Who We Are
Faith Center was formed in 2004 to change people’s lives for the glory of God! We believe this is done by discovering a deeper personal relationship with our heavenly Father through rich, biblically-based teaching, by understanding that everyone is a minister for the sake of the Gospel, and to activate and release people into their particular ministry here on earth, no matter the season of life that you currently find yourself. One word of caution: Don’t get caught up on the term “ministry.”
Let us explain:
The majority of ministers do not stand on a stage or behind a pulpit. Most ministry that people do takes place outside of Sunday morning or Wednesday night by serving others in the body through what we call Dream Team and by living out our faith in Jesus through practical acts of service, human kindness and biblical living that pleases God while we’re in our homes, with our friends or in the workplace.
How amazing is that? We all have a part!
Recently we’ve entered into a deeper understanding of God’s idea of family, which is why we so deeply love the local church, now more than ever. We’re convinced that she’s not only God’s personal design as a training center for ministry, but she’s the only model for lasting, loving, honoring, God-glorifying human relationships.
We no longer view God’s Word as a job description for how to be a good factory worker; rather, we view it as a letter from the best Father in the universe explaining our family heritage to us as people who love fearlessly and lead faithfully in a fallen world.
In short, we’re convinced that God’s Church is still His plan A for carrying out the mission of His Son Jesus here on earth, not the least of which is to give Him a forever family!
What We Believe About You
You’re not a mistake! We believe that you and I are on this planet for a reason. We believe that each and every person who receives Jesus Christ as their Savior is then empowered to live out the life God dreamed for them!
We also believe that God’s dream for you outshines anything you could think up for yourself. How cool is that?
God is not looking to enslave you to something that’s dull and boring, He wants to help you be uniquely you as Christ lives through you! He not only loves you enough to save you from eternal separation (hell) from Him, He really likes you just the way you are. He’s created you so He already knows everything (yes, everything!) about you and He wants you to get to know Him more.
What We Believe Our Mission is as a Church Family
Faith Center exists to awaken people to a life-giving relationship with Jesus Christ , equip them to fulfill their God-given purpose of living a great commitment to the Great Commandment and Great Commission.
What We Believe About God and His Word
The Holy Bible, and only the Bible, is the authoritative Word of God. It alone is the final authority in determining all doctrinal truths. In its original writing, it is inspired, infallible and inerrant.
(2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Proverbs 30:5; Romans 16:25-26)
There is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and co-eternal.
(1 John 5:7; Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6; Hebrews 3:7-11)
Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity. On earth, Jesus was 100% God and 100% man. He is the only man ever to have lived a sinless life. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed miracles, died on the cross for mankind, and thus atoned for our sins through the shedding of His blood. He rose from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will return again in power and glory.
(John 1:1, 14, 20:28; 1 Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 2:5-6; 1 Timothy 2:5)
Jesus Christ was conceived by God the Father, through the Holy Spirit (the third person of the Trinity) in the virgin Mary’s womb. Therefore, He is the Son of God.
(Matthew 1:18, 23-25; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:27-35)
Man was created good and upright, but by voluntary transgression, he fell. His only hope of redemption is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
(Genesis 1:26-31, 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-21)
We are saved by grace through faith, by believing in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Salvation is a gift from God, not a result of our good works or of any human efforts.
(Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 2:16, 3:8; Titus 3:5; Romans 10:9-10; Acts 16:31; Hebrews 9:22)
Repentance is the commitment to change the way we think, and to turn away from sin in every area of our lives and to follow Christ. Through repentance, we receive forgiveness of sins and the opportunity to transform our lives by renewing our minds.
(Acts 2:21, 3:19; Romans 12:1-2, 1 John 1:9)
Sanctification is the ongoing process of yielding to God’s Word and His Spirit in order to complete the development of Christ’s character in us. It is through the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God that the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.
(1 Thessalonians 4:3, 5:23; 2 Corinthians 3:18, 6:14-18; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3; Romans 8:29, 12:1-2; Hebrews 2:11)
We believe marriage is defined in the Bible as a covenant between one man and one woman instituted by and publicly entered into before God (“Biblical Definition of Marriage”).
Because of the longstanding importance of the Biblical Definition of Marriage to humans and their relationships and communities, and, most importantly, the fact that God has ordained that marriage be between one man and one woman, as clearly conveyed in God’s inerrant Scriptures, including for example in Matthew 19:4-6 where in speaking about marriage Jesus referred to the fact that “He which made them at the beginning made them male and female,” the Church hereby created this policy, which shall be know as the “Marriage Policy,” Under this Church’s Marriage Policy, the Biblical Definition of Marriage is the only definition of marriage that will be recognized or accepted.
No elder, officer, employee, servant, agent, or any person, corporation, organization, or entity under the direction or control of this Church shall commit any act or omission, or make any decision whatever, that would be inconsistent with , or that could be perceived by any person to be inconsistent with, full support of this Church’s Marriage Policy and strict adherence to the Biblical Definition of Marriage rather than any alternative to the Biblical Definition of Marriage.
This Church’s Marriage Policy specifically prohibits acts or omissions including but not limited to permitting any Church assets or property, personal property, intangible property, or any property or asset of any kind that is subject to the direction or control of the Church, to be used in any manner that would be or could be perceived by any person to be inconsistent with this Church’s Marriage Policy or the Biblical Definition of Marriage, including but not limited to permitting any church facilities to be used by any person, organization, corporation, or group that would or might use such facilities to convey, intentionally or by implication, what might be perceived as a favorable impression about any definition of marriage other than the Biblical Definition of Marriage.
