 17:31; Romans 2:6-11; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; 2 Timothy 4:8; Revelation 7:13-17; 14:9-11).
Adopted by the Baptist General Conference in 1951, reaffirmed in 1990 and amended in 1997.
Passages of scripture were added for reference.