What We Believe
OUR MISSION:
Love God, serve others, tell the world
Jesus and the Bible are central to everything we do. We sing, pray, and preach from His Word for His Glory. We desire to love God in all our pursuits and grow in our knowledge and love for Him daily. We are a church that looks outward and finds ways to help others in need of service and salvation. Each year we take one week and serve others in our community, we call this outreach event "Real Community". We are passionate about sharing the good news of the Gospel here in Lake Mills, and everywhere around the world through various missions partners.
Core Values
We want everything we do to center around God’s Word. We believe the Bible is the inerrant and infallible Word of God and has everything we need for life and godliness. We want people to read it, understand it, grow in it, obey it, and share it with others. It reveals Jesus Christ to us and is the way God speaks to us. We want all of life and ministry here to be shaped around it. It shapes our everyday lives, our worship, our community, our service, and our mission. We preach expositionally from it on Sundays, study it weekly within our discipleship groups, and want people in it daily. (Hebrews 4:12, 2 Tim. 3:15-16, John 17:17).
The Gospel shapes, changes and informs everything we do. The Gospel is simply the “Good News” that Jesus came to this earth to save us and reconcile us with a Holy God. He came and lived a perfectly holy life, went to the cross and died as a sacrifice that atoned for our sins against God, and rose victoriously to life so that all who have faith in Him can be raised to new life, and to walk daily in the power and newness of that life. The Gospel brings us from death to life, and changes us. Because of this, we believe that growth and change should happen for every believer here in all facets of life. (2 Cor. 3:18, Rom. 12:2, Phil. 1:6, Gal. 5:22-33)
Worshipping God is something we do together on Sundays as a church body, and we value meeting together to sing, pray, sit under sound biblical teaching, witness baptism and share in the Lord’s Supper together. But it is also a lifestyle. Worship is more than Sundays, and more than just music. Worship is a lifestyle of bringing God glory in all we say and do. We can worship God by the way we give our life to Him as a living sacrifice, in continual service of Him as our Sovereign King. (1 Chronicles 16:23-29, Psalm 115:1, Romans 12:1-2, 1 Corinthians 10:31)
Our desire is to help people grow in their journey with Jesus. Jesus called disciples to himself to grow more and more like Him through obedience to His commands and teachings. While this is an individual relationship with Christ, it is also done within the context of community. Other believers can help us grow by teaching us, keeping us accountable, providing encouragement and prayer, and spiritually caring for us when we need it the most. Our dGroups serve as a great way for life together to happen and for Godly relationships to form and develop. We want everyone here to help someone else follow Jesus more faithfully, from our young people to our old…everyone can be a disciple-making disciple. (Matthew 28:16-20, 2 Timothy 2:1-2, Hebrews 3:12-14)
Worshipping together, praying together, serving together, learning together, eating together and playing together…our people love being together! Life was never intended to be lived alone, and the church is a people “called out” by God and gathered TOGETHER to Himself. We are a family of believers and deeply value life in community. We want to create environments were our people can be together in all facets of life so that relationships can deepen and God can work to use others in our growth. The whole body can function more effectively when each member does its part and is working correctly. We are much better together than we are alone, and we want to welcome towards a relationship with Christ, and His people. (Acts 2:42, Ephesians 4:11-16 Hebrews 10:24-25)
We value prayer in everything we do. Prayer is our way of communicating with God, and each believer can do that freely because of Jesus. We can approach the “Throne of Grace” confidently because Jesus Christ is our meditator between us and God. Prayer must fuel everything we do and we are to seek God first before doing anything else. That’s why it’s dependent, because we want to operate out Christ’s strength and not our own. We believe prayer changes things, changes lives, and demonstrates a true dependency on God. (Philippians 4:6-7, 1 Timothy 2:1-4, James 5:13-18)
While life in the local church body is important, it is also important to know that we are also a part of the larger body of Christ in the global Church. The Kingdom of God is much bigger than you, and our local fellowship here and we want to be a part of supporting gospel ministry all over the globe. We support church planting both locally and abroad, and desire to support ministries that expand the Kingdom of God throughout the world. God calls each of us towards living life in the kingdom, and to partake in being a kingdom builder in the world. Each believer can uniquely carry out what God desires for them to do in the world to expand and invest in the kingdom. (Matthew 6:33, Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8, 2 Corinthians 5:20)
Doctrine & Beliefs
We believe that there is one, true, holy God, eternal existing in three persons.
Father Son and Holy Spirit—each of whom possess equally all the attributes of deity and the characteristics of personality, while executing distinct, but harmonious functions. We believe that God the Father concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayers,
and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.
We believe that God the Father is the head of the Trinity. These three are co-equal and are one God.
(Genesis 1:1,26-27, 3:22; Deuteronomy 6:4; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 7:7-11, 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2, 5:7, Romans 1:18-20; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
We believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit.
We believe that Jesus is the second Person of the Trinity who was united forever with a true human nature by virgin birth. We believe in His sinless life, miracles and teachings.
We believe that He voluntarily died on the cross to be our substitute, paying the penalty for our sins, rose from the dead in the same body, though glorified, and ascended into Heaven. We believe that He is at the right hand of the Father and He is the ONLY mediator between God and man.
He will come again to earth, personally and visibly to fulfill God's eternal plan.
