We believe that the Bible teaches that there is one God made up of three distinct and eternal persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. All three persons are equally God and equally unique.
The Holy Spirit is active in our world, pointing people to the person and work of Jesus. He calls people to faith in Jesus, brings them new life, and then indwells them and seals them for God. The Spirit will give those who believe in Jesus special spiritual gifts as he sees fit to equip the church to follow Jesus with the mission of the gospel – and that he can and will give the same gifts today as he did in the early church as he sees fit.
In this process, the Spirit is making a new community of people we call the church. While we often think of “a church” as a building, the Bible speaks of the church as the people of God (the Greek word for church literally means “the called-out people”). The Bible also calls the church the new temple and the bride of Christ. The Bible presents the church as both local (and it is essential to be part of a local church) and universal (made up of all believers of all time).
The Bible says the church should be led by qualified pastors (also called elders) who lead under the authority of Jesus, the true senior pastor of the church. The churches should live on the mission of the gospel and gather for prayer, worship, teaching, and community. The church gathers as well to celebrate the sacraments of baptism of new believers and the Lord’s Supper (also known as communion).
The local church has been entrusted with the message of the gospel. As a result, the church is called to share the gospel with those who are far from God so they too can believe and be restored to life with God. The church is also commissioned to continually call itself to the reality and power of the gospel, so that each person is encouraged to walk in a closer and more transforming relationship with God.