What We Believe

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Core Beliefs

God - Our Creator and Redeemer

We believe in one God, Creator and Sustainer of all, eternally existing in three Persons, distinct but inseparable, united in holiness and love: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

  • God the Father is holy and eternal and chooses to be in a personal relationship with everyone, forever proclaiming His love for us and all He created.
  • God the Son is the eternal Word of God.  Because of God's desire to be in relationship with humanity, He became one of us - Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who is fully God and fully human. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, then suffered and died as the only sufficient sacrifice for our sins. He conquered sin and death by rising from the dead and ascended to the Father where He intercedes for us, and will return as sovereign King and Judge in final victory.
  • God the Holy Spirit is the eternal living presence of God convicting us of our rebellion against God, revealing God's love through Jesus Christ, enabling us to experience new birth, transforming us into the likeness of Christ and producing within us the fruit of holiness and love.
The Holy Bible - Our Resource

We believe the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, are the inspired word of God and are without error. God reveals himself through the Scriptures, which provide all things necessary to be in a right relationship with him.  The Bible is a gift from God, the final authority for our beliefs and the guide for daily living.

Humanity - Our Brokenness

We believe God created humanity in his image to be in relationship with him. Therefore, each of us has great worth.  However, our sin and lack of trust in God mars his original intention for us.  Our self-centeredness alienates us from our true selves, others and God.

Salvation - Our Transformation

We believe that in mercy, God has made a way for all of us to be eternally reconciled to him and have his image restored in us.  By grace, God affords all of us an opportunity to respond to him through faith.  When we turn from our self-ruled life and trust only in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, we accept God's forgiveness, are born again, and begin to be transformed into the likeness of Christ.  The Holy Spirit increasingly delivers us from rebellion toward God and makes true love for God and others possible.

The Church - Our Family

We believe the Church is the redeemed people of God, the living Body of Christ and the Community of God's Kingdom, committed to grow into the likeness of Christ and to proclaim the Good News of salvation, love, reconciliation, healing and hope.

Congregational Values

Christ-Centered Worship
Pursuing and praising Jesus together

Healthy Relationships
Seeking and speaking Truth in love

Real Compassion
Caring for and sharing with those in need

Intentional Disciple-Making
Being formed by Christ and forming others

Scriptural Foundation
Connecting with the God revealed in Scripture

Thankful Generosity
Giving as we have received

Theological Distinctives

Infant Baptism
As United Methodist Christians, we believe God’s grace invites us into connection and relationship even before we are consciously aware of it.  Infant baptism is one way we affirm this “prevenient” grace at work.  We baptize infants, before they have conscious awareness of their need for God, because of our conviction that God is already reaching out to them through the Church to draw them into God’s love.  We also baptize infants with the clear understanding that the parents are the primary spiritual guides responsible for helping their children experience a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, with the help of the church. 

Women in Ministry
With the Apostle Paul, we affirm that the reign of God begun in the life of Jesus inaugurates a new way of seeing and relating to one another.  In Christ Jesus, “there is no male or female” (Galatians 3:28).  Previous cultural distinctions lose their power in the Kingdom of God.  In the Kingdom of God, the Holy Spirit falls on young and old, men and women.  Men and women are given new life in Christ, receive the Holy Spirit, and are called by God to use their gifts in ministry, including pastoral ministry.