Everything begins and ends with love. God created the world and sent Jesus because He is love. Jesus stated that the most important thing in a person’s life is to love God and to love one’s neighbor. We want to show God’s love to all people. We believe that every Christian and each local congregation should be characterized by their love for one another and for the people they encounter.
We believe that baptism follows sincere faith and repentance. The one who is baptized does so in order to receive or declare Jesus as Lord in their life and is thus baptized into Jesus’ death and resurrection. This is symbolized by being immersed in water and raised up to live a new life as a disciple of Jesus.
Justification means that God declares us righteous, which is made possible because Jesus died and rose again for us. He took upon Himself the punishment for our sins, and our debt of sin before God is therefore paid. We believe that all who believe in and receive Jesus Christ as Lord in their lives are justified through His death and resurrection. The only thing we must do to be justified is to receive what was fully accomplished on the cross.
Sanctification is the process by which we gradually grow in righteousness, thanks to the work of the Holy Spirit within us. This happens as we continually surrender more of our lives to Jesus, and through this, the Spirit helps us live a life that honors God, so that our character and way of life are increasingly transformed to resemble Jesus Christ.
We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and became human for our sake. He died for our sins and rose again to offer all people the opportunity for fellowship with God. This is given by grace and received through faith.
We believe that all of God’s children have received the Holy Spirit and can therefore experience the fullness of the Spirit, which equips us for life and service. This entails a life marked by the fruits and spiritual gifts described in the New Testament.
We believe that the Bible is the infallible Word of God. It was written by people inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Bible is our highest authority in matters of faith, doctrine, ethics, and morality.
The main mission of all Christians is to fulfill the Great Commission by making Jesus known, believed, loved, and followed among people who do not yet believe.
We believe that the Kingdom of God has come through the presence of the Holy Spirit in all believers, so that God’s good plan and will for people can be experienced already now. Just as Jesus brought restoration, life, and healing to people, we communicate the same possibilities and pray in Jesus’ name for healing in all areas of life. At the same time, the Kingdom of God is not yet fully visible in the world. This will happen when Jesus returns.
The Church is the body of Jesus Christ in the world. It is to be a community marked by love that teaches and equips God’s children to follow Jesus Christ. All who confess Jesus as Lord are part of the universal Church. We believe that all Christians also belong in a local congregation.
Jesus instituted Communion as a regular celebration of fellowship with Him and with one another. In Communion, we remember that Jesus died for our sins. Communion is open to all who believe in Jesus Christ and who desire to live in fellowship with Him.
We believe that Jesus Christ will return to gather His own and then establish the perfected Kingdom of God. We seek to convey the hope of bodily resurrection and eternal life. We believe the Bible’s teaching on two final destinies: eternal life with God and eternal separation from God. The Bible is clear that salvation comes through Jesus Christ. Because of Jesus’ saving work, no one needs to be lost.
We believe that God instituted marriage between a man and a woman at creation as the natural framework for cohabitation.
We believe that God created heaven and earth, all that is visible and invisible. Everything in creation is intended to be good and beautiful. We believe that the earth and humanity were created around 6,000 years ago. Humanity is created in God's image and possesses an inviolable value from conception to natural death. Humanity is tasked with protecting and preserving God’s creation.
We believe that the Jewish people are God's chosen people to bring salvation to the world through Jesus Christ. Their hardening allowed salvation to come to all other nations. The world will again be blessed through the Jewish people when they, at Jesus’ return, come to full inclusion. God loves Israel despite their unfaithfulness, hardened hearts, and the crucifixion. Therefore, we too love the Jewish people.
Note: This content is largely drawn from the foundational document of the Pentecostal Church, but has been adapted to reflect our specific focus areas.