(Matthew 1:18-24, 20:28; Luke 1:26-38; John 1:11-14, 20:28; Acts 1:11; Romans 4:25; 1 Corinthians 15:3-5; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 1:1-4, 4:14-15, 9-28)
We believe in the personality and present ministry of the Holy Spirit. We believe that He has been sent by the Father to be the Comforter, to convict men of their sin, to testify to the world of Jesus Christ, and to empower the believer to walk a victorious Christian life. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ at the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. He gives every believer a spiritual gift when they are saved. As Christians, we seek to live under His control daily.
(John 1:1; Luke 12:12; John 3:3-6; John 14, 15-16; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:9, 16; 1 Cor. 3:16, 12:1-30; Ephesians 1:13-14, 5-18; Galatians 5:25)
We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, that they are co-equal in every divine and perfect attribute of deity, and that they have distinct but harmonious roles in the work of creation, providence and redemption.
(Genesis. 1:1,2,26; Deut. 6:4; Matt. 3:16, 28:19; John 1:1-14; 1 John 5:7; Gal. 4:4-6)
We believe that the sole basis of our belief is the Bible, composed of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments. We believe that Scripture in its entirety originated with God, and that it was given through the instrumentality of chosen men. We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without any error, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We believe it is God’s truth to man and has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
(Ex. 24:4a; Psalm 119:105,160, Proverbs 30:5; Matt. 5:18; 2 Tim 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19-21)
People are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. People are the supreme object of God’s creation. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called “sin”. This attitude separates people from God and causes many problems in life.
Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6a; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59:1, 2
We believe that the Bible is the final authority in all matters of faith and conduct. Believers that have a relationship with God are ultimately responsible to Him. Believers need to submit to the authority of leaders that God has placed over them. We are committed to the truth that believers are to live for the glory of God with the goal of being conformed to the image of Christ. We are to honor God by obeying His Word, loving and serving others, sharing the gospel with the lost, and being faithful with our resources.
(Matt 25:21; John 13:34-35, 14; Rom 10:14-15, 12:1-2; 1 Cor. 4:2; Eph 4:13)
We believe that since Adam and Eve sinned, all people are sinners both by nature and by choice. Human sinfulness separates people from Holy God. Salvation is God’s free gift to us but we must accept it. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin’s penalty. When we turn from our self-ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith. Jesus paid the penalty for all human sin by his suffering on the cross and offers forgiveness and eternal life to those who trust in Him as their personal Savior and Lord.
(John 1:12-13; John 3:3, 16, 17; Acts 20:21; Romans 6:23; Ephesian 2:1-9; Titus 3:5)
Because God gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ, the true believer is secure in that salvation for eternity. If you have been genuinely saved, you cannot “lose” it. Salvation is maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives us this security.
John 10:29; 2 Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:25, 10:10, 14; 1 Peter 1:3-5
People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence.
(John 3:16; 14:17; Romans 6:23; Romans 8:17-18; Revelation 20:15; 1 Cor. 2:7-9)
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion (wherein a person is completely lowered under the water) of a believer into water in the name of the Triune God, symbolizing the believer’s union with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. We believe that “The Lord’s Supper” was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death and spiritual self-examination of His people. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
(Matt 26:26-28, 28:18-20; Mark 1:8-11; Luke 22:14-20; Acts 2:41, 42, 8:12; Rom. 6:3-5; 1 Cor. 11:23-32)
We believe in the visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal happiness of the believer. Those who follow Christ will enjoy eternal life in heaven. Those who chose to reject Jesus and live their own way will be separated from God and will be eternally punished in hell.
(Matt 16:27, 24:31-46; Mark 9:43-48; John 14:3; Romans 14:10-12; 2 Thess. 1:7-10, Hebrews. 10:27; 2 Peter 2:4-10)
We believe that local churches can best promote the cause of Jesus Christ by cooperating with one another in a denominational organization. Such an organization, whether a regional or district conference, exists and functions by the will of the churches. Cooperation in a conference is voluntary and may be terminated at any time. Churches may likewise cooperate with interdenominational fellowships on a voluntary, independent basis.
(1 Cor 8:9-13; 16:13-16; Gal 5:22-26; Eph 4:1-3; James 3:5-8)
We believe that every human being has direct relations with God, and is responsible to God alone in all matters of faith; that each church is independent and must be free from interference by any ecclesiastical or political authority. The church has specific functions and roles in society, which are ordained by God and therefore must have freedom to exercise religious liberty. Therefore Church and State must be kept separate as having different functions.
(Acts 5:29, 20:28-32; Romans 14:7-9; 1 Cor 3:16; 1 Timothy 2:5; Col. 1:18; Romans 14:11-12)
We believe that marriage was ordained and sanctioned by God at creation as in the joining of one man and one woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture.. All sexual relations must therefore be reserved for that union. Christian marriage is a representation of Christ’s relationship to His church. We believe that any form of sexual immorality, such as adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pornography or any attempt to change one’s sex, or disagreement with one’s biological sex, is sinful and offensive to God. We believe that in order to preserve the function and integrity of the church as the local Body of Christ, it is imperative that all persons employed by the church in any capacity, or who serve as volunteers, should abide by and agree to this statement. We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with scripture nor the doctrines of the church. We also believe that children are a blessing from the Lord. Thus all human life is sacred and worthy of protection from the moment of conception.
Genesis 1:26-28; 2:24; Psalm 127 & 128; 139:13-16; Matthew 19:1-10; I Cor. 6:9-11; Eph 5:22-33; Hebrews 13:4.