Statement of Faith

We believe:
1. That God is one, without beginning and without end, unchangeable, all knowing, righteous and gracious. He is true, perfect in holiness, full of love.

2. That God is one and yet eternally a triune God, namely God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Son and the Holy Spirit are of the same being and nature as the Father and are equal with him in glory and majesty.

3. That God the Father created, preserves and governs all things, visible and invisible.

4. That God the Son became man, was born of the Virgin Mary, conceived by the Holy Spirit, and is called the Lord Jesus Christ. He is true God and at the same time true man. He suffered and died on the cross in order to deliver us from our sins and from the rule of the devil. His death was the perfect substitutionary sacrifice which effects our reconciliation to God. He was buried and rose again bodily the third day, and ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. He intercedes for his people in Heaven. He rules over all things until he comes again to this earth to judge the living and the dead. He alone is the Head of the Church which is his body.

5. That God the Holy Spirit works effectively in people to bring conviction of sin, the new birth, and growth in holiness. He works in the Church to preserve it in faith and holiness through the Word of God and to equip its members for their varied ministries.

6. That Holy Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, is truly the Word of God given by divine inspiration and fully expresses divine authority in all matters of faith and conduct. Holy Scripture is completely sufficient to reveal God's nature and will and to teach what people must believe in order to receive eternal life.

7. That human beings are created in the image of God but, as a result of the sin of Adam, hu-mankind is by nature sinful and at enmity with God. This sinful nature is expressed in sinful actions for which all are guilty before God.

8. That no one can gain salvation from sin by means of good works or by their own power, but only by the grace of God and through the redemption of Jesus Christ. People obtain this redemption and the forgiveness of sins by faith in Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit.

9. That Jesus Christ will return in person to judge the living and the dead. The dead will be raised either to life or to condemnation and the blessedness of the righteous and the punish-ment of the unrighteous will be eternal.

10. That the Church, the People of God and the Body of Christ, consists of all who are called, redeemed sanctified and preserved by God through the Holy Spirit. Thus the Church is uni-versal, comprising people of all nations who belong to our Lord Jesus Christ.

11. That the local Church is called to manifest the marks of the true Church. These are the faithful preaching of the Gospel, the proper administration of the two ordinances which the Lord Jesus commanded (see No. 12) and the appropriate exercise and maintenance of church dis-cipline.

12. That there are two ordinances commanded by the Lord Jesus, namely, Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as a symbol of our faith in a crucified, buried and risen Saviour. The Lord's Supper is a focal point in the life and worship of the Church and consequently we celebrate this weekly and welcome to it all Christians who are sound in faith and godly in life.

13. That the biblical form of government for the local church is that of elders who are called and equipped by the Holy Spirit for this task. As such the local church is independent of external control, though in no way independent of the fellowship of other Christians and churches. Elders must govern as those who will give account to God. Each elder is a "pastor" (i.e. a shepherd) of God's flock. However the elders, in consultation with the church, may appoint people to devote themselves full time to pastoral work.

14. That the principle of the priesthood of all believers is biblical and excludes any division of the Church into clergy and laity. The call to ministry within the Body of Christ is given to all members each of whom is gifted by the Holy Spirit to carry out his or her appropriate func-tion.

15. That the Church is bound by the great commission of our Lord Jesus Christ to go into all the world and make disciples. As a consequence every Christian is called to be a witness for Jesus Christ.