Commitment to Christ's Leadership
We acknowledge that Christ is the head of the church and that He has appointed elders to shepherd each local church and oversee its ministry leaders and their development.
What we believe
What we believe about God deeply affects how we live.
At Grace, we are convinced that truth matters. Our beliefs are rooted in the Holy Scriptures and centered on the person and work of Jesus Christ.
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”A. W. Tozer
Summary of our beliefs
The essentials we affirm together.
- We believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, that it is the final authority for faith and life.
- We believe in the Trinity, that God eternally exists in three equal but distinct persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
- We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, that He was born of a virgin, died on the cross as a substitutionary payment for the sins of all mankind, was physically resurrected from the dead, and ascended into Heaven where He is exalted at God’s right hand.
- We believe that salvation is the free gift of God brought to man by grace, and received by personal trust alone in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone.
- We believe that once a person is saved, he or she is kept secure forever by God’s power.
- We believe in the future, physical, visible, personal, and glorious return of Jesus Christ.
- We believe that it is the privilege of believers to seek to proclaim the Gospel to all mankind, both at home and abroad.
Statement of faith
A fuller statement of doctrine.
Open any section below to read the church’s doctrinal statement and supporting Scripture references.
Holy Scriptures
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, in the original languages, to be the verbal, plenary, inspired Word of God, the final authority for faith and life, inerrant, infallible, and God-breathed.
Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27,44; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21
The Godhead (Trinity)
We believe in one True God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections.
Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 3:16-17; 28:19; John 1:14; Acts 5:3-4; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2
The Person and Work of Christ
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men.
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as the vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice by means of His shed blood on the cross; and that our justification is made sure by His literal physical resurrection from the dead.
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate.
Luke 1:35; John 1:1-2, 14, 18; 3:16-18; Acts 1:9-11; 4:10-12; Romans 4:25; 8:34; Philippians 2:5-8; 1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 1:1-3; 7:25; 9:24; 10:12; 1 John 2:1-2
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Person who ministers to mankind in these ways:
The unbeliever is convicted of the sin of unbelief, of righteousness, and of judgment.
At the moment of salvation, the unbeliever is permanently regenerated, baptized by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ, indwelt and sealed unto the day of redemption.
He is the Divine Teacher who guides all believers into all truth.
The believer is commanded to be filled with the Spirit, but the Spirit is grieved or quenched by sin in the life. Control (filling) by the Holy Spirit is restored by confession of sin; the result is the fruit of the Spirit.
Spiritual gifts are bestowed by the Holy Spirit on every believer.
John 3:3-7; 14:26; 16:8-13; Romans 8:9; 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 2:13-14; 6:19; 11:31; 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 1:13; 4:30; 5:18; Galatians 5:22-23; 1 Thessalonians 5:19; 1 John 1:9; 2:20, 27
Humanity
We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but in Adam’s sin mankind fell, inherited a sinful nature, and became alienated from God; and man is totally depraved, and of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition.
Genesis 1:26-27; Psalm 14; Romans 1:18-32; 2:14-16; 3:9-19, 22-23; 5:12; Ephesians 2:1-3, 12
Salvation
We believe that salvation is the free gift of God brought to man by grace and received by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins.
We believe that all believers are kept secure forever, that is, that the believer’s salvation cannot be lost under any condition.
John 1:12; 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Romans 6:23; 8:1-2, 38-39; 1 Corinthians 1:4-8; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-10; 1 Peter 1:5, 18-19; 1 John 5:10-11
The Eternal State
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all mankind, the saved to eternal life and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment.
We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious state they await the first resurrection, when soul and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord.
We believe that those who deny Christ remain dead in their sin and are under God’s perfect wrath, resulting in eternal suffering apart from God forever.
Matthew 25:41-46; Luke 16:19-26; 23:43; John 5:28-29; 11:25-26; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; 3:21; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9; Revelation 20:4-6, 11-15
The Church
We believe that the Universal Church is the spiritual body composed of all born-again persons and that it is the body and espoused bride of Christ. The Universal Church began on the day of Pentecost and is formed by the present ministry of the Spirit in baptizing all members into one body.
We believe that the establishment and continuance of local assemblies is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures and is made up of born-again persons.
We believe membership in a local assembly has no part in salvation.