We believe this Church’s Marriage Policy is based upon God’s will for human life as conveyed to us through the Holy Scriptures, upon which this Church has been founded and anchored, and this Marriage Policy shall not be subject to change through popular vote; referendum; prevailing opinion of members or the general public; influence of or interpretation by any government authority, agency, or official action; or legal developments on the local, state, or federal level.
The Blood that Jesus Christ shed on the Cross of Calvary was sinless and is 100% sufficient to cleanse mankind of all sin. Jesus allowed Himself to be punished for both our sinfulness and our sins, enabling all those who believe to be free from the penalty of sin, which is death.
(1 John 1:7; Revelation 1:5, 5:9; Colossians 1:20; Romans 3:10-12, 23, 5:9; John 1:29)
Christians are people who have invited the Lord Jesus Christ to come and live inside them by His Holy Spirit. They relinquish the authority of their lives over to Him thus making Jesus the Lord of their life as well as their Savior. They put their trust in what Jesus accomplished for them when He died, was buried, and rose again from the dead.
(John 1:12; John 14:17, 23; John 15:4; Romans 8:11; Revelation 3:20)
Given at Pentecost, it is the promise of the Father, sent by Jesus after His Ascension, to empower the Church to preach the Gospel throughout the whole earth.
(Joel 2:28-29; Matthew 3:11; Mark 16:17; Acts 1:5, 2:1-4, 17, 38-39, 8:14-17, 10:38, 44-47, 11:15-17, 19:1-6)
The Holy Spirit is manifested through a variety of spiritual gifts to build and sanctify the church, demonstrate the validity of the resurrection, and confirm the power of the Gospel. The Bible’s list of these gifts are not necessarily exhaustive, and the gifts may occur in various combinations. All believers are commanded to earnestly desire the manifestation of the gifts in their lives. These gifts always operate in harmony with the Scriptures and should never be used in violation of biblical parameters.
(Hebrews 2:4; Romans 1:11,12:4-8; Ephesians 4:16; 2 Timothy 1:5-16, 4:14; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31, 14:1-40; 1 Peter 4:10)
The church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit, with divine appointments for the fulfillment of Jesus’ great commission. Every person who is born of the Spirit is an integral part of the church as a member of the body of believers. There is a spiritual unity of all believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.
(Ephesians 1:22, 2:19-22; Hebrews 12:23; John 17:11, 20-23)
Water Baptism: We believe that as we enter the waters of baptism, by faith, a very real transaction takes place in the realm of the Spirit. Baptism buries our old sinful nature, clothes us with Christ, and is the New Testament circumcision.
(Matthew 28:19; Col. 2:8-15; Col. 2:9-12; Romans 6:3-4; Gal. 3:26-27)
The Lord’s Supper: A unique time of communion in the presence of God when the elements of bread and grape juice (the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ) are taken in remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross.
(Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 16:16; Acts 8:12, 36-38; 10:47-48; 1 Corinthians 10:16, 11:23-25)
Healing of the sick is illustrated in the life and ministry of Jesus, and included in the commission of Jesus to His disciples. It is given as a sign, which is to follow believers. It is also a part of Jesus’ work on the cross and one of the gifts of the Spirit.
(Psalm 103:2-3; Isaiah 53:5; Matthew 8:16-17; Mark 16:17-18; Acts 8:6-7; James 5:14-16; 1 Corinthians 12:9, 28; Romans 11:29)
It is the Father’s will for believers to become whole, healthy and successful in all areas of life. But because of the fall, many may not receive the full benefits of God’s will while on Earth. That fact, though, should never prevent all believers from seeking the full benefits of Christ’s provision in order to better serve others.
Spiritual (John 3:3-11; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Romans 10:9-10)
Mental and Emotional (2 Timothy 1:7, 2:11; Philippians 4:7-8; Romans 12:2)
Physical (Isaiah 53:4,5; Matthew 8:17; 1 Peter 2:24)
Financial (Malachi 3:10-11; Luke 6:38; 2 Corinthians 9:6-10; Deuteronomy 28:1-14)
Social (Matthew 5:43-48; Romans 12:14-21; Proverbs 16:7; Romans 14:17-19)
Jesus Christ was physically resurrected from the dead in a glorified body three days after His death on the cross. In addition, both the saved and the lost will be resurrected; those that are saved to the resurrection of life and those that are lost to the resurrection of eternal damnation.
(Luke 24:16, 36, 39; John 2:19-21, 20:26-28, 21:4; Acts 24:15; 1 Corinthians 15:42, 44; Philippians 1:21-23, 3:21)
Heaven is the eternal dwelling place for all believers in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
(Matthew 5:3, 12, 20, 6:20, 19:21, 25:34; John 17:24; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Hebrews 11:16; 1 Peter 1:4)
After living one life on earth, the unbelievers will be judged by God and sent to Hell where they will be eternally tormented with the Devil and the fallen angels.
(Matthew 25:41; Mark 9:43-48; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 14:9-11, 20:12-15, 21:8)
Jesus Christ will physically and visibly return to earth for the second time to establish His Kingdom. This will occur at a date undisclosed by the Scriptures.
(Matthew 24:30, 26:63-64; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8; Revelation 1:7)