We love people unconditionally, center our lives around God’s uncompromising truth, and unify with one mission: to make disciples & multiply churches.

Creation and origin

All creation, including the unseen, is a result of the intelligent design of the One eternal God. His design is a result of His creative nature and all creation is thus an expression of His heart and a tool for finding a closer relationship with Him. He is made known to the hearts of mankind by observing their own uniqueness and that of the creation around them. Because Creation is the special design of a Living God, it gives purpose and meaning to all of His creation and imputes it with sacred dignity. The present fallen condition of Creation is the result of mankind’s desire to control it rather than submitting to the rule of Him who created it.

The Scriptures

The Bible was written by men divinely inspired and empowered by the Holy Spirit. It is God's revelation of Himself to man. Having been tested through millennia of history, it remains established and unchanged. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. Despite pen in the hand of man, all Scripture has God for its author and thus it is truth, without any mixture of error. It reveals the principles by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried.

God

There is one and only one living and true God. He is eternal and existing outside of time, but He is also actively involved within all areas of His creation. Though God is called Spirit and therefore without gender, God is expressed in Scripture as “He”. He, the One God, reveals and expresses Himself to us as Father, Son, and Spirit. Each of these three expressions has distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.

The understanding of God is beyond explanation, but that does not restrict Him from being considered and studied. We use the term Trinity in order to convey the way He has expressed Himself, but not in attempt to define God. That God is beyond clear definition is no reason for disbelief, nor is there any reason to discredit His existence and power. He is One God, expressed in three. Our claim is that He is knowable, not definable.

God the Father

God the Father is eternal and exists apart from Creation. He is not the possessor of the Spirit nor the progenitor of the Son, but is equal with them as One God with One nature. He reigns with providential care over His creation and the flow of human history according to the purposes of His grace. God is Father to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. The essence of God as Father is distinct, but God the Father is also equal and without the absence of Son and Spirit.

God the Son

God the Son is eternal and not a creation or descendant of God but is God Himself. In His purpose of redeeming mankind, God the Son entered creation as a man. Honoring the will of God the Father, God the Son was conceived of the Spirit of God and born of the virgin Mary. He was given the name Jesus because He would provide salvation for His people. He is called Messiah/Christ because He is King of His people and all of creation. He was without sin and, in His substitutionary death on the cross, He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. Three days later, He rose from death, conquering the grave. Several days later He ascended again to Heaven where He reigns supreme. His victory gives the hope of resurrection to those who have put their faith in Him. He will return, according to His Word, to establish His Kingdom on Earth and restore all creation to His perfect design. The essence of God as Son is distinct, but God the Son is also equal and without the absence of Father and Spirit.

God the Holy Spirit

God the Spirit is eternal and not an emotion or feeling of God, but God Himself. The Holy Spirit is a person of God. He exalts Christ. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. He indwells and seals believers for their eternal security and guidance in life. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service. The essence of God as Spirit is distinct, but God the Spirit is also equal and without the absence of Father and Son.

Man

Man is the special creation of God. He created man in His own image - giving man attributes that reflect some of the attributes of God. He empowered man with authority to rule the Earth. God created two genders (male and female) and thus both are inherently sacred and have divine purpose and dignity. Adam, the first created man, from whom we all descend, made the willful decision (together with his wife Eve) to oppose God’s rule and as a result he brought sin into the human race and all Earthly creation. Despite the fallen condition of man, God defines mankind as sacred because they remain created in His image. The sacredness of man is also evident in that Christ died for the sins of the whole world; therefore every person of every race possesses dignity and is worthy of respect and love.

Salvation

Salvation is a complete act of God to save, by His grace alone. It invites and requires a response of faith from those who, by the convicting work of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, recognize their sinful condition. It is offered freely to all who repent and put their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. It is Christ alone who, by His own blood, through His death burial and resurrection, obtained eternal redemption for those who trust in Him.

Because salvation is entirely the work of God to transform the believer into a “new creation”, the result is that all true believers endure to the end. Those who have put their faith in Him have been Adopted into His family. He has graciously adopted them and sealed them with His Spirit and they will never fall away from His grace. Though they may stumble and struggle at times, they remain His children, and are being sanctified by the work of the Spirit of God to transform them into the image of the Son of God.

The Church

The Church is the unity of believers (both global in a general sense, and local in a specific gathering) who are working to reflect Gods Kingdom and authority on Earth, as it is in Heaven. All believers are entrusted by Jesus to make disciples, and also to affirm and shape each others lives through committed accountable relationship as part of the local gathering of believers. There are also offices (such as pastor/elder, deacon) given further responsibility within the local gathering; to serve, shepherd and equip believers according to God’s Word in Scripture.

Baptism & the Lord's Supper

Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water. It is an act of obedience, symbolizing the believer's faith in Christ and their personal association with Him in His crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. It is only an act of association and not an act of salvation. Based on their prior confession of faith, baptism publicly symbolizes the believer's death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus.

The Lord's Supper [called the “Upper Room” here at SRCC and observed as a condensed Passover Seder] is a symbolic act of obedience whereby believers memorialize the final Passover meal that Christ observed with His disciples where He proclaimed a New Covenant of salvation with God and Man. He sealed that covenant the following day with His own blood on the Cross. Athough inaugurated to memorialize the Exodus from Egypt, the Passover’s full meaning was completed in Christ, and each element displays Him.

Evangelism & Missions

It is the duty and privilege of every follower of Christ to make disciples - at home and among the people of all nations. It is the passion and responsibility of all believers to consistently seek opportunities to share the Gospel of Christ daily, in both language and behavior.

Last Things

God, in His own time, according to the promises in His Word, will bring the world to its finale. Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly to establish His eternal Kingdom. The dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. Both Heaven and Hell are literal and prepared by God for those who either belong to Him by faith, or refuse His kingdom and grace.

Family

God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, by blood, or by adoption. The family, unified by a marriage covenant, is a visual expression of God as Father Son and Spirit and is therefore very sacred in it’s design.

Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment, with God, for a lifetime. Since both are created in God's image, the husband and wife are of equal worth but are unique in purpose within the marriage. Children, (life originating at the moment of conception), are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. Parents are to demonstrate God's love to their children through their marriage, and are responsible to God for discipling them.