John 1:12; 3:16; Acts 2; 2:42; 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:25-27; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11
Ordinances
We believe that water baptism and the Lord’s Supper are the only ordinances of the Church and that they are a Scriptural means of testimony for the Church in this age. We believe the Lord Jesus Christ instituted for the Church the ordinance of baptism and served the first Lord’s Supper.
Matthew 28:19; Luke 22:19-20; Acts 8:36-38; 10:47-48; 16:30-34; 18:8; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
The Consummation of All Things
The consummation of all things includes the future, physical, visible, personal and glorious return of Jesus Christ to rule and to reign on the earth, the resurrection of the dead and the translation of those alive in Christ, the judgment of the just and the unjust, and the fulfillment of Christ’s kingdom in the new heavens and the new earth.
In the consummation, Satan with his hosts and all those outside Christ are finally separated from the benevolent presence of God, enduring eternal punishment, but the righteous, in glorious bodies, shall live and reign with Him forever, serving Him and giving Him unending praise and glory.
Then shall the eager expectation of creation be fulfilled, and the whole earth shall proclaim the glory of God Who makes all things new.
John 6:37-40; Romans 8:1; 9:22-24; Acts 1:11; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:15; 2 Timothy 4:1; Titus 2:13; Matthew 16:27; Mark 14:62; John 14:3; 1 Corinthians 4:5; 15; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; Revelation 13:8; 20:4-6; 20:11-15; 21:1-8
Our core values
Convictions expressed through ministry.
Commitment to Accurate Bible Teaching
We strive to teach the Bible — God's inerrant Word — with love, accuracy, creativity, and integrity. Such teaching gives people the opportunity to know the one true God as they study and apply God's truth to their lives.
Commitment to Authentic Worship
We believe that a lifestyle of worship includes participation in a regular God-centered corporate worship service. These worship services stress authenticity before God and vulnerability with one another. We also believe that Christ desires that all believers regularly participate in communion. We believe that personal and corporate prayer is essential in all aspects of life and ministry. Prayer is the cornerstone for direction and guidance and empowerment for ministry.
Commitment to Family
We value the importance of the God-ordained family. We seek to minister to the whole family and its individual members. We define a family as a single, single parent, or married couples with or without children.
Commitment to Spiritual Community
We desire to offer a safe place where deep, authentic, life-changing relationships can flourish. We desire that our church community grow toward friendship, love, accountability, and greater diversity.
Commitment to Personal Growth
We are convinced that each believer is personally responsible to grow in Christ-likeness by the power of the Holy Spirit through a grace-oriented approach to the spiritual disciplines.
Commitment to Service
We believe that God has uniquely gifted each believer in the local church to serve. We desire to invest in individuals to help them discover, cultivate, and employ their gifts, talents, and resources to be used by God.
Commitment to Relevant Evangelism
We believe that it is the responsibility of individuals and the local church to reach the world with the unchanging gospel message in a loving, culturally relevant manner. We actively seek diverse opportunities to minister to all people in our neighborhood and throughout the area of the Kinzua Valley. We also reach out through the prayerful and financial support of missionaries throughout the world.
Commitment to Ministry Excellence
We endeavor to glorify God by giving Him our very best. We reflect this desire by striving for Christ-dependent excellence in every ministry area of the church.
Guiding principles
Prayer. Worship. Teaching. Service. Community. Evangelism.
Prayer
We strive for every believer to saturate their lives with prayer by praying in both personal and corporate settings. Prayer is the cornerstone for direction and empowerment in ministry.
Worship
We strive for every believer to participate in personal and corporate worship. Our worship is to be God-focused and God-centered.
Teaching
We strive for every believer to be taught from the Scripture in order to grow in their relationship with God. Teaching is also the primary means of passing “the faith” (sound doctrine) on to succeeding generations. Spiritual growth can only occur through obedience to the Word of God and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.
Service
We strive for every believer to serve the body of Christ. The way in which each individual serves should primarily correspond with the way in which God has divinely designed them.
Community
We strive for every believer to experience community within the context of a smaller group of people within the larger body. These groups build community through caring for each other, growing together, and reaching out beyond the borders of their group.
Evangelism
We strive for every believer to seek to share the good news of Jesus Christ with the world around them. This compassion for the lost translates into personal and corporate outreach.
Questions?
A statement of faith cannot answer every question.
If you would like to understand why we believe these things or speak with someone about Scripture, salvation, baptism, membership, or Christian faith, we would be glad to talk with you.
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