WHAT WE BELIEVE
"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us."
- A.W. Tozer
OUR VISION
Love God. Love People. Follow Jesus
OUR MISSION
at redeemer’s church: we teach the bible, we apply the bible, and we give grace.
OUR CORE VALUES
TRUTH
We firmly believe the Bible is far more than simply a source of truth, it is Truth itself. Truth, in pursuit of humankind, became man, who walked among us, and taught us principles upon which we could build our lives. The Bible is not just a collection of teachings for the times in which it was written; it is relevant today, guiding us through the social and relational issues we face every day. The message of Truth is eternal, it has not changed, it needs nothing added to it, and it withstands the test of time. (Psalm 119:160; John 8:31-32; John 14:6; 2 Tim. 3:16)
COMMUNITY
God, rich in grace and mercy, has woven us into a family. We find acceptance and belonging within the embrace of community. We will find that we have something to offer back. We learn to lean on others when we are weak. We learn to care when another’s strength wanes. We learn to weep with the broken-hearted and to celebrate others’ victories. In community we practice the art and discipline of servanthood, placing a higher value on the lives of others than upon our own. We say “Together is Better”. (Psalm 133:1-3; Romans 12:4-5; Matt. 18:20)
WORSHIP
One of the greatest gifts humankind has ever experienced is the access to worship the living God. Our worship is more than singing songs and hymns or giving of tithes and offerings. We believe worship is a life that is lived in obedience, service, and devotion to God. (John 4:24; Psalm 105:1; Romans 12:1)
MISSIONAL LIVING
We believe there is a mission in the midst of the madness; that we are called to be salt, a seasoning that influences our surroundings. We are to reflect God’s light into a culture that is in the darkness. We are to bind the wounds of the broken-hearted, to feed the hungry, and to clothe the naked. (Mark 16:15; Isaiah 6:8; John 20:21)
GENEROSITY
We believe generosity is a joyful response to God’s abundant grace toward us. Everything we have is a gift from Him, and we are called to steward those gifts with open hands. Through generosity, we reflect the heart of Christ—meeting needs, caring for the vulnerable, and investing in the work of God’s kingdom. Our generosity extends beyond finances to include our time, talents, and compassion, as we seek to love others as Christ has loved us. (2 Corinthians 9:6–7; Acts 20:35; Proverbs 11:24–25)
OUR BELIEFS
There is an old statement repeated by Christians to emphasize the importance of standing on truth while holding fast to unity. It goes like this:
“In essentials, unity.
In non-essentials, liberty.
In all things, love.”
The idea bound up in these few words is that there exist essential teachings within Scripture that the Church must be united on if we are to fulfill our mission and experience the life of God, in the family of God.
Additionally, the Church has divided over the years, time and time again, over smaller disputes. We believe this goes against what Christ prayed for the Church in John 17:21, "That all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me." The essentials are the anchors that hold us. The non-essentials are vital and important but, the most loving, dignifying way to hold these teachings in the Church is by liberty.
Finally, in everything, we are a body bound together by love. Right belief, expressed pridefully, is not love. Wrong belief, permitted freely, is also not love. Right belief, championed by love, is what Jesus embodied. We, the Body of Christ, should be a living expression of the same.
The following are the essential beliefs of Redeemer's Church based on the foundational truths taught in the Bible. All of our teaching and ministry is rooted in and flows out of these biblical doctrines.
God
There is one eternally existing God who has three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God the Father is the Creator of all that exists, both visible and invisible, and is worthy of all glory and praise. God is perfect in love, power, holiness, goodness, knowledge, wisdom, justice, and mercy. He is unchangeable and therefore is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
(Gen 1:1, 26-27, 3:22; Ps 90:2; Mt 28:19; 1 Pt 1:2; II Cor 13:14).
JESUS
Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the visible image of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless human life, and offered himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on the cross. He rose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven and will return again someday to claim His own and usher in the fullness of God’s Kingdom.
(Mt 1:22, 23; Is 9:6; Jn 1:1-5; 14:10-30; Heb 4:14, 15; 1 Cor 15:3,4; Rom 1:3,4; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Tim 6:14-15; Tit 2:13).
THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ and lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right.
(2 Cor 3:17; Jn 16:7-13; 14:16, 17; Acts 1:8; 1 Cor 2:12; 3:16; Eph 1:13; Gal 5:25; Eph 5:18).
THE BIBLE
The Bible is God’s Word to us. He gave it to mankind using human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Bible is truth and the foundation of all we believe. It reveals God, His plan, and how we, as Christians, should live. Because God inspires it, it is the truth without any mixture or error.
(2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet 1:20-21; 2 Tim 1:13; Ps 119:105, 160; 12:6; Pro 30:5).
MANKIND
Humans, both male and female, were created in God's image for His glory . The first humans, Adam and Eve, were created without sin and appointed as caretakers of the rest of God's creation. When Adam and Eve chose not to obey God, they ceased to be what they were made to be and became distorted imagebearers of God. This caused them to fall out of fellowship with God, and fractured all of creation ever since that time. This fracture and separation from God results in eternal death.
(Genesis 1:26-28, Genesis 2:7-25, Psalms 8:4-6, Genesis 3, Romans 5:12, Ephesians 2:1-3)
Salvation
Jesus Christ came to reconcile us with God. He lived a life without sin and willingly died on the cross to pay the penalty for our transgressions. God raised Him from the dead and now, by grace, offers as a free gift eternal life to all who follow Christ as their Lord and Savior. We believe that a person is saved by grace through faith, and that there is nothing one can do to save themselves. A Christian is a person who has accepted Jesus Christ as Lord of their life and is faithfully trying to do all that he asks and commands. Lordship issues include: belief, repentance, confession, baptism, and holy living (discipleship).
(Acts 2:38, 4:12; Rom 10:9, 12:1-2; Phil 2:11; 1 Jn 1:19; Eph 2:8-10).
The Church
The Church is meant to be the visible body of Christ of which He is the Head. It is made up of all Christians, sent into the world to glorify God and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are united by the Holy Spirit. We recognize two ordinances initiated by Jesus, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the Gospel. Though not the means of salvation, these ordinances confirm and nourish the believer, and the Church as a whole, and act as a witness to the world.
(Romans 12:4-5, 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 12:12-27, Galatians 3:28, Ephesians 5:25-32, Colossians 1:18, 1 Peter 2:9, 5:2, James 1:27)