OUR CORE DOCTRINAL BELIEFS

 We believe the Bible is the complete, inspired and authoritative word of God. It reveals God’s character, salvation plan, and sovereign will. Though the canon is complete, God’s active work continues today as the Holy Spirit writes truth onto human hearts and moves through His people to bring renewal to the world.

We believe Jesus was God in the flesh, and in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, atoning death, resurrection, and ascension to the Father’s right hand. While the Living God is present among us now, Jesus will also literally return one day in power and glory.

We believe salvation is a sovereign gift of total grace, completely unearned by human effort or merit. It is received solely through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ when we confess with our mouth that He is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead. Because human beings are entirely incapable of saving themselves, every part of salvation from initial conviction to declaration is a gift initiated by the Holy Spirit. Works cannot save us, but they are inevitable fruit of a heart transformed by Christ. A heart soft enough to believe is one of God's greatest blessings.

We believe the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity, actively moving before, at, and after salvation. In His sovereignty, God influences non-believers and believers alike, but the Holy Spirit immediately and permanently indwells a believer at the moment of faith, and is the sole author of conviction, guidance, and sanctification; a process achieved as we yield to His power through small steps of obedience which open the door to larger steps. Because even our best actions are filthy rags flawed by hidden, selfish motives, the Holy Spirit acts as a graceful filter, purifying our imperfect deeds through the finished work of Jesus so they become holy and acceptable to the Father. 

We believe humanity was created in God's image to reflect His character and enjoy His fellowship, giving every human life inherent dignity and value. However, sin has universally corrupted humanity through mankind's original rebellion, leaving everyone born with a fallen nature, prone to sinful desires, and spiritually dead. This creates a barrier of utter helplessness that individuals cannot bridge through their own efforts. We all face the just penalty of eternal separation from God. It is only by the God's grace and restraining power of the Holy Spirit that we are drawn away from sin. Every person, regardless of the extent of their sinful ways, stands in desperate need of divine redemption. 

We believe the local church is vital for discipleship, worship, and accountability. As an itinerant ministry, we reject isolation and submit to the Holy Spirit by remaining deeply connected to local church bodies. We feel that while Christian community takes many forms including traditional settings, home churches, Bible studies, and online fellowships where believers encourage, strengthen, and deliver one another, it is important to stay connected to the wider body of Christ. Furthermore, the Body of Christ is defined as the global network of believers unified by one foundational truth: that Jesus was God in the flesh, and a heart belief of His death and resurrection in addition to a verbal declaration of Jesus’ Lordship results in immediate salvation. Because unity isn't instant, and we all start at a different place with differing psychological processes, we do our best to always extend mercy and grace while trusting God to faithfully dismantle deception and draw each believer into His perfect will. 

We believe water baptism by immersion is a vital, public declaration of faith that mirrors Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, marking a conscious decision to die to the old life and walk in His newness. While we respect infant baptism as a symbolic act of parental dedication, it does not replace the individual need for a conscious, personal, informed choice to follow Christ once you reach an age where you are able to comprehend what you are doing. Furthermore, because the Christian journey involves ongoing sanctification, we fully embrace subsequent submersions or ritual washings as personally chosen, powerful, non-mandatory markers of spiritual awakening and re-dedication.

 We believe Holy Communion is an open table established by Jesus, available to anyone who desires fellowship with Him. Any believer who declares Jesus' Lordship has the authority to administer or receive the elements. Communion may be observed as frequently as an individual is led, acting as an outward extension of a life lived in continuous internal fellowship. Before partaking, believers are strongly encouraged to reflect prayerfully and make a genuine effort to reconcile conflicts with others; once resolved or released to the Lord, they can joyfully celebrate their union with Him.

We believe in a dual reality of Christ’s presence. He is actively present within us, and revealed through us now by the Holy Spirit, yet He will also literally and visibly return at the climax of history. When He returns, we will rise to meet Him, not to escape the earth or tribulation, but to usher Him down to establish the New Jerusalem and the New Earth. Because our calling is to occupy and stand firm, we believe some eschatological doctrine can leave believers unequipped for hardship and vulnerable to falling away by promoting an escapist mindset rather than divine preservation and endurance.