Credo

(Pronounced [ˈkɾeːdoː], Latin for “I Believe”)

As members of the Restoration Movement or Stone/Campbell Movement we believe it is the right and responsibility of each Christian to study and interpret Scripture for himself/herself. Barton Stone and Thomas and Alexander Campbell believed that the use of creeds as tests of faith is not biblical. They concluded that the only test of faith contained in the New Testament was a simple confession of Jesus as Lord and Savior. Therefore, the only question we ask of those seeking membership in our fellowship is the question Jesus himself asked of his disciples, “Who do you say I am?” We do not require of our members adherence to any particular creed other than that contained in the Bible.

It should be noted that we are not “anti-creedal.” We accept most of what is contained in the ancient Christian creeds but do not insist that anyone accept every point of these creeds as a condition of fellowship in our church. The following ten points are accepted by the majority of Christians around the world and within our congregation and are, therefore, a good foundation for a personal faith statement. We believe that Christians of good conscience can disagree on issues beyond these basic tenets of faith and still consider one another brothers or sisters in Christ. Our faith and our unity in the Body of Christ is based upon a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and not on whether or not we agree on every point of theological doctrine.

If you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then we accept you as a brother or sister in Christ.

 1. We believe that there is one God expressed in three persons; the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

2. We believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and our Savior.

3. We believe that by his death on the cross Jesus paid the penalty for our sins and three days later he physically rose from the tomb to live forever.

4. We believe that Jesus ascended into Heaven and will one day return to claim all his followers and establish his eternal kingdom.

5. We believe in the Holy Spirit, that He is active in conversion, and that He dwells in the heart of the Christian.

6. We accept the Old and New Testaments as the inspired word of God.

7. The Bible is our only discipline. Where the Bible speaks we speak, where it is silent we are silent.

8. We believe God is a prayer–hearing and prayer–answering God.

9. We observe the Lord’s Supper, Holy Communion, each Lord’s Day. We say it is the Lord’s Table, for all the Lord’s people.

10. We believe that baptism is for those individuals who have made a personal confession of faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior and are committed to following him. We believe that baptism is by immersion; however, in a spirit of Christian charity and unity we recognize other forms of baptism (sprinkling, pouring, dunking, etc.). Those who unite by transfer of membership from other congregations or denominations are accepted into full membership on the basis of their prior Christian commitment.