What We Believe

About God – God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three persons: the

                         Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God.

About the Father – He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise. He reigns with providential care

                         over the universe and the flow of human history goes according to His purposes and plan.

About Jesus – Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus has eternally existed

                         and became man at His incarnation. He lived a sinless human life and offered himself as the

                         perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He bodily arose from the

                         dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin & death. He ascended to 

                         Heaven’s glory & will return again someday to earth to reign as King of Kings & Lord of Lords.

About the Holy Spirit – He is co-equal and the third person of the Trinity. He guides men into all truth,

                         exalts Christ, convicts of sin, righteousness and judgment, cultivates Christian character,

                         comforts believers, bestows spiritual gifts by which believers serve God and seals the

                         believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the lives of believers is the

                         assurance of God to bring us into the fullness of the stature of Christ.

About Scriptures – The Bible is God’s Word to us. It was written by human authors, under the

                       supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs 

                       and living. Because it is inspired by God, it has salvation for its end and is truth without any       

                       mixture of error.

About Human Beings – People are made in the image of God and are the supreme object of God’s

                       creation. All of us are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called sin. Sin

                       separates people from God and causes many problems in life.

About Salvation – Salvation is God’s free gift to us, but we must accept it. We can never make up for our

                      sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting Jesus Christ as God’s offer of

                      forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin’s penalty. When we turn from our self-ruled life and

                      turn to Jesus in faith, we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one received Jesus Christ

                      into his life by faith.

About Eternal Security – Because God gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ, the true believer is

                      secure in that salvation for eternity. If you have been genuinely saved, you cannot “lose” your

                      salvation. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the

                      Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives us this security.

About Eternity – People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God

                      by sin or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separate from 

                      God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are real places of

                      eternal existence.

                                                                                                               We adhere to the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.

OUR CORE VALUES

Authority of Scripture

               We believe that all Scripture is divinely inspired and serves as the final authority in all matters of

                belief and behavior (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21). Therefore, we value Bible-centered

                preaching and teaching as the foundation for all that we do.

Worship
                We believe that we are created by God to worship Him, and that glorifying God is the ultimate

                 reason for our existence (John4: 23-24). Therefore, we will seek to praise and worship Him 

                 passionately – as individuals, as families, and as a local church.

Prayer
                We believe that prayer is the privilege and responsibility of every Christian and that God

                 unleashes His power and leading in the lives of those who spend time in prayer (Matthew 6:7;

                 1 Thessalonians5:17). Therefore, we will intentionally seek to set aside specific times for private,

                 family and corporate prayer.

Family
                 We believe that the family is God’s foundational institution for human society (Matthew 19:5-6;

                 Ephesians5:22-6:4). Therefore, we encourage lifelong commitments to marriage between one

                 man and one woman; we support the ongoing spiritual nurture of the family; and we are

                 committed to honoring the priority of family time through our ministries and activities.

Fellowship/Community
                  We believe that God instructs Christians to cultivate loving relationships as a community of

                  believers (Romans12:10; 1 John 4:7-11). Therefore, we will actively pursue personal, family, and

                  staff relationships characterized by integrity, mutual accountability, mutual serving, mutual

                  encouragement, and mutual honoring.

Life Transformation
                  We believe that all Christians should daily pursue a growing personal relationship with Christ,

                  and are responsible for becoming more like Christ in their beliefs and conduct (Ephesians 4:13;

                  Colossians 1:28). Therefore, we will provide opportunities for every believer to develop a

                  Christian worldview and thus engage the culture wherein he lives, works, and interacts.

Every Member Ministry
                  We believe that God cares about the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of every person.

                   Further, we believe that every member of this church is called to minister (Ephesians4:11-12).

                   Therefore, we will develop lay leaders who will function effectively in their respective roles of

                   service and, in turn, train and mentor other believers for ministry.

Personal Evangelism/Missions
                 We believe that every person is important to God, that God desires a personal relationship with   

                 every individual, and that He has entrusted us with the message of salvation (Matthew 28:19-20;

                 2 Corinthians 5:18-20). Therefore, we will endeavor to share the message of salvation with all

                 people, regardless of race, ethnicity, or economic status, both in the Cooper area and

                 throughout the world.

Stewardship
                We believe that biblical stewardship involves the proper management of all that God has given 

                us - time, money, abilities, etc. to expand His kingdom (1 Corinthians 4:2; 1 Peter 4:10). Therefore,

                we encourage every member to adopt a lifestyle of stewardship that recognizes God’s ownership

                of everything and to practice the biblical principle of tithing (giving at least one tenth of one’s

                income) to support the work of the church.