A narrative echoed throughout the Bible and especially in Matthew 22, is to “love God with all of our being.” To “be with Jesus” simply means to be in a relationship with him, or to follow him. The foundation of being a follower of Jesus is to walk with and learn from him.

“Becoming like him,” or spiritual formation is to simply be more like Jesus— to learn and follow his teachings. Matthew 28:19-20 tells us that we are to “teach and observe” the commandments of Jesus. Becoming like Jesus is to listen to his words, learn from him, and life a lifestyle like his.

Matthew 28:19-20 also says to “Go and make disciples.” Therefore, to “live out” is to go do what Jesus did and would do if he were you. Living out is leaving ourselves and our comforts and living out what Jesus wants us to do in the world. This is his mission to everyone one of his followers.

In John 17, Jesus prays that we would all be unified together and “be one” as a community. The church was created to help followers of Jesus do this together. The church exists to help followers of Jesus pursue relationship, spiritual formation, and mission, together.

THE CENTER

We declare that Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word of God as revealed in the Bible, the written Word of God is the only Savior and Lord. He is the center of our shared experience of true biblical unity.

THE EVANGELICAL CORE

We affirm our commitment to the following core truths of the Bible which we share with other genuine believers in Jesus Christ:

1. The One True God - There is one, and only one, true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is the Creator and Lord of all, existing eternally in three persons, never less and never more - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

2. The Lord Jesus Christ - Jesus Christ is fully God, existing eternally. Everything was created by Him and for Him. His incarnation took place in the womb of a virgin. He became man, but never sinned. He died a substitutionary death to atone for sin, resurrected bodily, and ascended into heaven where He remains fully God and fully man, and is presently ministering until He comes again.

3. The Holy Spirit - The Holy Spirit is fully God, existing eternally. He is a person, and was involved in Creation and the inspiration of Scripture. His works of convicting and regenerating are essential to the believer’s salvation. Believers are entitled to the benefit and joy of being filled and walking in the Spirit for empowerment in Christian life, service, and mission.

4. The Bible - The sixty-six books, and only these, known as the Old and New Testaments, are the written Word of God. God’s inspiration and superintendence of the writing of every word of the Bible guarantees that what was written is His Word and therefore authoritative, true, and without error in the original manuscripts. God preserves His Word, which is powerful and effective to accomplish His purpose of salvation among all nations. God’s Spirit illumines the minds of believers in every culture to understand and apply the unchanging truth of Scripture in fresh and relevant ways for the benefit of the whole Body of Christ.

5. Humanity - God created man and woman in His image. As a result, all people are bearers of that image. However, Adam’s subsequent sin resulted in a condition of spiritual death which all people since Adam have experienced, marring the beauty of God’s image in them in every facet of life. His condition of spiritual death has rendered all people unable to save themselves, and leads to physical death. therefore, new birth is necessary for salvation.

6. Salvation - The salvation brought by God is a complete and eternal salvation by His grace alone, received as the free gift of God through personal faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work, as He declares believers righteous in Him.

7. Church - There exists one true Church, which is called the Household of God, the Body of Christ, and the Temple of the Holy Spirit. It is comprised of all true disciples of Jesus Christ and is created by the action of the Holy Spirit. Tangible expressions of this true Church are found in local churches.

8. Christian Life - The believer is saved by faith alone. The faith that saves is expected to produce obedience and good works, which are the products of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The dimensions of biblical ethics are both individual and social, and extend to every facet of life. God faithfully continues to finish the work of sanctification, which He initiated in the life of each believer with the goal of Christlikeness.

9. Angels, Satan, Demons - God created a multitude of spiritual beings called “angels”. Righteous angels continue to serve God and work both in the heavenly sphere and on earth. By his disobedience, Satan, a fallen angel, became the adversary of God and God’s people, carrying with him a procession of demons. Jesus Christ has overcome Satan so that the final judgment and doom of Satan and his demons are certain.

10. Future Life - The dead will have a conscious existence in eternity and their bodies will be resurrected. Unbelievers, already under condemnation, will be sentenced to suffer eternal separation from God. Believers, already having been granted eternal life, will be judged and rewarded according to their works, and will experience a glorified, eternal existence in the presence of the Lord.