Our Shared Beliefs

Every family is unique.

Nothing on the planet has more redemptive potential than a church that’s tuned in to their unique, God-given identity and mission.

As we increasingly live lives worthy of the name God gave us, we envision a community of faith through whom: the Gospel is proclaimed, the lost come home, believers mature, God-given abilities are deployed, resources are well-stewarded, relationships are reconciled, strangers become friends, the poor find compassion, ugly church politics find no foothold, singles aren’t alone, families are strengthened, young people are trained in the way they should go, hope is restored and God is glorified.

While we hold some things in common with other churches, we embrace values and practices that contribute to our unique family identity. Here’s a sampling…

Word of God

We are a church that believes in the Bible, studies the Bible, preaches and teaches the Bible, and seeks to obey the Bible. The Bible is central to all that we are and do. In it God speaks to us today concerning every area of life and thought. In a day when biblical authority is undermined or neglected in many churches, we seek to be faithful to the Word of God.

We place our trust and faith in Christ alone: in his person, work, and Word. The Bible and it alone, as the Word of Christ, is our final standard for all that we believe and do. It is inspired of God and therefore the absolute authority as truth; inerrant and infallible in all matters, including history and science. The whole counsel of God in Scripture is our standard in every area of life and thought.

We affirm that the Bible is the written Word of God:

We confess that this Word of God was not sent nor delivered by the will of men, but that holy men of God spoke, being moved by the Holy Spirit, as Peter says. Afterwards our God - because of the special care he has for us and our salvation - commanded his servants, the prophets and apostles, to commit this revealed Word to writing. He himself wrote with his own finger the two tables of the law. Therefore we call such writings holy and divine Scriptures. (Belgic Confession, Article 3)

Creeds and Confessions

We are passionate about being Reformed in a church culture that is often focused on pleasing man. The glory of God is our chief aim (See Westminster Catechism Q&A 1).

The Bible exhorts us to promote the unity of the church through common beliefs: “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:1–6). It also calls us to have a unity of heart and mind; “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.” (Philippians 2:1–3).

Faith is a personal act that has as its content a body of objective truths which we confess in unity with other Christians. The New Testament speaks of “the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3; cf. Acts 6:7, 14:22; Galatians 1:23). Biblical faith is intelligible and can be theologically articulated in creed, catechism, and confession.

As a church we ascribe to the historic creeds and confessions of the Reformed tradition: 
The Apostles’ Creed, The Nicene Creed, The Athanasian Creed, The Belgic Confession, The Heidelberg Catechism, The Canons of Dort.

Distinctive Convictions

You can find out more about what we believe in the Distinctive Convictions section (found under the Distinctive Convictions tab) regarding: baptism, church discipline, marriage and remarriage, and men and women.

Additional Statements

Though not official statements for our church (nor of the Reformed Church in America), the theology in The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, Danvers Statement and The Gospel Coalition’s Confessional Statement is shared by Elders and shapes their philosophy of ministry.