THE BIBLE

The Bible, as originally given, is inspired by God. Through it God speaks to us and every word is infallible. It is our only authority for what we believe and practice.

GOD

There is only one God revealed as three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. These three are one God, co-eternal and co-equal.

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became man being conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He is both eternal God and a perfect, sinless man. Through His death on Calvary’s cross He has provided the way by which sinful people can be reconciled to a Holy God and brought into a right relationship with Him. His death is the only sacrifice for sin and through it there is freedom from both the guilt and penalty of sin. On the third day after His crucifixion the Lord Jesus Christ was raised bodily from the dead and, in His risen glorified body, He ascended into heaven to the right hand of God the Father from where He will return in person for those who have believed in Him, both living and dead, and together they will be with Him forever.

MAN

Man, created by God in His image and likeness, sinned. As a result, all men are sinful and guilty before God and subject to His righteous wrath and condemnation.

SALVATION

Salvation cannot be earned nor is it deserved but is God’s free gift given when a person repents and trusts Jesus Christ, acknowledging Him as both Saviour and Lord. As a consequence they receive complete forgiveness of sins, become a child of God and receive eternal life which they can never lose. Those who remain unrepentant will not be saved but will suffer eternal punishment in a place prepared by God following a final judgement.

THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit indwells every believer from the moment of conversion. His major task is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ in the life of the believer by increasing Christ-likeness in character and behaviour. It is the Holy Spirit who gives the power to fight sin and to witness to the world. He also gives gifts to build up the church.

THE CHURCH

There is one universal Church into which all believers are brought at the moment of conversion. Its Head is the Lord Jesus Christ. There are also local churches within the Church universal, of which we are one. The local church is made up of believers and has a threefold purpose:
To praise and worship God which directs its focus upwards (this involves prayer and communion).
To build itself up in love which directs its focus inwards (this involves among other things the development and application of spiritual gifting).
To witness to the world which directs its focus outwards (this involves both sharing the gospel of God’s grace and doing acts of kindness in His name to those in need).
It should keep all three of these purposes in balance and seek to express each of them through effective ministry.
Membership of the local church brings with it certain responsibilities, central to which is obedience to the Lord’s command to love one another as He Himself has loved. This involves praying for one another, encouraging one another, sharing one another’s burdens, showing hospitality and actively caring for each member of the church. Responsibilities also include supporting the activities of the church and engaging in regular financial giving. The local church is self-governing under God, submitted to His Word, the Lordship of Christ and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

ORDINANCES

We observe two ordinances i.e. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that every person who comes to personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is commanded to be baptised. Baptism expresses in symbolic form the individual’s identification with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. It marks obedience to Jesus Christ as Lord as the basis of a new life. It is the privilege of every believer to take bread and wine in remembrance of their Lord, thus proclaiming His death until He returns. To this meeting we welcome all who have come to personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and who want to obey Him.

LEADERSHIP

The local church has a number of elders. The Holy Spirit calls and qualifies such men to be examples, teachers, pastors and overseers who are to care for the members of the church and maintain discipline in accordance with the Word of God. It is the responsibility of each member to support their elders in all matters of church life.